Frequently Asked Questions

Seven common self-publishing sizes are built in: 5×8, 5.5×8.5, 6×9, 6.14×9.21, 7×10, 8.5×8.5 (square children's picture book), and 8.5×11. Choose your size, page count, and paper stock, and the tool calculates the exact spine width, bleed, and safety zones for each printer automatically. If you need a size that is not listed, contact us.

Spine width depends on page count and paper stock (white, cream, standard color, or premium color). KDP, IngramSpark, and Lulu each calculate spines differently, and IngramSpark paperbacks now use Ingram's own spine-width table for each paper type. Accurate specs let us size a separate file for each printer that matches its requirements.

Yes. Upload an existing front cover as a PNG, JPG, or WebP and BookCovers.pro will use it as the source artwork instead of regenerating it. If its proportions differ from the print panel, you can choose the crop alignment before the spine and back are built for your book specs. An optional AI text-placement correction is available, but selecting it can alter and downsample the uploaded image.

Enter your title, subtitle, author name, back-cover description, and optional style notes. You can also choose from 16 image-style presets (Minimalist, Painterly, Dark Cinematic, Retro, Surreal, 3D Render, and more) and upload up to four reference images — a headshot, a style reference, an object or setting — to guide the AI. Free accounts get three free AI attempts per project, within an account-wide cap of six AI actions per day; once you have any credit balance, AI generations and refinements are unlimited. You can refine or regenerate the cover as many times as you like before spending a credit to download.

Free accounts get three free AI attempts per cover project, with an account-wide cap of six AI actions per day across all your projects. Once you have a credit balance (any pack), AI generations and refinements are unlimited until you are ready to download. A credit is only spent when you click to download the final print-ready bundle — previewing, iterating, changing text, or regenerating the art never costs a credit.

The audiobook cover is a 1:1 square version of your front cover, with title and author name preserved, optimized for ACX, Findaway Voices, and other audiobook platforms. After purchasing a credit and downloading your bundle, click 'Generate audiobook cover' — it is included at no extra charge.

Yes. Hardcover case-laminate files for KDP and IngramSpark are included with your credit at no extra charge; switch them on from the proof page before downloading. Both printers require at least 76 pages for hardcover, and Lulu hardcover and dust jackets with flaps are not yet supported.

Yes. A free account is required so BookCovers.pro can save your projects and track your AI preview allowance. Create an account with email or Google, then return to saved work from My Covers. Designing and previewing are free; a credit is spent only when you download the final bundle.

Yes. Enter an Archieboy coupon at the top of the Pricing page before clicking "Buy"; those codes apply 10% off and can be used once per customer. Other eligible BookCovers.pro promotion codes can be entered on the secure payment page. A rejected code may be invalid, expired, or already used.

Yes. Select "Book info" (Step 0) from the wizard navigation at any point to edit the title, subtitle, author name, trim size, page count, or paper stock. Changing the trim size, page count, or paper will regenerate the print templates and clear any cached downloads — simply re-proof the cover after saving your changes.

BookCovers.pro is an AI-assisted cover studio, so there is no human designer on staff. It is best for fast production, converting an existing front cover to a full wrap, series, backlists and AI-assisted concepts. If you need original illustration, intricate photo compositing or hands-on art direction for a flagship title, we recommend GetCovers: https://mibl.spp.io/r/GR3ZD0 (an affiliate link, so we may earn a referral fee at no additional cost to you). The same recommendation is on our How It Works page. For questions about BookCovers.pro itself, use https://www.bookcovers.pro/contact.

Yes. When you upload a cover image whose shape does not match the print panel exactly, BookCovers.pro detects the mismatch and shows a crop-alignment control on the front-cover screen. Choose center (default), top, bottom, left, or right to set where the crop is anchored — useful for keeping a face or a key visual element in the frame. The setting is saved and applied each time your proof previews or renders.

