5” as it should have I’ve also noticed the spine can be off especially for very large books (600+pages) so Createspace’s calculations aren’t perfect. Interestingly though, my sample template generated by Createspace came out to a spine width of. So, for a 6”x9” book of 200 pages, my height= 9.25” and my width equals spine (200×0.0025= 0.5”) + 6″ + 0.125″ + 6″ + 0.125″ = 12.75.”īut you can also just open one of the files you downloaded, and it will tell you the spine width clearly. White paper: multiply page count by 0.002252Ĭream paper: multiply page count by 0.0025 If you want to set up a Word file that’s just the right size, you’ll need to calculate this yourself:įor Createspace, you need to add. I usually use Photoshop to trim this off. The templates come with a lot of extra white space. I keep saying “createspace” down below because this is an older article but KDP print works basically the same, just with a new name. BookBaby also offers print book services. zip file to download which includes a PDF and a PNG file. Once you click “Build Template” you’ll get a. “White” is only good for specialized non-fiction or coursebooks, or if you’re printing color pictures. “Cream” paper is better for most fiction and non-fiction. Most books will be “black and white” – set your book size and page count. However, I’m pretty sure the KDP print templates still round to the nearest 4th page or so, which can make a little difference especially on longer books, so I recommend using Bookow’s KDP print template generator. If you’re using IngramSpark, you can download a template here. You’ll probably want “no bleed” for the interior, unless you have fullpage images that go to the margin. You can just click this link to get there: be careful to choose print or cream pages, it makes a difference in total spine width. Lightning Source now has an easier to use dashboard… but I don’t recommend it. Createspace KDP and Lightning Source IngramSpark templatesĬreatespace is dead, but the original links now forward to the KDP dashboard for convenience. But once you’ve got it, you can use a template generator, open the template into MS word or a design program like Photoshop, and add your images and text. You’ll need to add your content and format it, so you know the final page count to calculate the right spine width. Once that’s all done, you can download a print template that’s specific for your book. I set up some free templates and guides to book formatting here to help you out: You need to know the final word count of your formatted book, so if you haven’t formatted your book for print yet, you need to do it before you start your full print cover. But now you want to make a full print cover for Createspace KDP Print (or Lightning Source, or others). Ideally you’ve already finished a book cover you’re happy with, converted it to a JPG and used it to sell your ebook. Your full print cover will only be as good as your front cover so getting the best possible front cover is a necessary first step. If you’ve never used MS Word as a design tool, you should first check out and sign up to get the free sample package and guides. HOW TO MAKE A FULL PRINT COVER IN MS WORD In the meantime, if you already have a front cover, you can hire someone cheap on fiverr to make the fullprint covers for you, and it’ll probably look much better. I’m currently rebuilding my online book cover maker so when that’s ready, I’ll make more templates for it. It’s *much* easier to make covers in photoshop or a graphic design tool. I shared a guide to doing just that on DIY Book Covers a couple months ago but am now sharing it with you, for free, so that you can design your own full print covers in MS Word.ĭisclaimer: This is a hack or a workaround, so it involves a lot of steps and isn’t a smooth, seamless process. 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. JDerek Murphy POD cover, print book cover paperback 5498Ī few years ago I put out a package of DIY book cover templates in Microsoft Word and revolutionized publishing with a how-to guide to designing amazing book covers in an easy to use program you’re already familiar with.
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