I don’t claim to be an expert by any means, so this one is more of my experiences of creating covers for paperbacks using KDP. And it can be a swine. First off, some people will like using the Amazon Cover Creator, but I don’t; I find it clunky, limited, and prone to all sorts of colour problems, so my number one tip, while it can be fiddly, upload your own complete cover every time.
So, before you begin, you need to start thinking about layout, image, colours and fonts, and have an idea of the blurb you’re going to use on the back. Don’t just focus on the front, you’ll want to make sure the rest is consistent and matches, or you risk looking unprofessional. I’m lucky enough to have Adobe Acrobat DC for editing, but the rules I follow you can actually create, with a little more fiddling, using something like Powerpoint or your favourite graphics programme. The reason I use Acrobat (this is the editable rather than the free version), is that it avoids all the annoying re-sizing and cropping that is usually needed if you use a graphics programme. Depending on what you’re using, you’ll either use the PNG (image) or PDF template to create.
First off, you can play and experiment (always a good idea), but don’t do this too early. When you download the template (from https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/cover-templates ) you need to know the size of paperback you’re publishing, and crucially, the number of pages; something you’ll only know when you’ve finished all the formatting mentioned in my previous post. The reason for this is the width of the spine, which will vary depending on the number of pages, and while you can get way with a close approximation if you want, that risks the cover image bleeding into the spine, or the cutting process at the printers leaving the finished product slightly off centre. This really is something you want to take time on, and get right.
My next tip, if you’ve used someone to design your cover, ask them to give you the hex code for the main background colour (this is the technical code for the colour, so you can match with the back), or if you’ve made your own, go to https://html-color-codes.info/colors-from-image/ and click on the colour you want to copy to find the code for yourself. For tEXt me, this was #e73742, and the website https://htmlcolorcodes.com/color-picker/ (or just googling that number) will give you the colour breakdown if you need to match it, in red, green, blue. In my case, these were 231,55,66. This will allow me to make the back cover exactly the same shade as the front. This is another problem with the Amazon cover creator, tool, you can’t do that. I can’t go into detail on how to go that colour change on every type of software (on Acrobat it’s just edit – background – add) so you may have to google, but this is a great base. One tip to avoid, don’t use flood fill to do it after you add text, or you’ll spend hours trying to correct the spaces within every e,R,a,o,p etc (you can see the imperfect results of that on my pb cover for The Raven Sound).
Next, adding your spine text and back cover text (I opt for an author blurb, pic and short description), but make sure that the fonts you use are both free to use commercially, and match the title on the front cover. If you don’t know what to use, go somewhere like https://fonts.google.com/ which is searchable for fonts free to use. I used one called Linux Libertine on this cover.
Next, pay close attention to the guide lines on the template. They show where Amazon will add an isbn on the back, and also how far your image and text can and should reach, and where you risk things being list during the cutting and printing process (the outer and inner lines). Annoyingly, depending on your chosen software, you may have to manually delete these when you’re done, if you don’t want dotted lines showing up, and it can be a faff, but it’s worth the effort. If the spacing doesn’t look right on the thumbnail after you’ve uploaded, change it, and re-upload, don’t put up with it and think “that’ll do”. You’ll regret it if you do. This is your finished product!
Always, always order a proof, and you may end up doing this a few times. The production process, using different printers, can be slightly variable, so make sure your text and cover image are in exactly the right place, the spine looks right (and is right way up) and the colours match before you release into the World. Yes, it can add a few days and a couple of pounds to try a correction and have it printed again but it can make the difference between looking professional and not. Any book bought is a showcase for you, and for the sake of a couple of days and a few measly quid, it really is worth the effort. I’m speaking from bitter experience.
Hope that helps.
Stay safe,
Kit