How much is reasonable to spend on a book cover?
Short answer
A professionally designed book cover usually costs from a few hundred dollars to about $1,500, and Reedsy's analysis of more than 9,600 cover projects in 2025 puts the average at $880. The price rises with custom illustration, a full print wrap, extra formats such as hardcover, series branding and tight deadlines.
What it costs with me, Jooneyd: My covers (ebook + paperback) start at $599. Each next cover in the same series is $450, and a hardcover adds $150.
What authors pay: published market data
Two Reedsy data sets give a clear picture. Read them side by side rather than blending them.
- Reedsy cover-cost post (23 Dec 2025): average $880, with most projects between $625 and $1,250.
- Reedsy self-publishing cost guide (updated 13 Aug 2026): median $930, with over half of projects between $630 and $1,200.
Genre and project type change the number
In Reedsy's December 2025 data, fantasy has the highest genre median at $910. Picture-book covers sit at $470, but those are cover-only projects; most picture-book covers are part of a full illustration contract.
The Editorial Freelancers Association's 2026 member survey shows a lower book-cover median of $350 (mean $431). The EFA is an editorial association, so its design sample is small.
What you're buying
Each extra version of the cover is extra work, so the list of formats shapes the quote. From simplest to most work:
- An ebook front cover only (KDP's ideal size is 2,560 × 1,600 px).
- A paperback wrap (back, spine and front) sized to your page count.
- A hardcover case cover with a 0.51 in wrap.
- A separate version built on IngramSpark's own cover template.
A note on currency
All figures above are in US dollars, from US-led marketplaces. No neutral survey of cover prices in pounds or euros was found.
The rules at a glance
| What | The rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ebook cover, ideal size | 2,560 × 1,600 px | Amazon KDP Help |
| Paperback cover width | Bleed + back cover + spine + front cover + bleed | Amazon KDP Help |
| Hardcover cover wrap | 0.51 in | Amazon KDP Help |
Checked 27 October 2026 on the stores’ own help pages.
Comparing the price of a front-only ebook cover with a quote for a full print wrap.
“very patient and attentive! i really enjoyed working with him. honestly, i was skeptical about using a freelance service to get my poetry book cover created, but now i'm glad that i did. i will definitely be back to have jooneyd help me format my book and have it ready for publication! :) thanks for all of your hard work!”
Mariella De Dios
Need it done?
I design your cover in every format you need, sized for each store. Book cover design from $599.
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- Reedsy: Book cover design cost (Dec 2025)
- Reedsy: Cost to self-publish a book (Aug 2026)
- Editorial Freelancers Association: 2026 rate chart
- Amazon KDP Help: eBook cover guidelines
- Amazon KDP Help: Create a paperback cover
- Amazon KDP Help: Create a hardcover cover
- IngramSpark File Creation Guide (8.24.26)