How to make a book cover with AI
Updated November 2026
Readers judge a book by its cover in about a second, usually as a small thumbnail on Amazon. A good AI cover follows the same rules as a designed one.
Match your genre
Thrillers use bold type, high contrast and a lone figure or place. Romance uses warm color, couples or symbols, and script or elegant type. Horror and gothic use dark palettes, a house, a woman in a doorway, mist. Fantasy uses rich color and an object or landscape. Look at the top 20 books in your category and match their feel without copying any of them.
Keep the picture simple
One strong subject reads at thumbnail size. Busy scenes turn to mush. Leave clear space at the top or bottom for the title.
Set the title separately
AI image tools still misspell words inside pictures. Generate the image without text, then set the title and author name with real type, large enough to read on a phone.
Use the right size
- Kindle e-book: 1600 x 2560 pixels, JPEG
- Paperback: one wrap-cover PDF with back, spine and front, plus 0.125 in bleed. See the paperback formatting guide for the formula.
Disclose AI art
Amazon KDP asks whether your cover contains AI-generated images. Answer truthfully when you publish.
In Authora
Authora reads your book, suggests three cover concepts that fit your genre, paints the picture you choose, and sets your title and name in thriller, romance or gothic lettering. You get a Kindle-size front cover, and with the Print Pack a full paperback wrap cover with your blurb on the back.
Questions
Can I use an AI-generated cover on Amazon KDP?
Yes. KDP accepts AI-generated covers but asks you to disclose AI-generated images when you publish.
What size should a Kindle cover be?
1600 x 2560 pixels, a 1.6 to 1 height-to-width ratio, saved as a JPEG.
Try it on your own book
Authora plans, writes and edits your book in the style you choose, then makes the cover, the Kindle e-book and the print-ready paperback. The free trial includes 10,000 words, no card needed.