Youll need some image editing software to make the cover image the right size and to add the title and your name as the author. Thats right we want to give you high quality fully editable free book cover templates designed by the same designers responsible for new york times bestselling covers. Keep in mind that this template will only work when submitting a book to createspace. Creating your createspace paperback cover using gimp blue full template. Jan 06, 2011 lightning source book cover templates for diy selfpublishers by joel friedlander on january 6, 2011 45 comments lightning source, inc. To make a cd cover type a 5 inches wide and 5 inches tall in the dialogue box. At the end of 20 i put out a package of diy book cover templates in microsoft word and revolutionized publishing with a howto guide to designing amazing book covers in an easy to use program youre already familiar with.
I make all my covers using powerpoint, so ive never tried to use the downloadable template provided by createspace. That template file shows the required size of your cover image, and shows the areas to avoid putting text or crucial images in. But it took me a while longer to figure out how to customize your front cover into a full print cover for createspace or other pod providers. Making a book cover with placeit takes no time and everything happens right here in your browser, no need to download expensive design software or hire a designer. For my latest round of book cover designs, i choose to try the free software called gimp and was pleasantly surprised. Apr 16, 2012 here are some notes on creating a book cover for printondemand services like lulu or createspace back in august, ybeditor rose hunter and i mailed back and forth about her foal cover. Jun 28, 20 this is a tutorial that shows you how to make a book cover in gimp using the createspace templates.
Combining gimp with the createspace cover template allowed me to overcome the hurdle of creating a cover for my latest book, and editing and redesigning the photoshop generated covers of my previously published books. When youre ready to have your book printed with createspace and youre planning on tackling the cover on your own it can seem rather daunting. To see the hex color code, youll need to go to windows at the top, click on dockable dialogs, and select colors. Createspace for the lazy the doomed and the hopeful. For those who want to use photoediting is demonstrate gimp in combination with amazon cover template. The easiest way to bring the art into your full print cover template, is to make the front, spine and back art unique, 1 piece layers, without the text. I revel in my laziness, and have figured out a lazy way to do createspace print books. There were too many limitations, making a createspace cover stand out from the book rack as a cover created with createspace online cover creator. Gimp tutorial on how to create ebook image boxshot. The files conform to the createspacekdp cover requirements. Youre going to need to open this template with design software. Cover creator can also help you design a basic paperback cover that meets kdps specifications. The free imageediting program i recommend for this is gimp, which is available here. Top 5 free book cover makersdont break the bank, create your.
Stepbystep tutorial on how to create an ebook cover using gimp free open source software. The create a new image text box will appear on your screen. That template file shows the required size of your cover image, and shows the areas to. Next, youll need to download the correct createspace cover template to send to your graphic designer. You can use this overlay to develop a cover that will fulfill the guidelines for amazons kdp print books and as. Downloading your createspace cover template blue paper. Working with createspace cover images killer book marketing. Actually, i made the cover as a layer on top of the template.
I thought the book had an effective way to demonstrate the entire process. Creating your createspace paperback cover using gimp blue. Diy book covers free book design templates and tutorials. What youll need to make gimp work for your book template are the tools. If you give a name that already exists, gimp generates a unique name by appending a. If you are a graphic designer who need free book cover templates this site is for you as well. Createspace cover design createspace covers that stand out. Cover templates are basically the same size as your book with. You can now manage your createspace content on amazons. Derek murphys cover design secrets should be mandatory reading for any writer who is on the verge of publishing. Your cover must be a single pdf that includes the back cover, spine, and front cover as one image. Pdf is a vector format, png is a raster format, idml is indesign, sla is for scribus, and odg is for openoffice. Free psd book cover design templates book cover mall. Paste your manuscript into this template or simply start typing.
This is a book of action and doesnt just tell you how i created my covers, but also reveals the secret to helping you also unleash your inner creativity. Createspace cover template generator emphasis mine. Kindle and kdp book covers made easy cover design studio. Flatten all layers by going to image at the top and click on flatten image.
Design your cover in the design layer, using the template pdf or png file as the guide layer. We now offer specialized options for your different publishing needs. Many designers will give you a separate front and back cover image. Cover templates for print use ms word to create beautiful. I have played with the online templates, and they did not impress me. It is the visual form of the message inside and if done right is one of your greatest tools for turning readers into buyers. Login to get started with kindle direct publishing, manufacturing on demand, or print on demand for publishers. Most outbound links financially benefit me and the channel through affiliate programs. What is the best software to design a self publish book full template. When the dialog box pops up, leave all the boxes blank.
