book-cover-design✓ تایید شده

محتوای SKILL.md

---
name: book-cover-design
description: |
  Book cover design with genre-specific conventions, typography rules, and AI image generation.
  Covers fiction and non-fiction genres, sizing, thumbnail testing, and iteration workflows.
  Use for: self-publishing, ebook covers, print covers, audiobook covers, cover mockups.
  Triggers: book cover, cover design, ebook cover, book art, novel cover, self publishing cover,
  kindle cover, audiobook cover, book jacket, cover illustration, fiction cover, nonfiction cover
allowed-tools: Bash(infsh *)
---

# Book Cover Design

Create genre-appropriate book covers with AI image generation via [inference.sh](https://inference.sh) CLI.

## Quick Start

```bash
curl -fsSL https://cli.inference.sh | sh && infsh login

# Generate a thriller cover concept
infsh app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
  "prompt": "dark moody book cover art, lone figure standing at end of a rain-soaked alley, dramatic chiaroscuro lighting, noir atmosphere, cinematic, high contrast shadows",
  "width": 832,
  "height": 1248
}'
```

## Genre Conventions

Readers judge books by covers. Matching genre expectations is critical — a romance reader will skip a cover that looks like sci-fi, regardless of content.

### Fiction

| Genre | Palette | Imagery | Typography | Mood |
|-------|---------|---------|------------|------|
| **Thriller/Mystery** | Dark (black, navy, blood red) | Lone figure, urban scenes, shadows | Bold sans-serif, all caps | Tense, ominous |
| **Romance** | Warm (pink, red, gold, soft purple) | Couples, flowers, scenic backdrops | Script/cursive, elegant serif | Passionate, dreamy |
| **Sci-Fi** | Cool (blue, teal, purple, silver) | Space, tech, geometric shapes | Clean sans-serif, futuristic | Vast, technological |
| **Fantasy** | Rich saturated (emerald, crimson, gold) | Swords, magic, landscapes, creatures | Decorative serif, ornamental | Epic, magical |
| **Literary Fiction** | Muted, sophisticated | Abstract, minimal, symbolic | Elegant serif, understated | Thoughtful, artistic |
| **Horror** | Dark with high contrast pops | Faces, shadows, isolation, decay | Distressed, bold, dripping | Dread, unease |
| **Historical** | Sepia, muted period-accurate | Period clothing, architecture, artifacts | Classical serif | Nostalgic, authentic |

### Non-Fiction

| Category | Style | Imagery | Typography |
|----------|-------|---------|------------|
| **Business/Self-help** | Clean, bold, 2-3 colors | Minimal or none, icon optional | Large bold sans-serif title |
| **Memoir** | Personal, warm | Author photo or atmospheric scene | Mix of serif and sans |
| **Science/Academic** | Professional, structured | Diagrams, abstract visuals | Clean serif, structured layout |
| **Cookbook** | Appetizing, bright | Hero food photograph | Warm, inviting fonts |
| **Travel** | Vibrant, aspirational | Destination photography | Adventure-style fonts |

## Cover Sizing

### Print (Trim Sizes)

| Format | Dimensions | Common For |
|--------|-----------|------------|
| Mass market paperback | 4.25 x 6.87" | Genre fiction |
| Trade paperback | 5.5 x 8.5" | Most fiction/non-fiction |
| Standard | 6 x 9" | Non-fiction, textbooks |
| Large format | 7 x 10" | Coffee table, art books |

### Digital

| Platform | Cover Size | Aspect Ratio |
|----------|-----------|--------------|
| Amazon Kindle | 2560 x 1600 px (min 1000 x 625) | 1.6:1 |
| Apple Books | 1400 x 1873 px minimum | ~3:4 |
| General ebook | 2500 x 3750 px | 2:3 |

### Spine Width

Approximate: **page count / 400 = spine width in inches** (varies by paper stock).
- 200 pages ≈ 0.5" spine
- 400 pages ≈ 1.0" spine

## Layout Zones

```
┌─────────────────────────┐
│     TITLE ZONE          │ ← Top 1/3: Title must be readable here
│     (largest text)      │    This is what shows in thumbnails
│                         │
│                         │
│     MAIN IMAGE          │ ← Middle: Core visual/illustration
│     ZONE                │    The emotional hook
│                         │
│                         │
│     SUBTITLE /          │ ← Bottom area: Author name, subtitle
│     AUTHOR ZONE         │    Smaller text, less critical at thumbnail
└─────────────────────────┘
```

## The Thumbnail Test

Your cover will be seen at **80x120px** on Amazon, 60x90px in search results, and ~40x60px on mobile grids.

