Guides for self-publishing authors

What actually makes a cover sell, the measurements every printer checks, and how the pages inside should be set — written for authors doing it themselves.

Browse by topic

🎯
What makes a cover sell
The rules behind every cover that works: thumbnails, type, contrast, composition, and the mistakes that give a book away.
7 articles
📐
Sizes, spines and printers
The measurements a printer actually checks: trim size, bleed, spine width, and what changes between KDP, IngramSpark, Lulu and B&N Press.
7 articles
🖼️
Getting the artwork
Where the picture comes from: AI art that does not look like AI art, stock images and what their licenses allow, resolution that survives print, and when to hire someone.
5 articles
📣
Selling the book
After the file is right: the blurb that does the selling, Amazon A+ modules, mockups worth posting, and getting early reviews without breaking a store rule.
6 articles
🔍
Proofs and print quality
The last checks before a thousand copies: what to look for in a physical proof, what to preflight before you upload, and what white or cream paper changes.
3 articles
🔖
ISBNs, barcodes and listings
The paperwork end of publishing: whether you need your own ISBN, what a copyright page has to carry, barcodes and price codes, and the listing fields readers search.
8 articles
📱
Ebooks and EPUB
The other half of the book: how an EPUB differs from a print PDF, the cover size stores expect, and what makes a file pass validation.
5 articles
✍️
From manuscript to pages
What to hand the typesetter and what it does with it: a file that imports cleanly, chapter openings and scene breaks, the faults readers feel, and images that survive print.
5 articles
📖
Inside the book
The pages between the covers: margins and gutters, front matter, body typefaces, and the large print edition most authors never make.
8 articles

Ready to build the cover?

The Cover Maker lays out your front, spine and back at your real trim size and page count, and exports a print-ready PDF for KDP, IngramSpark, Lulu or B&N Press. Start your cover →