The numbers
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Ideal size | 1,600 × 2,560 pixels (width × height) |
| Shape | height = 1.6 × width |
| High-definition screens | at least 2,500 pixels tall |
| File format | JPEG preferred |
| File size | 5 MB or less |
| Color | RGB |
| Light or white covers | add a 3–4 pixel medium-gray border |
| Not shown on the website | shortest side under 500 pixels |
Different from the print cover
The print cover is a full-wrap PDF with bleed, a spine and a back cover. The Kindle cover is the front only, and its shape rarely matches the print trim: a 6 × 9 in front is 1.5 times taller than wide and a square picture book's front is as tall as it is wide, while the Kindle cover is 1.6 times taller than wide.
What KDP doesn't allow on it
- prices or promotional offers
- the spine, the barcode or elements of the back cover
- typos, watermarks or placeholder text
- text that contradicts the book's Amazon detail page
Example: adapting a print front cover
A 6 × 9 in front cover scaled to 1,600 pixels wide is 2,400 pixels tall, 160 pixels short of 2,560. Extend the background at the top and bottom, or scale to the full height and crop the sides.
A square 8.5 × 8.5 in picture book front is 1,600 pixels tall at 1,600 wide: 960 pixels are missing, so the Kindle cover usually needs its own layout.
Common mistakes
- Uploading the full-wrap print cover as the Kindle cover.
- Stretching the print front to the Kindle ratio, which distorts faces and lettering.
- Adding a price or a promotional line such as a discount.
- A white cover without a border, which blends into Amazon's white page.
- A title too small to read at thumbnail size.
In kdpbook: kdpbook exports a separate Kindle cover along with the Kindle EPUB.