book-cover-design

The saved excerpt is a snapshot from when this skill was listed. The external source remains the complete and most current version.

---
name: book-cover-design
description: "Book cover design with genre-specific conventions, typography rules, and AI image generation. Covers fiction and non-fiction genres, sizing, thumbnail testing, and iteration workflows. Use for: self-publishing, ebook covers, print covers, audiobook covers, cover mockups. Triggers: book cover, cover design, ebook cover, book art, novel cover, self publishing cover, kindle cover, audiobook cover, book jacket, cover illustration, fiction cover, nonfiction cover"
allowed-tools: Bash(belt *)
---

> **Install the belt CLI skill:** `npx skills add belt-sh/cli`

# Book Cover Design

Create genre-appropriate book covers with AI image generation via [inference.sh](https://inference.sh) CLI.

## Quick Start

> Requires inference.sh CLI (`belt`). [Install instructions](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/inference-sh/skills/refs/heads/main/cli-install.md)

```bash
belt login

# Generate a thriller cover concept
belt app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
  "prompt": "dark moody book cover art, lone figure standing at end of a rain-soaked alley, dramatic chiaroscuro lighting, noir atmosphere, cinematic, high contrast shadows",
  "width": 832,
  "height": 1248
}'
```


## Genre Conventions

Readers judge books by covers. Matching genre expectations is critical — a romance reader will skip a cover that looks like sci-fi, regardless of content.

### Fiction

| Genre | Palette | Imagery | Typography | Mood |
|-------|---------|---------|------------|------|
| **Thriller/Mystery** | Dark (black, navy, blood red) | Lone figure, urban scenes, shadows | Bold sans-serif, all caps | Tense, ominous |
| **Romance** | Warm (pink, red, gold, soft purple) | Couples, flowers, scenic backdrops | Script/cursive, elegant serif | Passionate, dreamy |
| **Sci-Fi** | Cool (blue, teal, purple, silver) | Space, tech, geometric shapes | Clean sans-serif, futuristic | Vast, technological |
| **Fantasy** | Rich saturated (emerald, crimson, gold) | Swords, magic, landscapes, creatures | Decorative serif, ornamental | Epic, magical |
| **Literary Fiction** | Muted, sophisticated | Abstract, minimal, symbolic | Elegant serif, understated | Thoughtful, artistic |
| **Horror** | Dark with high contrast pops | Faces, shadows, isolation, decay | Distressed, bold, dripping | Dread, unease |
| **Historical** | Sepia, muted period-accurate | Period clothing, architecture, artifacts | Classical serif | Nostalgic, authentic |

### Non-Fiction

| Category | Style | Imagery | Typography |
|----------|-------|---------|------------|
| **Business/Self-help** | Clean, bold, 2-3 colors | Minimal or none, icon optional | Large bold sans-serif title |
| **Memoir** | Personal, warm | Author photo or atmospheric scene | Mix of serif and sans |
| **Science/Academic** | Professional, structured | Diagrams, abstract visuals | Clean serif, structured layout |
| **Cookbook** | Appetizing, bright | Hero food photograph | Warm, inviting fonts |
| **Travel** | Vibrant, aspirational | Destination photography | Adventure-style fonts |

## Cover Sizing

### Print (Trim Sizes)

| Format | Dimensions | Common For |
|--------|-----------|------------|
| Mass market paperback | 4.25 x 6.87" | Genre fiction |
| Trade paperback | 5.5 x 8.5" | Most fiction/non-fiction |
| Standard | 6 x 9" | Non-fiction, textbooks |
| Large format | 7 x 10" | Coffee table, art books |

### Digital

| Platform | Cover Size | Aspect Ratio |
|----------|-----------|--------------|
| Amazon Kindle | 2560 x 1600 px (min 1000 x 625) | 1.6:1 |
| Apple Books | 1400 x 1873 px minimum | ~3:4 |
| General ebook | 2500 x 3750 px | 2:3 |

### Spine Width

Approximate: **page count / 400 = spine width in inches** (varies by paper stock).
- 200 pages ≈ 0.5" spine
- 400 pages ≈ 1.0" spine

## Layout Zones

```
┌─────────────────────────┐
│     TITLE ZONE          │ ← Top 1/3: Title must be readable here
│     (largest text)      │    This is what shows in thumbnails
│                         │
│