An audiobook cover is square, and that changes everything. A book cover is a tall rectangle that has been designed around a single focal point and a title. Put it into a square frame and the composition no longer works: the title is cropped, the image is cut, the spine is missing and the proportions are wrong. Audiobook platforms require a square cover, so an author who has a book cover and wants an audiobook needs a new design, built for the square. Audiobook cover design is the craft of recomposing a cover for that format.
Audiobook Cover Design · from $299
Audiobook cover design that makes your square cover work in every audio store
Audiobook cover design adapts or creates a square cover that meets the size and content rules of audio stores, with a title and a name that stay readable in a small square on a phone. Our audiobook cover design service covers audiobook cover size for ACX, audiobook cover requirements for Audible, an audiobook cover at 3000x3000 pixels, covers for Findaway Voices and Spotify and a square audiobook cover made from your book cover, all at a fixed price. Choose a package to see what an audiobook cover for your own book costs.
View Pricing
Most audiobook covers are delivered in about three working days.
- Square 3000x3000 files
- ACX, Findaway and Spotify
- Made from your book cover
Key facts
- $299Starting price for the audiobook cover, with licensed imagery included
- 2 roundsOf revisions included with every audiobook cover package
- 5 to 7 daysTypical delivery for a first concept of the audiobook cover
Overview
What an audiobook cover actually involves
The requirements are specific. ACX, the audiobook exchange of Audible, requires a square image of 2,400 by 2,400 pixels, in JPEG format, in RGB. Findaway Voices, Spotify and other distributors have similar requirements, and some accept or recommend larger masters up to 3,000 by 3,000 pixels. The cover is used at many sizes, and the smallest, in a list on a phone, is tiny, so legibility counts even more than for a book. Audiobook covers also carry extra elements that book covers do not: the narrator's name, sometimes a note that the book is unabridged, a series number and the platform's own badges, which must be kept out of the way. Typography must be strong, since the square leaves less room.
Our audiobook cover design service creates a square cover from your book cover. We recompose the art to fit, redesign the title, add the narrator credit, keep the style consistent with the print and ebook editions and deliver the file at the sizes your platforms need. We make masters at 3,000 by 3,000 pixels that scale down to 2,400, and we check each platform's current requirements. For series, we keep the set matched. With your audiobook cover, the price is fixed, and the calculator shows it.
We start every audiobook cover design project with a creative brief, not a template. We ask about the book, the three published titles it most resembles, the reader and the promise of the story, then write a one-page brief for you to approve with your audiobook cover. The brief is why our first concepts are usually close, and why revision rounds tend to be about taste instead of starting again in this audiobook cover order. It also tells us which of square layout and title legibility will matter most to the result.
The audiobook cover size ACX requires is a square image of at least 2400 by 2400 pixels, and a square audiobook cover from book cover artwork is not just a crop: type and focal points have to be re-composed so the title still reads at thumbnail size.
Why it matters
Why your audiobook cover matters
Audiobook cover design shapes the reading experience
ACX and Audible require specific sizes. Readers rarely name the cause, but they feel the difference between careful and careless audiobook cover design work. The effect is cumulative: each small decision in audiobook cover design supports the next, so the book gains authority page by page.
The details carry the quality
Square crops lose elements. Each detail in audiobook cover design has a tolerance, and a professional knows where it lies and how to check it. None of this is visible when it is done well, which is exactly why careful audiobook cover design work is easy to undervalue.
Doing it once, properly, saves time
Narrator and series credits may be needed. Getting audiobook cover design right at the start also keeps later edits, reprints and new editions inexpensive. It is far easier to get audiobook cover design right while the book is still a working file than to repair it after publication.
Square audiobook cover from a book cover
A cover rebuilt as a square
An audiobook cover begins with your existing cover, and we rebuild it in a square so that nothing is simply cut off. We extend the background, move the title and the author name to fit the square, add a narrator line when you want it and keep the design recognisable as the same book.
A square audiobook cover from a book cover usually needs a different arrangement of the same elements, and when the original image is tall we may extend or recompose it. Audiobook cover size for ACX is commonly given as 3000 by 3000 pixels, and an audiobook cover at 3000x3000 is also a safe size for other stores, though each store sets its own rules and we check the current ones before we deliver.
