Your book’s cover is one of the most important parts of your publication — it’s the first thing readers see.
With Books.by, you can either upload your own professional cover design or create a simple, print-ready cover directly in your browser using our built-in CoverMaker tool.
1. Uploading or Building Your Cover
After you upload your book’s interior (manuscript), you’ll be taken to the Books.by CoverMaker, a WYSIWYG (“What You See Is What You Get”) editor.
This tool displays your entire cover spread — front, spine, and back — so you can see exactly how your book will print.
With Books.by, there's no need to download a cover template. You can build your cover directly in the browser, using an interface that automatically calculates the trim, bleed, and spine width for your book based on its size and page count.
2. The Cover Upload Process
Step | Description |
1. Upload your book’s interior first. | The interior PDF must not include your cover design. |
2. Open the CoverMaker interface. | Books.by automatically sets the right size, trim, bleed, and spine width. |
3. Upload your cover files. | You can upload separate front, spine, and back files, or one complete full-spread cover. Supported formats: JPG, PNG, or PDF (300dpi recommended). |
4. Adjust your cover crop. | After uploading, use the preview window to reposition or crop for a perfect edge. |
5. Finalise your cover. | The CoverMaker preview is exactly what will be printed. Check everything before publishing. |
Tip:
“What you see on screen is exactly what’s printed. Take a moment to preview your full cover spread before approving.”
3. Creating a Cover Using the Books.by Template
If you don’t have a completed design, you can build a cover directly in the CoverMaker.
Books.by’s Cover Template tools make it easy to create a clean, professional cover using text, background colours, and images.
Inside the Cover Template menu, you can:
Turn on template sections for the front, spine, or back of your cover
Choose a background colour from our palette
Add or edit your Title, Author Name, and Blurb
Adjust text colour for readability
Enable “Darken Images” to improve text visibility on photo backgrounds
Even with simple tools, you can create a professional and aesthetic cover — many authors use this option for quick, elegant results.
4. File Requirements
Element | Requirement | Notes |
Accepted formats | JPG, PNG, or PDF | 300 dpi (high resolution) recommended |
Colour profile | RGB preferred | Produces the most accurate colour for Books.by’s digital printers |
Bleed | 0.125″ (⅛ inch) on all sides | Prevents unwanted white edges |
Resolution | 300 dpi | Ensures clear, professional print quality |
Maximum file size | No enforced limit | If you see an error, try re-exporting or check your connection |
Barcode/ISBN | Optional | You can use your own or Books.by’s default barcode |
Note: Books.by uses digital printing (via our partner network), which works best with RGB colour.
You can upload CMYK files, but RGB (sRGB) will produce brighter, more accurate colours in print.
5. Barcode Options
Books.by automatically includes a barcode on your cover unless you choose to disable it.
Option | Description |
Use the Books.by Barcode (default) | A barcode appears automatically. You can drag it anywhere within the trim area. |
Use your own barcode | If your uploaded design already includes a barcode, open Barcode & ISBN and uncheck “Draw a barcode on the cover.” |
Common mistakes to avoid:
Leaving two barcodes active (yours + Books.by’s).
Forgetting to move the barcode, which can cover text or artwork.
If you see two barcodes on your preview, open the Barcode & ISBN menu and turn off the automatic one. You can then re-upload or adjust your cover if needed.
6. Common Upload and Preparation Issues
User Experience Issues
These may appear during upload or after printing.
Issue | What Happens | How to Fix It |
Duplicate barcodes | Two barcodes appear on your book. | Disable the Books.by barcode in Barcode & ISBN. |
Barcode covers text or images | Default barcode not repositioned. | Drag the barcode box to a clear area in CoverMaker. |
Cover or spine text cut off / white edges | No bleed or incorrect crop. | Re-open crop window, add 0.125" bleed, or re-upload. |
Low-resolution image | Cover looks blurry or pixelated. | Use 300dpi images and re-upload. |
Technical Upload Issues
These occur when uploading the file to Books.by.
Issue | Description | How to Fix |
File won’t upload | Unsupported format or connection issue. | Re-export as PDF/X-1a, JPG, or PNG and re-upload. |
Low resolution or transparency error | Image is 72dpi or uses transparent PNG layers. | Flatten transparency, export again at 300dpi. |
Wrong file type | Non-image format (e.g., Word document). | Export as PDF/X-1a or JPG. |
Cropping tool not loading | Browser issue or script blocker. | Ask the author to try again in the latest version of Chrome. |
7. Uploading a Photo of Your Book (Common Mistake)
Sometimes authors accidentally upload a photo of their printed book — for example, a picture taken on a table or held in their hands — instead of their original digital cover artwork.
This will not cause the upload to fail, but the system will print the photo exactly as uploaded — including the background, lighting, and shadows.
8. Common Issues Found After Printing
Most post-print issues occur because of a setup error, not a printer error.
Here’s how to identify and fix them for your next order.
Symptom | Likely Cause | How to Fix |
Duplicate barcodes | Both Books.by and your own barcode active. | Disable one barcode in Barcode & ISBN. |
Trimmed text or white edges | No bleed or text placed too close to edge. | Re-export with 0.125″ bleed; keep text at least 0.25″ from trim edge. |
Colour looks dull or different | CMYK vs RGB colour conversion. | Use RGB (sRGB) for best results. |
Blurry or pixelated printing | Low-resolution image. | Use 300 dpi images and re-upload. |
Barcode printed too high/low | Barcode not repositioned in CoverMaker. | Move the barcode box in your next upload before republishing. |
If your printed book doesn’t look as expected, don’t worry — these are easy fixes. Adjust your file and re-upload your cover to correct the issue before your next print run.
9. A Note on Refunds
It’s important to pay close attention to your cover preview in the CoverMaker.
What you see and approve is exactly what will print.
If an error is visible in your preview — for example, duplicate or misplaced barcodes, cropped text, or alignment issues — and that error appears in print, it’s considered a setup issue rather than a printing error.
In these cases, a replacement or refund cannot be issued under our normal refund policy.
Refunds and replacements are only supported for verified technical or printer-related issues (e.g., damaged or misprinted copies).
10. Need Help?
If you’ve checked your file and it’s still not uploading, or your printed cover didn’t turn out as expected, we’re here to help.
Please email our Author Success team with:
Your book title
A short description of the issue
Your cover file or photos of the printed copy
📧 Email: [email protected]