Besides helping you share your knowledge and expertise with a wider audience, writing and selling ebooks online is a great way to generate passive income. And you know the thing that attracts your potential readers/buyers so they can dive deeper into your ebook content?
You know it — your ebook cover.
So if you’re ready to share your wisdom with the world (and earn a living in the process), here’s our definitive guide to how to create an ebook cover that delivers — with the help of some eye-catching ebook templates from Venngage.
Let’s dive in.
Click to jump ahead:
- What is an ebook?
- What are ebook covers?
- How to design an ebook cover
- Ebook cover templates & examples
- Mistakes to avoid when creating ebook covers
- FAQs about ebook covers
What is an ebook?
Let’s first have a refresher on what an ebook is.
An ebook is a book in a digital format. It can be read using reader apps on a smartphone, tablet or PC. As more people prefer to use their mobile gadgets, many publications release books in both print and digital editions.
Effective ebook design ensures that the text is easy to read on various devices and screen sizes. Proper formatting, font choice and line spacing contribute to a comfortable reading experience. For more ebook design inspiration, check out this article on the 15+ inspiring ebook examples to captivate your readers.
If you plan to sell an ebook, make sure that it is responsive so your readers can enjoy it on different screen sizes.
What are ebook covers?
An ebook cover displays the ebook title, the author and/or publisher, and a short summary of the ebook if needed.
Here’s an example of an ebook cover for a Brand Style Guidelines document:
Now this is important: a good ebook cover is more than just an introduction to your book.
Remember that saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover?”
Well, I’m proud to say that I’ve never judged a book (read: a person) by its cover (read: their appearance). But when it comes to actual (e)books with actual covers…
Guilty as charged.
The ebook industry is lucrative but also incredibly competitive. With about 50,000 Kindle ebooks published on Amazon per month (or nearly 70 per hour), you have to make your ebook stand out to profit. Having a good ebook cover design is one way to do so.
In fact, this has been proven: the right book cover design can increase the click-through rate by 51%.
Does this mean you have to put all your time and effort into designing ebook covers? Not really. Your ebook cover design varies depending on the book’s content and its potential readers. If you’re creating an ebook for your business, I’d call it a win as long as the cover conveys the right message of the book and reflects your company.
What you should never do is make a lousy effort at designing the cover — it can leave an impression that your content is mediocre at best. Having a well designed cover also helps better promote your ebook as it immediately grabs attention and entices readers to learn more about your content.
How to design an ebook cover
A good ebook cover delivers — it reflects your ebook content well and helps attract your potential readers — especially during an important book launch. And it’s not difficult to create one, especially if you use an ebook cover maker like Venngage.
Here are the five simple steps you can take to design an eye-catching ebook cover with Venngage:
Step 1: Sign up for a free Venngage account
Step 2: Choose an ebook template that you like
We offer different types of ebook templates and ebook covers! Choose the one you think suits your content the most:
For some tips on how to best edit our ebook templates, check out: 20+ eBook Templates and Design Tips (From an Expert Who Sold 10k+ Paid Copies)
Step 3: Adjust the cover: Add your book title, author/company name, logo, images or icons as needed
Step 4: Brand your ebook cover easily with My Brand Kit
Note that this feature is available for Venngage Business or Enterprise users only.
Step 5: Share a free link to your ebook cover or upgrade to export it in multiple formats
With a paid plan, you can export your ebook designs or just your ebook cover as a PNG, PNG HD (high resolution image), PDF, Interactive PDF file and more.
Related: Interactive Ebooks 101: What They Are and How to Make Them
Ebook cover templates & examples
Modern Ebook Template
This cover design works best for tutorial guides. Instead of using actual images, you can use icons that convey the same message. Remember that a great cover doesn’t need to have a lot of design elements. You wouldn’t want to confuse your readers and you must direct their eyes to your book’s title.
Branding Ebook Template
If you are looking for a modern design, you can simply take inspiration from the template above. Look for quality images that will reflect your content. In this case, it’s about a kitchen and the background photo works perfectly. To make the title stand out, you can overlay a solid color and adjust the transparency.
If you are writing about sports, then using images of sporting events is the best way to do it. For those who plan to write about social media, screenshots of the biggest platforms like Facebook or Instagram aren’t bad ideas.
Brand Guide Ebook Template
Who needs a designer for a simple ebook cover like the template above? As we’ve already mentioned, many publishers and authors choose a minimalist design. If you are a company that’s about to release your own ebook, adding your logo to dominate the cover could work to your advantage. It’s also an excellent strategy for brand recognition. Just make sure that the title is clear on your new ebook cover.
Law Brand Guide Ebook Template
For highly technical industries and professional sectors, you can use the template above. The color of the ebook cover itself says it all. It’s bold but not overly playful, perfect for the practice of law. Take a closer look at the back cover where you can also add your company information and contact details. For storybooks or novels, adding a synopsis or reviews could do some wonders as well.
Team Alignment Handbook Template
Here’s another simple cover for your ebook. To make the design look smart and sleek, you can add your brand’s color on the side. Don’t forget your logo especially if this will form part of your lead magnet strategy. Who knows if your ebook will provide your company with consistent sales and more money?
Mistakes to avoid when creating ebook covers
Using plain ol’ stock images
Using stock images for the ebook cover art is, after all, the fastest way to get pictures. However, the downside is that hundreds of people, authors, publishers and companies might be using the same. Again, it will be harder for your ebook to stand out with a stock image on the cover. How many times have you seen the image below?
The best option is to use original photos or illustrations/icons (read more about how to use icon stories to illustrate your idea here). Stock images should be used as a last resort — and even then, make sure you at least brand your ebook cover to make it your own.
Using tools that aren’t meant for ebook cover designing
Many are guilty of still using Word as an ebook cover creator. The application has limited features and you might end up with boring book covers. Don’t be afraid to use online cover creators. These platforms are usually user-friendly and have ready-made templates that you can edit right away. Check out the sample below and modify it right now.
If you want a free ebook cover that’s playful and colorful, this is one of the best choices. It is ideal for the younger market or for those in the creative industries. And if you could tone down the colors, this design could also work for other industries.
Ready to have your ebook meet the world? Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to publish an ebook.
FAQs about ebook covers
Here are the common questions about electronic book covers.
What should be on the ebook cover page?
There are only two important design elements that should be on your ebook cover page. These are the title and your name, as the author.
However, there are optional information and details you can add as well. We’re talking about the subtitle, background images, and graphics. You can take a look at the sample below and use it for your own ebook. Just don’t forget the name of the author.
You can also add your URL to increase traffic to your company website.
What are the sizes of ebook cover templates?
Here are the recommended sizes for your ebook covers.
- Audiobooks – 3,200 x 3,200 pixels
- Kindle – 2,560 x 1,600 pixels
- Illustrated books – 2,800 x 3,920 pixels
- Novels and nonfiction – 2,560 x 1,600 pixels
For most people, these can get too confusing. Don’t worry as ebook cover design makers online can automatically adjust the sizes for you.
Can ebooks have pictures?
Yes, the front cover of ebooks can contain pictures to give potential readers a peek into your book.
For example, if your book is about business, you can use images of buildings or people inside a conference room. A book about parenting tips could use a photo of a family. Feel free to adjust the transparency so that your cover title will still be visible.
Below are a couple of examples from Venngage where our designers used pictures on the book cover.
Make a good first impression with a sleek ebook cover design
It’s so much easier and more intuitive to create an ebook cover using Venngage. Attract your potential readers and make your content shine with an eye-catching ebook cover template — it’s free to get started!