We prepare audiobook covers for Audible through ACX, for Findaway Voices and for Spotify, and each file follows the platform's rules about format, colour and content. A custom audiobook cover can also add a narrator credit and a small audio mark, and we keep the title large enough to read in a thumbnail.
- Cover rebuilt as a square rather than cropped
- A size that suits the main audio stores
- Optional narrator credit and audio mark
Choose the right cover
The first decision in any audiobook cover
Recomposed audiobook cover
A new square layout. We choose this route when the book leans on square layout, and we show a sample before the whole audiobook cover design job proceeds. For a audiobook cover, we show a sample of each route where it helps, so you can choose from evidence rather than from a description.
Adapted audiobook cover
A crop adjusted to your existing cover. We choose this route when title legibility are central to how the book is used, and we explain the cost and schedule consequences before you commit. For a audiobook cover, we show a sample of each route where it helps, so you can choose from evidence rather than from a description.
Specification
The audiobook cover specification we design to
These are the decisions we make on every audiobook cover job, and the reason for each one.
Cover element
How we design it
Why it matters
Square
At least 2,400 by 2,400 pixels, commonly 3,000. We confirm the value with you before building, and record it in the specification for your audiobook cover design job.
Meets store rules. Getting this right early avoids rework once the audiobook cover design pages have been proofed.
Type
Larger and simpler. We apply it through a defined style or setting, so it holds across the whole audiobook cover design file.
Legible small. Readers and reviewers notice when it is wrong, even when they cannot say what is wrong with your audiobook cover.
Credits
Narrator as needed. We verify it again in the final proof, because it is easy to disturb during late edits on this audiobook cover project.
Store convention. On this audiobook cover job, platforms and printers check it automatically, and a failure delays the launch.
Format
JPG in RGB. Where your platform sets a different rule, we follow the platform and tell you why in this audiobook cover order.
Accepted. It also keeps later editions of the audiobook cover design work consistent with the first.
Files
An audiobook cover JPG, a small preview and specification notes, named consistently and delivered with a short specification.
A clear package prevents mix-ups between versions and speeds up any later change for the audiobook cover. Getting this right early avoids rework once the audiobook cover design pages have been proofed.
Checks
On this audiobook cover job, preflight or validation run on every deliverable, with the report supplied. We apply it through a defined style or setting, so it holds across the whole audiobook cover design file.
Evidence of a clean pass is what separates a checked file from a hopeful one for the audiobook cover. Readers and reviewers notice when it is wrong, even when they cannot say what is wrong with your audiobook cover.
See what it costs
See the price of your audiobook cover in a minute
Pick a package to see what an audiobook cover for your own book costs, with the delivery estimate and extras shown before you decide.
Build my priceProcess
How an audiobook cover project runs
Brief
For your audiobook cover, you tell us about the book, its category and the titles you admire, and we write a one-page brief for your approval. You are never left guessing what comes next, because we confirm each stage of the audiobook cover design job in writing.
Day 1
Research
We study the current bestsellers in your category and note where a distinct audiobook cover design result can stand out. If something unexpected turns up at this stage, we tell you at once and agree the fix before continuing for the audiobook cover.
Days 1 to 2
Concepts
With your audiobook cover, we present two or three directions as mockups beside rival titles, each with a note explaining the choices. With your audiobook cover, this stage is where most questions arise, so we leave time for them in the schedule.
Days 3 to 6
Revisions
For a audiobook cover, you choose a direction and we refine it against your notes through the included revision rounds. You are never left guessing what comes next, because we confirm each stage of the audiobook cover design job in writing.
Days 7 to 10
Finalise
For your audiobook cover, we build the final files to the printer's or store's specification and run the previewers. If something unexpected turns up at this stage, we tell you at once and agree the fix before continuing for the audiobook cover.
Days 11 to 12
Deliver
On this audiobook cover job, you receive every file with upload notes, and we fix any upload problem within the guarantee period. With your audiobook cover, this stage is where most questions arise, so we leave time for them in the schedule. You are never left guessing what comes next, because we confirm each stage of the audiobook cover design job in writing.
Day 13
Before and after
An audiobook cover before and after design
The same book with a cropped cover and a rebuilt square cover. The title is the same, and only the second reads in a small square.
123Before
- 1A tall cover cut to a square
- 2A title that runs off the edge
- 3No narrator credit
123After
- 1A cover rebuilt to fill the square
- 2A title that fits and reads in a thumbnail
- 3A narrator credit in a clear place
- 3problems found in the first review
- 3fixes checked in the final review
- 1named specialist owning every fix
- Fixedprice confirmed in the calculator before you order
A full title
Nothing is cut off.
