The Engineering Problem
Your cover isn't a poster. It's a 100-pixel thumbnail on a smartphone screen.
If readers can't read your title from 5 feet away, your cover has failed. This guide treats cover design as a visibility optimization problem.
By Ameen A. Mohiyuddin - I've tested dozens of covers. The winners all pass the thumbnail test. The losers look great at full size and invisible at thumbnail size.
The Thumbnail Test
Shrink your cover to 100×150 pixels. Can you read the title?
If no, your cover will be invisible on Amazon mobile (where 70% of book sales happen).
The Test:
- • Open your cover in Photoshop/Canva
- • Zoom out until it's the size of your thumbnail
- • Stand 5 feet back from your screen
- • Can you read the title? Can you identify the genre?
Contrast is King
❌ Low Contrast = Invisible
Dark Text
Can't read this
Light Text
Can't read this either
✅ High Contrast = Readable
Bright Text
Orange on Black
Bold Text
Yellow on Blue
Winning Color Combos
Orange / Black
Yellow / Black
Yellow / Blue
White / Red
White / Green
Cyan / Black
Genre Expectations: Fit In to Stand Out
Don't try to be "unique." If all Romance books have shirtless men, and yours has a flower, readers will think it's a gardening book.
Romance
- • Contemporary: Couple embracing, bright colors, script fonts
- • Historical: Period clothing, muted tones, serif fonts
- • Paranormal: Dark backgrounds, glowing elements, bold sans-serif
Thriller
- • Psychological: Dark, moody, distressed fonts
- • Action: Bold colors, dynamic composition, sans-serif
- • Legal: Professional, clean, authoritative fonts
Fantasy/Sci-Fi
- • Epic Fantasy: Illustrated, ornate fonts, rich colors
- • Urban Fantasy: Dark city, neon accents, modern fonts
- • Sci-Fi: Futuristic, metallic, clean sans-serif
Typography: Readable from 5 Feet
❌ Unreadable Fonts
Overly Decorative Script
Too thin, too fancy
Ultra Thin Sans Serif
Disappears at thumbnail size
✅ Readable Fonts
BOLD SANS SERIF
Thriller, Sci-Fi, Action
Classic Serif
Literary, Historical, Mystery
Readable Script
Romance, Women's Fiction
DIY vs Hiring: The Cost/Benefit Analysis
DIY (Canva, Photoshop)
Best For: Authors on a budget, series with consistent branding, non-fiction
Hire a Designer
Best For: Fiction debuts, competitive genres (romance, thriller), books with high profit potential
Where to Hire
Fiverr
$50-$150, fast turnaround
99designs
$200-$500, contest format
Reedsy
$300-$1000, vetted pros
5 Cover Mistakes That Kill Sales
❌ Unreadable Title
Fancy fonts that disappear at thumbnail size. Always do the thumbnail test.
❌ Wrong Genre Signals
A romance cover with dark horror vibes confuses readers. Match genre expectations.
❌ Low Contrast
Dark text on dark background = invisible. Use high-contrast color combos.
❌ Too Much Text
Title, subtitle, tagline, author name, series info = cluttered. Keep it simple.
❌ Stock Photo Overuse
Using the same stock photo as 50 other books. Customize or hire a designer.
Technical Requirements: Don't Guess
Getting your cover rejected by KDP because of "bleed issues" or "text in the prohibited zone" is a rite of passage for new authors. But you can skip it.
Paperback & Hardcover Specs
Don't struggle with manual math to figure out spine width. Generate a print-ready PDF with our Precision Template Generator. It handles all the bleed calculations for you.
Generate Your Print TemplatePlanning a hardcover? They are complicated. Visualize your flaps instantly with the Dust Jacket Planner to ensure your bio doesn't get cut off.
Cover Design Checklist
Your Cover is Your First Sale
Readers judge books by their covers. Pass the thumbnail test, match genre expectations, and win clicks.