AI Book Cover Generator
Describe your book and get a cover that fits its genre, with sharp title text and the exact size for ebook, paperback, hardcover or audiobook.
How to make a book cover with AI
Glif’s AI book cover generator takes you from a blurb to a print-ready cover in one chat. It’s built for self-published authors without months, or a designer’s budget, to spend on a cover.
- Tell Glif about your book. Paste the title, author name, genre and blurb. For print, add trim size, page count and paper type. Upload a sketch or reference cover if you have one.
- Pick a concept. Glif suggests several cover ideas that fit your genre. Choose one or mix elements you like.
- Refine it in plain English. “Make the sky darker”, “move the title up”, “try a serif font”. Only what you ask for changes.
- Get the exact size. Glif typesets the title and author as sharp text and sizes the file for your platform, including spine and bleed for print.
- Download and upload. Export your ebook, print or audiobook cover.
Book cover ideas by genre
Readers pick books that look like the ones they already love. Start from your genre, then describe your own story.
Nonfiction and business: a big title, a simple symbol and plenty of white space
Poetry book cover: minimal artwork, muted colours and quiet, elegant type
Fantasy book cover: painted landscapes, a lone figure or a magical object, ornate serif type
Romance book cover: illustrated couples, warm colours, flowing script or bold rounded type
Thriller and mystery: dark, high-contrast images with big, heavy title type
Sci-fi: spaceships, cityscapes or planets, cool colours and clean, wide type
Comic book cover: a dynamic hero pose, bold ink lines and a masthead logo
Glif handles every format
Every version comes from the same artwork, so your ebook, print and audiobook covers all match.
Ebook cover
Front cover only, as an RGB JPEG at 1,600 × 2,560 px. Works on Kindle, Apple Books, Kobo and Google Play.
Full wrap: back, spine and front
One file for paperback or hardcover. Glif works out the spine from your page count and lays out the blurb, author bio and barcode area.
Audiobook cover
A square version for Audible and ACX. Glif recomposes the design so the title and author still fit, instead of cropping.
Mockups and launch images
3D book mockups and social posts made from the same artwork, in the same chat.
Add an author photo from AI author headshots, then turn your cover into book ads, book trailers or print-on-demand merch. For podcast or album art, see the AI album cover art maker.
Glif vs. template tools vs. a designer
| Glif AI book cover generator | Template tools (e.g. Canva, KDP Cover Creator) | Freelance cover designer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting point | Your blurb, genre or sketch in chat | Pick a template, edit by hand | Brief + back-and-forth |
| Original artwork | Generated for your story | Stock photos or AI image, then edited | Custom |
| Title & spine text | Typeset for you, sharp at 300 DPI | You lay it out | Included |
| Print sizing (spine, bleed) | Calculated from your page count | Template or calculator | Included |
| Ebook, audiobook, mockups, ads | Same chat, same artwork | Separate designs | Usually extra |
| Turnaround | Minutes to hours | Hours | Days to weeks |
How much does an AI book cover cost on Glif?
A freelance cover designer typically charges hundreds of dollars per cover. On Glif you only pay for what you generate, in credits. Draft concepts with cheaper models, then make the final with a premium one. Glif shows an estimated credit cost and asks before expensive steps. See pricing for plans and credit packs.
| What you make | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| One cover concept | ~1–60 credits, depending on the model |
| Polished front cover (a few concepts, revisions, text pass) | ~30–150 credits |
| Full wrap (back, spine and front) | A little more than a front cover |
Book cover dimensions and sizes
The standard ebook cover size for Kindle is 1,600 × 2,560 pixels (1:1.6) as an RGB JPEG. Print covers for KDP and IngramSpark are your trim size plus spine and bleed at 300 DPI. Audiobook covers for Audible are square, at least 2,400 × 2,400 pixels.
| Format | Size | File |
|---|---|---|
| Kindle / KDP ebook | 1,600 × 2,560 px, front only | JPEG, RGB, up to 5 MB |
| Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play | 1,600 × 2,560 px, front only | JPEG, RGB |
| KDP paperback | Trim + spine + 0.125" bleed, 300 DPI | Single PDF (back, spine, front) |
| KDP hardcover | Trim + spine + 0.51" wrap, 300 DPI | Single PDF |
| IngramSpark print | Trim + spine + 0.125" bleed, 300 ppi | PDF, CMYK |
| Audible / ACX | Square, at least 2,400 × 2,400 px | JPG, PNG or TIF, RGB, up to 8 MB |
Let Glif size your cover
Tell Glif your trim size, page count and paper type, and it works out:
- the spine width from your page count
- the bleed and wrap for KDP, IngramSpark or hardcover
- the barcode area on the back cover
- the right file: JPEG for ebooks, PDF for print
Common questions
Start by telling Glif your title, author name, genre and blurb. For print, add the trim size, page count and paper type. Glif suggests a few concepts, you pick one and ask for changes in plain English, and it sizes the finished file for your platform.
For ebooks, 1,600 × 2,560 px as an RGB JPEG. Print covers are your trim size plus spine and 0.125" bleed at 300 DPI, and audiobook covers are square, at least 2,400 × 2,400 px. Glif works these out for you from your format and page count.
It can. Give it your trim size, page count and paper type and you get the full wrap at the exact print size. Your blurb and author bio go on the back with space for the barcode, and the title and author go on the spine once the book is thick enough.
Readers should know the genre at a glance, and the title should still be readable as a tiny Amazon thumbnail. One strong image usually beats several small ones. Ask Glif to show you your cover at thumbnail size before you publish.
Glif adds your title, author name, spine text and blurb as typeset text on top of the artwork, so they come out exactly as you type them and stay sharp at small sizes. Proofread before you publish all the same.
Artwork is made at 300 DPI print size (1,800 × 2,700 px for a 6 × 9" front cover), and text is added at the same resolution. KDP print and IngramSpark want a PDF, and IngramSpark wants CMYK, so convert the file in your PDF tool if your printer asks.
KDP allows them, but you have to say the book contains AI-generated images when you publish, even if you edited the image a lot afterwards. Check KDP’s content guidelines for the current rules.
Buying credits, through a subscription or a credit pack, unlocks commercial usage rights for what you make on Glif, subject to the underlying model licenses. Free credits are for non-commercial use, so buy credits before you make a cover you’ll sell. Attribution follows each model provider’s guidelines. See Glif’s terms for details.
Upload from your device or your Glif library, or pull in any saved asset with @. Glif can turn a rough sketch into a finished illustration, keep a character the same across a series, or restyle an old cover. For small fixes to an existing image, try the AI image editor.
Once you like a cover, ask the agent to "Create a personal skill from this workflow so I can make matching covers for the rest of my series." The skill saves the prompt, fonts, layout and model choices, and for book 2 you run it with the new title and blurb. Your characters stay in your Library, so you can reference them with @ and keep consistent AI characters across the series.
The agent picks a model for each step, and you can always ask for a specific one. Image models include GPT Image 2.5, Nano Banana Pro, Seedream 5, Flux 2 and Krea 2. Cheaper models are fine for early concepts, with a premium model for the final cover. See all models.
You can try Glif for free with the small daily allowance of free credits every account gets. Those credits are for non-commercial use, so buy credits or subscribe before you make a cover you plan to sell. See pricing.
Make your book cover
Describe your book, pick a concept, and download a cover sized for Kindle, print or audiobook.