A small-screen view
The cover reads in a thumbnail.
A matched brand
The audiobook looks like the book.
Pricing calculator
Build your audiobook cover price
Audiobook stores show a square cover that is often tiny, and a cover cropped from a tall book usually fails. Tell us how many directions you want, which stores you will use and the artwork, and the fixed price for a square cover built for listening builds below.
Beyond our online packages? Let us quote it properly.
A series, an illustrated cover or an unusual format is priced individually so nothing is missed. Send us the audiobook cover details and a specialist replies with a fixed price and delivery date.
The price covers square cover design and the stated revisions. Narration, audio production, ISBN purchase and commissioned illustration are not included.
Price guide
Audiobook Cover Design cost at a glance
The table shows the cost of audiobook cover design for each package, with the base price, delivery time and the kind of job that fits. The calculator adds extras to your audiobook cover for an exact total.
Package
Base price
Standard delivery
Typical book
Front cover
$299
5-7 working days
Front cover
Front, spine and back
$479
7-10 working days
Front, spine and back
Every format
$719
9-13 working days
Every format
A series or custom illustration commission
Custom quote
Agreed with your quote
A series or custom illustration commission
Comparison
Audiobook Cover Design compared with the alternatives
What you compare
A template audiobook cover design
A custom audiobook cover design project
Approach
A quick template treats every book alike and ignores the category on this audiobook cover project. That approach saves effort at the start and tends to cost more in repairs once the audiobook cover design job is live.
A researched audiobook cover design project starts from the book and the readers it needs.
Consistency
Each file is made separately, so a series drifts apart with your audiobook cover. With your audiobook cover, it leaves the cause in place, so the same fault tends to return when the text changes.
One documented system carries across every audiobook cover design deliverable. With your audiobook cover, it is built to be repeated, so later editions cost less and match the first.
Testing
With your audiobook cover, judged on a large screen, so the design fails at thumbnail size. On this audiobook cover job, it is hard to check, so faults are usually found by readers instead of by the author.
Judged at 100 pixels wide beside real competitors before you see it with your audiobook cover. It is checked by a person and by software before it reaches you, so problems are found early with your audiobook cover.
Files
For a audiobook cover, built to a generic size and often rejected for bleed or spine errors. That approach saves effort at the start and tends to cost more in repairs once the audiobook cover design job is live.
Built to the current template and checked in the previewer in this audiobook cover order. We do this as standard on every audiobook cover design job, and the evidence comes with your files.
Revisions
Extra rounds are charged one by one in this audiobook cover order. With your audiobook cover, it leaves the cause in place, so the same fault tends to return when the text changes.
For a audiobook cover, revision rounds are included in every package. With your audiobook cover, it is built to be repeated, so later editions cost less and match the first.
Support
You are on your own when a store flags a file in this audiobook cover order. On this audiobook cover job, it is hard to check, so faults are usually found by readers instead of by the author.
On this audiobook cover job, we fix upload problems within the guarantee period at no charge. It is checked by a person and by software before it reaches you, so problems are found early with your audiobook cover.
Portfolio
Audiobook cover design portfolio
Finished examples of Audiobook Cover Design work from our portfolio, each one built for a real book.
Fantasy Audio
A finished Fantasy Audio example from our Audiobook Cover Design work.
Focus Nonfiction
A finished Focus Nonfiction example from our Audiobook Cover Design work.
Crime Audio
A finished Crime Audio example from our Audiobook Cover Design work.
Memoir Audio
A finished Memoir Audio example from our Audiobook Cover Design work.
Science Fiction Audio
A finished Science Fiction Audio example from our Audiobook Cover Design work.
Emotional Fiction
A finished Emotional Fiction example from our Audiobook Cover Design work.
Our standard
The standard we hold every audiobook cover to
Fix causes, not symptoms
Our audiobook cover design work corrects the underlying structure, so the same problem does not return when the text changes. It is a standard we hold on every audiobook cover design job, whatever the price of the package or the length of the book.
Evidence over assurance
For your audiobook cover, we supply the validation or preflight report with your files, so a clean result is something you can see. For your audiobook cover, you can check it for yourself, because the evidence comes with your files. For a audiobook cover, holding to it costs us time, and it saves you the cost of repairs later.
