DIY Cover Guidelines

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Cover Requirements

Maximum cover size: 11”x17”
0.25” bleed all the way around
Safe Zone: 0.25” INSIDE the trim line
(This area shouldn’t include any important text or images)

How to calculate the width of the spine:

Page count / 449 = spine width

Now let’s figure out the size of your cover file:

width + spine + width = total width
height = total height

Let’s use the example below.
Let’s say the book is 112 pages, and 6” wide by 9” tall.

WIDTH:

6” (back cover) + 0.25” (spine) + 6” (front cover) = 12.25”

HEIGHT:

9”

Once you figure in the bleed, your file will be 12.75”x9.5”