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We understand that for the extreme do-it-yourselfer, the challenge of designing your own cover could be something you're willing to tackle. If you're up for the task, we will accept your fully-designed cover, as long as it meets our technical requirements.

DIY Cover Templates:

Download a Wordclay cover template by clicking on the appropriate book size below. The templates are PDF documents, which require Adobe Reader to open. If you do not have Adobe Reader installed, click here to visit Adobe's Web site in order to download a copy of the software if necessary.

Important Information About the Cover Templates:

The templates will provide the information necessary to set up a cover file. Please review the following information before you begin designing your cover:

  • AuthorCrossing's logo will be used in place of the Wordclay logo (Wordclay's logo is just for example in the templates).
  • Templates are not to scale. Follow the listed measurements, but do not use these literally as templates, building on top of them. The measurements are not accurate.
  • Your cover file must be 300 dpi or higher at the measurements listed in the template.
  • We can accept many different types of images files, but some preferred types are: TIFF, PSD, JPG. Layered files are preferred. Contact a customer support representative through e-mail (customersupport@authorcrossing.com) or Live Chat if you have questions about the kind of file you are working with.
  • The width of the spine is an exact measurement based on the total number of pages in the actual, finished interior that will be submitted for publishing. If you have not finished and approved your galley (formatted book interior), you can use an interior template file to estimate the number of pages. However, adjustments will be necessary once the final page count is determined. You can use the spine width calculation chart to determine the spine width for your book.

You do not have to set the exact spine width; we can do it for you. But, please note that if the spine width must be adjusted, this will have an effect on the design of the spine, especially if the adjustment is drastic.

  • When setting up your cover file, set up the file in CMYK color mode, not RGB. Your book's cover will be printed using CMYK color mode. If you set up the cover file in RGB the color will shift when it is converted to CMYK.
  • We cannot guarantee 100% color matching in the finished product. Although the finished cover will look as close as possible to the cover you submit, due to monitor and printer variations, the color can appear different when printed. The color can also vary from print to print, due to varying toner levels, slight variations in printer mechanics, paper quality, etc.

 

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