Plain communication
With your audiobook cover, we explain what we found and what we did in plain language, and we tell you honestly when something is outside what the file can support. For a audiobook cover, holding to it costs us time, and it saves you the cost of repairs later.
Checklist
The pre-delivery checklist for an audiobook cover
Every item below is verified on your audiobook cover before it leaves our desk.
- Audit completed and agreed with you
- Square layout checked and corrected
- Title legibility checked and corrected
- Narrator credit checked and corrected
- ACX and Audible specs checked and corrected
- Validation or preflight run with the report supplied
- Previewer and device checks completed
- Text compared with the approved manuscript
- Specification and change log delivered
How we design
How we think about your audiobook cover
Structure first
In audiobook cover design, square layout and title legibility are built into the file, not painted on top. For a audiobook cover, we treat structure as the foundation and appearance as the finish, because structure is what survives edits and platform changes.
Checked, not hoped
On this audiobook cover job, a file is not finished because it looks right on our screen. On this audiobook cover job, it is finished when the validator, the preflight and real devices agree, and when we can show you the evidence. It is the principle behind most of what we do on audiobook cover design, and the reason we prefer to explain our choices rather than hide them.
Your files stay yours
We deliver source files and a specification, and we never lock your audiobook cover design work inside a proprietary format. If you hire someone else later, they can pick up where we stopped on this audiobook cover project. It is the principle behind most of what we do on audiobook cover design, and the reason we prefer to explain our choices rather than hide them.
Client reviews
What authors say about our audiobook cover design
Verified reviews from authors whose audiobook covers we designed.
Literary fiction covers require a completely different approach from genre fiction. The design is elegant, restrained, and communicates the literary quality of the book. I am genuinely proud to show it to readers.
The romantic atmosphere of the cover design is exactly right for my readership. The colour temperature, the typography, and the visual composition all signal the genre clearly without being generic.
Business book covers need to convey authority and insight without being dull. The design found exactly the right balance. My corporate clients commented that the book looks as credible as any major publisher's management title.
My cover finally looks like it belongs on a bookstore shelf alongside traditionally published titles. The design captures the tone of my book perfectly and my click-through rate on Amazon has increased significantly.
My nonfiction cover needed to convey authority and accessibility at the same time. The design achieves both. The colour palette and typography feel credible and professional without being intimidating.
My thriller needed a cover that was unsettling without being gratuitous. The designer found exactly the right tone. The typography treatment adds to the unease in a subtle, effective way.
The cover communicates tension and danger without revealing too much of the plot. The design is original rather than using standard genre conventions. It stands out distinctively on Amazon search pages.
The 3D mockup of my hardcover looked so real that several readers asked where they could buy it before the book was even available. The render quality was exceptional and delivery was fast.
The cover honours the cultural themes of my book while appealing to an international readership. The imagery, colour palette, and typography choices were all discussed through a genuinely collaborative process.
Really good cover design. The atmospheric quality matched my book's tone well. I requested one colour adjustment in revisions which was done quickly. The final cover looks exactly like a major publisher's release.
The cover is playful, bright, and immediately communicates the tone of the story. My target age group — children aged 6 to 9 — responded exactly as I had hoped when I showed them the design.
Fantasy covers need to evoke a world without showing too much. The balance between atmosphere and intrigue is exactly right. My advance readers commented on the cover before I even asked for their feedback.
Excellent cover concept. One colour palette revision was needed — I wanted warmer tones — and the designer responded quickly with three alternatives. The final version is exactly right for my readership.
The cover redesign transformed how potential readers perceive my book. The previous version looked amateur. This one looks like it was published by a major house. My sales doubled in the month after the new cover launched.
Cookbook formatting is a specialised skill. The recipe layouts, ingredient column alignment, and index were all formatted beautifully. The food photography placement looks professional and the page flow is logical.
Clean formatting with a professional result. The chapter timeline structure I used was a bit unusual but the formatter handled it well. One revision round to adjust some photo sizing and it was done perfectly.
Business books need to feel authoritative while remaining readable. The interior design achieved both. The chapter structure is clear and every table reads cleanly. My corporate clients have all commented favourably.
Tight, clean, and exactly on brief. The chapter openers had the tension-driven feel the genre demands without being overdone. Upload to KDP was approved without a single correction requested.
