Getting the layout of your book cover right

Creating a book cover design for some of the bigger print on demand publishers normally involves working to a certain set of parameters, the larger services will offer explicit guidelines on how they want their PDF’s to be delivered to them but it is worth understanding this prior to actually making the design itself.

For some publishers the use of a template is very common place too, you simply input the details of your book’s chosen trim size, paper color, interior color, binding type, page count and (in some cases) ISBN, the template is then created and available to download ready for use.

These templates vary from service to service and you will notice slight variations in margins, however, the premise is the same with them all, they give you the base-layer from which to build your design from. It is worth noting that for some of these templates a little experience is very handy too, for example, with Createspace we’ve found that moving their margins a little further from the spine ensures that content doesn’t ride up over the binding mark.

It’s also worth considering the systems and software that you’ll be using to create your book cover, for most professionals the use of Adobe is a very popular choice (and far more accessible these days than it has ever been), they make the layout of your book cover far more precise and interchangeable between software packages, if you design artwork in Photoshop then ‘place’ it into your design within InDesign, any changes you make in PS will be updated in ID with the click of a button.

What InDesign also does very well is in enabling you to alter the design when the page count changes, if you have based the layout of your book cover upon a template then that’s great as long as your page count stays the same, but if it alters (as it normally does) then you will need to alter the width of the spine. In InDesign you are able to adjust the spine (or Gutter) very easily along with the overall dimensions of the book’s trim size, again, you can also go back to Photoshop at the same time to alter the artwork to line up with the spine too.

So templates are great but you still need to be flexible enough in order to make adjustments further down the line. When it comes to exporting your work as the PDF (which will be uploaded as your book cover) the POD services again will vary, some will allow your design to be created in RGB but most will prefer it in CMYK, again, this is another important area to consider. If you have designed a cover in RGB with vivid colors and then it gets converted into CMYK you’ll notice a shift in color and a slight dulling of your design, you may also find that some POD services go on to restrict the ink levels too, and this can produce a further color shift.
 
As with anything, the more preparation you do with your design the better, using a template will help but you still need to understand the requirements of your printing service, it also helps if you have software and an attitude which is flexible enough to make changes when needed.