Cover, page count, template, logo, blurbs rose i wonder if you would have the time or inclination to do a cover for me. How to make a createspace book cover in photoshop andrew. I have found the simplest to be the very first template, in the top left corner, as it is the one that allows us to upload our cover image with the minimum amount of text boxes and peripherals. Lightning source book cover templates for diy selfpublishers. The artwork should extend to the outside edge of the template s pink zone to ensure a white border will not exist within the printed work. They hate writing extra code so they get very efficient at what they do. Jul 20, 2012 actually, i made the cover as a layer on top of the template. Dec 10, 2015 i make all my covers using powerpoint, so ive never tried to use the downloadable template provided by createspace. Back on the createspace template we want to put a new layer right here, and it. Using createspaces formatted templates the formatted interior templates provide a basic layout for your books interior.
Learn how to publish books that sell when you subscribe to. This you can now load into photoshop and indesign to use as the base layer for your book cover, the great thing with this book cover template is that it gives you the margins, bleed, fold lines and trim marks however, i would always strongly recommend that you. Make your kindle, createspace, and acx covers in minutes by baird, chris a. The files conform to the createspace cover requirements. Converting a book cover for createspace from jpeg to pdf. The files conform to the createspace kdp cover requirements. Then, im going to show you how to use the createspace cover template with gimp. Other individuals say that the cover is effortlessly the most crucial. Design an ebook catalogue cover in canva using either a template or your own specifications and images work out the specifications for a paperback book cover or generate one in createspace, and then design your cover in canva with a little image manipulating in gimp. Aug 21, 2016 how to design your book cover free is a powerful design centered stepbystep explanation of how you can start today.
I had the template and a possible cover image in the photo software gimp yesterday and was like, gagh. Y our cover is the window to the soul of your book. Learn how to use the cover template for kdp print with gimp here. Creating your createspace paperback cover using gimp. It shows how to use canva for those who do not want to use photo editing software. How to make a createspace book cover in photoshop andrew m. Start from a blank canvas or jump start with one of our professional templates, import any image, use any font in your system, design in any size, color, for any type of book. Please refer to the spine chart at the top of this page to correctly design your book. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
The create template command opens the create new template dialog that allows you to create a template with the same dimensions and color space as the current image. Then the template is saved and becomes available in the new image dialog. Copy and paste your books content into the template by section, such as the front matter title page, acknowledgements page, etc. Once those details have been added simply click build template and it creates a pdf and png file based around your details. Select a book cover maker from placeits library of book cover designs. This book takes advantage of the authors years of experience of preparing clients book cover files for lightning source and createspace. We can switch to the move tool make sure you have the right layer as selected here, well select that layer and now we can move it around in the template. How to make a book cover spine with gimp createspace. Go back to the createspace template and just go edit paste. They are used by many traditional publishers, and by competitive selfpublishers who want to make use of ingrams distribution channels one of the really neat features of their otherwise routine and businessoriented web.
At the very least, i hope that the tutorial above points you in the right direction. Download the specific cover template needed, as seen below. I used that method on my last one, but it left a transparency that createspace removed. I finally threw in the towel and sprung for adobe create space. Using the createspace cover designer, you can choose the option and insert the front and back covers. More than just listing the dos and donts of effective covers, read. How to create a free print book cover for kdp freedom to vent. Create a paperback cover amazon kindle direct publishing. I created back and front cover with canva and then, i uploaded the 2. With no changes or adjustments you can submit them directly for publishing.
It took several revisions, but in the end a got a great book cover that meets my expectations in a way better than i had envisioned. Createspacekdp cover template generator create pdf, png, idml, sla, and odg files. Downloading your createspace cover template to help you design your paperback books cover, createspace can automatically generate a template file that is custombuilt for your book. Your cover creation workflow should be that the template. An ancient software principle is that laziness is a quality of a good programmer. If you need to design a 3d ebook image cover for your self published work, then this articlel can help. You can also create a cover image with this software. Then i deleted the template layer so that i just had the cover.