FAQ
Audiobook Cover Design: questions answered
These are the questions authors ask most about audiobook cover design, including sizes, stores and cost. If your question about the audiobook cover is missing, request a quote and a specialist will reply.
Do you offer an audiobook cover design service?
Yes. For audiobook cover design, we check the result against the platform's own rules before you see it.
What is the audiobook cover size for ACX?
2,400 by 2,400 pixels, JPEG, RGB. For your audiobook cover, we keep a record of what we changed so that you can review the work.
What are the audiobook cover requirements for Audible?
A square JPEG at the size ACX specifies, without a spine or unneeded borders. The calculator on this page shows the fixed price for each package before you commit with your audiobook cover.
Is an audiobook cover 3000x3000?
Some distributors accept up to 3,000 by 3,000, and we supply a master at that size that scales to 2,400. With your audiobook cover, if you are unsure, send the file and we will tell you what the job involves.
What is audiobook cover design cost?
On this audiobook cover job, the calculator on this page shows a fixed price for each package. Revision rounds are included, so the first delivery does not have to be perfect for the audiobook cover.
How do I make a square audiobook cover from a book cover?
Recompose the art for a 1:1 frame and reset the title. For audiobook cover design, we check the result against the platform's own rules before you see it.
Do you do an audiobook cover for Findaway Voices?
Yes. For your audiobook cover, we keep a record of what we changed so that you can review the work.
Do you do an audiobook cover for Spotify?
Yes. The calculator on this page shows the fixed price for each package before you commit with your audiobook cover.
Do you do a custom audiobook cover?
Yes. With your audiobook cover, if you are unsure, send the file and we will tell you what the job involves.
Do you offer audiobook cover design services?
Yes. Revision rounds are included, so the first delivery does not have to be perfect for the audiobook cover.
What does audiobook cover design pricing include?
Recomposition, credits, sizes and files. For audiobook cover design, we check the result against the platform's own rules before you see it.
Do you add the narrator's name?
Yes. For your audiobook cover, we keep a record of what we changed so that you can review the work.
What is the audiobook cover size for ACX?
A square, at least 2,400 by 2,400 pixels. Many use 3,000 by 3,000. The calculator on this page shows the fixed price for each package before you commit with your audiobook cover.
What are audiobook cover requirements for Audible?
A square JPG at the required size, with a clear title and no misleading content. We check current rules. With your audiobook cover, if you are unsure, send the file and we will tell you what the job involves.
Do you offer audiobook cover design service?
Yes. Revision rounds are included, so the first delivery does not have to be perfect for the audiobook cover.
How much does audiobook cover design cost?
The audiobook cover design cost starts at $299 for a single store and rises to $719 for a complete multi-store set. Audiobook cover design services and audiobook cover design pricing depend on the number of stores and the amount of rebuilding, and the calculator shows the total.
How long does audiobook cover design take?
Most audiobook covers are delivered in about three working days. On this audiobook cover job, priority and Express options shorten the schedule, and the calculator shows an estimate.
Why can't I just crop my paperback cover to a square myself?
Because a tall rectangle cropped to a square usually loses the title, the author name or the focal image to the new proportions, and the type that was fine on a 6x9 cover often vanishes when the same art is reduced to a listening-app tile. We rebuild the layout for the square and test it at thumbnail size so nothing important is lost.
How is the price worked out?
Audio covers are priced by design complexity, from a straightforward adaptation of a cover you already have up to a fully illustrated new concept. Whether you adapt or design new, the deliverables, the art-direction depth and any imagery each adjust the figure, shown live in the calculator.
What does 'reads as a thumbnail' actually mean?
When a listener browses an app, your cover is shown as a small tile, often cropped to a circle or rounded square. If the title and image only work at full size, they turn to mush at that scale. We design at thumbnail size first — sizing the type and choosing a focal image that still reads at a centimetre wide — then scale the square up.
What formats and files do I get?
The 2400x2400px RGB master, ready to upload to any audio store, plus smaller web-ready exports for distributors, podcast hosts and your own site. You can also take the layered source file as an add-on, so any competent designer can adjust it later and you are never locked in.
Ready when you are
Ready to start your audiobook cover?
An audiobook cover that is built for a square will look like your book on every audio shelf. See your audiobook cover price in a minute, or send your cover and we will confirm the details.
- Fixed price shown before you pay
- Revision rounds included
- One named specialist, brief to upload