Yes, if your book has a subtitle. On the spine step, a "Show subtitle on spine" toggle appears when a subtitle is saved. Turning it on changes the spine text from the title alone to "Title: Subtitle." You can switch it back at any time before downloading.

No. Free accounts get three free AI attempts per project (up to six AI actions total per day across your account) with no credit required — you will see a full-quality watermarked preview each time. Once you have any credit balance (any pack size), AI generations and refinements become unlimited. A credit is only spent when you click to download the final print-ready bundle.

After you generate a front cover, BookCovers.pro automatically checks whether any text crosses into the trim or bleed area. If it does, the proof page shows a warning and offers an Auto-fix (Outpaint) button that shrinks the design slightly and fills the new edges — usually resolving the issue in 20–40 seconds. You can also go back to the front-cover step and regenerate, or acknowledge the warning and proceed if the flagged element is intentional decorative art.

Our AI image service has an automated content filter that can occasionally block a request, even for legitimate titles that quote difficult language. If that happens, you will see a plain-language notice on the page, no credit is used, and you can reach us through the Contact page to have that piece built by hand at no extra charge.

Yes. Paperback bundles include a print-ready wrap PDF for Lulu, alongside KDP and IngramSpark, each with its own spine-width formula — as long as your book is 32 pages or more (Lulu's own minimum). Shorter books get KDP and IngramSpark files only. Hardcover case-laminate is currently available for KDP and IngramSpark only — Lulu hardcover is not yet supported.

No. BookCovers.pro never prints a barcode and has no barcode setting. Instead it keeps a clear area about 2" wide and 1.2" tall in the lower-right corner of the back cover, in every printer file you download (KDP, IngramSpark and Lulu). Amazon KDP and IngramSpark add the barcode for your ISBN in that corner themselves; on KDP, leave the "my cover already includes a barcode" box unchecked. Lulu does not add one to an uploaded cover: download the barcode Lulu offers on its Copyright step and place it in that corner with an image or PDF editor before uploading. If you use Distribute Print Book through SelfPublishing.pro, nothing is needed from you. Keep text and important art out of that corner.

No. The book description and the About the Author bio are always set flush left (ragged right), and the author name above the bio is a fixed size. The bio shrinks automatically to fit its space. Alignment codes typed into the text are ignored; the designer only reads basic formatting such as bold, italic and paragraphs. If you want justified text or different sizes, use "Upload your own back cover" on the back-cover step: lay out the back cover in another program, save it as a PNG, JPG or WebP image (at least 1600x2400 recommended) and upload it. It replaces the generated description and bio entirely, so keep the lower-right barcode corner clear.

Yes. After downloading your print-ready bundle, a Distribute Print Book option appears on the proof page. BookCovers.pro sends your cover, interior PDF, and metadata to SelfPublishing.pro, which distributes through Ingram — putting your paperback on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and thousands of other retailers worldwide. Distribution is free for BookCovers.pro users; SelfPublishing.pro takes 15% of net royalties. You can still upload the same KDP PDF directly to Amazon KDP yourself for tighter Amazon control.

Yes. On the back cover step, scroll to the Author section and toggle it on. You can upload a photo with your choice of frame shape (circle, square, rounded rectangle, or portrait rectangle), write a short bio, and the section will appear on the final printed back cover. The author section is included in the same print bundle at no extra cost.

Yes. When you start a new cover project, your SelfPublishing.pro books appear in a dropdown on the setup form. Selecting one pre-fills the title, author name, trim size, page count, paper type, and back-cover description — so you skip re-entering details you have already set. You can adjust any field before continuing.

Yes. On the back cover step, switch the Background toggle from "AI background" to "Solid color." You can then pick any of the palette colors extracted from your front cover, or enter a custom hex color. The text color follows the Text treatment setting below the toggle, and "Auto" keeps it legible against any background.

Yes. The back cover description field accepts a small set of HTML formatting tags: use or for bold and or for italic. These render in the final print-ready PDF and in the on-screen proof preview. Other HTML tags are ignored. You can also use

for subheadings and

for bullet points.