Weve spent years charging hundreds of dollars for book covers but we have decided to take all our teams talent and give it to you for free. Two business days after we receive all the needed information about your book, youll receive an email with your createspace kindle ready files. However, if you didnt create a solid book cover, youll go to gimp and use the color picker tool to obtain the background color for your spine by clicking on the back cover background. A dialog pops up, which asks you to name the new template. You can now manage your createspace content on amazons improved publishing services. Our createspace cover designs will maximize your sales and make sure that you stand out on amazon. The artwork should extend to the outside edge of the templates pink zone to ensure a. The palm this template allows you to insert the front and back images. Its right here, so ill open that up, and now we have a great template where we can put all of our pieces together to form a complete book cover design, and submit it to createspace. How to self publish on createspace in three easy steps. Bookcreative create your own beautiful book covers start from a blank canvas or jump start with one of our professional templates, import any image, use any font in your system, design in any size, color, for any type of book.
Pdf is a vector format, png is a raster format, idml is indesign, sla is for scribus, and odg is for. The easiest way to get this right is by using the createspace cover template calculator. Free book cover templates for indie publishers, selfpublish authors who are just starting out or on a limited budget or dont have the skills or time to design their book covers. Cover templates book printing company instantpublisher. Copy and paste your books content into the template by section, such as the front matter title page. Click on the gimp file that contains your back cover, the flattened one, and go edit, copy. Sep 27, 2018 go to windows at the top and open the layers dockable dialogue and click on layer. This is a tutorial that shows you how to make a book cover in gimp using the createspace templates. In this post ill be sharing 9 free mockup templates for gimp users to show off their various design and branding design skills. The books uses a tutorial style to show a creation of a book cover from concept to the final product. Open the pdf or png file for the paperback book cover template in your image editing software.
How to create a book cover for ingram spark and createspace. To help you design your paperback books cover, createspace can automatically generate a template file that is custombuilt for your book. Fill the layer with the spine background color to make sure the yellow barcode area is covered. How to make a cover using createspace template diane tibert. Our book cover templates have been created to give your book the full opportunity it deserves without the hassle of having to spend a lot of money. Jan 31, 2017 then, im going to show you how to use the createspace cover template with gimp. The topics below include our top tips for avoiding common file rejections. Ive formatted six books so far, and this is the system i figured out. In this video, find out how to use the cover template for kdp print with gimp. Gimp is the open source program from sourceforge team that can be used to create stunning ebook covers. Jul 31, 20 gimp is the open source program from sourceforge team that can be used to create stunning ebook covers. The book goes over making the front cover, the back cover, as well as the spine. Nevertheless, if you want to produce your cover, you should realize the length of the net web page.
This writeup explains the steps to be followed to create covers for your ebooks. Createspace cover design createspace covers that stand. Createspace cover template book cover design selfpublish. Work out the specifications for a paperback book cover or generate one in createspace, and then design your cover in canva with a little image manipulating in gimp. How to make a book cover with gimp, i rushed through the process skipping over two very. Turning a cover image into a book cover file for print publication is a process that often trips up new authors or publishers. Change the dialogue box to read inches rather than pixels. It is a new and improved version of my original tutorial. Make your kindle, createspace, and acx covers in minutes. How to create a free print book cover for kdp freedom to. In gimp, if you do your coverage in that computer software, there is a way to do it. If your graphic designer does not have or follow the correct template, createspace will not accept the book cover file for publications. Did you know that one of the template options in createspace on page 5 has a template that takes two jpg imagesone for the front cover and one for the back cover. How to make a pdf cover for your createspace book lit.
Createspace cover template book cover design self publish. Free psd book cover templates free book cover templates. A turnkey book cover, ready for createspace and kindle. Dec 10, 2015 when youre ready to have your book printed with createspace and youre planning on tackling the cover on your own it can seem rather daunting. You could use whatever you have such as photoshop or gimp anything with. Open gimp by doubleclicking on the gimp icon on your desktop. Createspace has two template options in the cover designer. The cover creator has automatically inserted your cover now into all of the templates, so you can browse for the one you like best. Createspace kdp cover template generator create pdf, png, idml, sla, and odg files. Design an ebook catalogue cover in canva using either a template or your own specifications and images. Make your kindle, createspace, and acx covers in minutes baird, chris a. Design a physical book cover with gimp transcript cover full template. How to make a pdf cover for your createspace book lit world.
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