**At thumbnail size, readers must be able to identify:**
1. The genre (from color and composition)
2. The title (if large enough)
3. The mood (from imagery)

**Test:** shrink your cover to 80px wide. If you can't read the title or identify the genre, redesign.

## Prompting by Genre

### Thriller
```bash
infsh app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
  "prompt": "dark cinematic book cover scene, silhouette of a person standing before a foggy bridge at night, single streetlamp casting long shadows, noir atmosphere, high contrast, desaturated blue tint, dramatic tension",
  "width": 832,
  "height": 1248
}'
```

### Romance
```bash
infsh app run bytedance/seedream-4-5 --input '{
  "prompt": "romantic soft-focus scene, couple silhouetted against golden sunset on a beach, warm pink and gold tones, bokeh lights, dreamy atmosphere, soft pastel sky, intimate mood",
  "size": "2K"
}'
```

### Sci-Fi
```bash
infsh app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
  "prompt": "science fiction book cover art, massive space station orbiting a ringed planet, deep blue and teal color palette, stars and nebula background, hard sci-fi aesthetic, cinematic scale, clean geometric architecture",
  "width": 832,
  "height": 1248
}'
```

### Fantasy
```bash
infsh app run xai/grok-imagine-image-pro --input '{
  "prompt": "epic fantasy book cover illustration, ancient stone castle on a cliff overlooking a misty valley, magical aurora in the sky, rich emerald and gold colors, detailed environment, sense of wonder and adventure",
  "aspect_ratio": "2:3"
}'
```

### Non-Fiction / Business
```bash
infsh app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
  "prompt": "minimal abstract book cover background, clean gradient from deep navy to white, subtle geometric pattern, professional and modern, negative space, corporate aesthetic",
  "width": 832,
  "height": 1248
}'
```

## Typography Rules

**AI cannot render text reliably.** Generate the cover art/background with AI, then add typography in a design tool.

### Title Hierarchy
1. **Title** — largest, most prominent, top 1/3 of cover
2. **Subtitle** — smaller, below title or at bottom
3. **Author name** — bottom of cover, size depends on author recognition

### Font Pairing by Genre
- Thriller: bold sans-serif title + condensed sans-serif author
- Romance: script/cursive title + elegant serif author
- Sci-Fi: geometric sans-serif for both
- Fantasy: decorative/medieval serif title + clean serif author
- Business: heavy bold sans-serif title + light sans-serif subtitle

## Iteration Workflow

```bash
# 1. Generate 5+ concepts across different models
infsh app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{"prompt": "...", "width": 832, "height": 1248}' --no-wait
infsh app run bytedance/seedream-4-5 --input '{"prompt": "..."}' --no-wait
infsh app run xai/grok-imagine-image-pro --input '{"prompt": "...", "aspect_ratio": "2:3"}' --no-wait

# 2. Refine best concept with image-to-image editing
infsh app run bytedance/seededit-3-0-i2i --input '{
  "prompt": "make the sky more dramatic with storm clouds, increase contrast",
  "image": "path/to/best-concept.png"
}'

# 3. Upscale for print quality
infsh app run falai/topaz-image-upscaler --input '{
  "image": "path/to/final-cover.png",
  "scale": 4
}'
```

## Common Mistakes

| Mistake | Problem | Fix |
|---------|---------|-----|
| Wrong genre signals | Readers skip it | Study bestsellers in your genre |
| Title too small | Invisible at thumbnail | Title should fill top 1/3 |
| Too much detail | Muddy at small sizes | Simplify, use negative space |
| AI-generated text | Garbled letters | Add text in design tool |
| Centered everything | Static, boring | Use asymmetry intentionally |
| Following trends blindly | Dates quickly | Classic genre conventions endure |

## Checklist

- [ ] Genre instantly recognizable from colors and composition
- [ ] Title readable at 80px wide (thumbnail test)
- [ ] No AI-generated text on cover
- [ ] Works in both color and greyscale
- [ ] Correct dimensions for target platform
- [ ] Author name visible but not competing with title
- [ ] High resolution (300 DPI for print, 2500px+ for digital)
- [ ] Spine text readable (for print)

## Related Skills

```bash
npx skills add inferencesh/skills@ai-image-generation
npx skills add inferencesh/skills@prompt-engineering
npx skills add inferencesh/skills@image-upscaling
```

Browse all apps: `infsh app list`

مجوز

مجوز اعلام‌شده: MIT

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2026 openclaw

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
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FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
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SOFTWARE.

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