Book mockups: which kind you need
A book mockup shows your cover on a book, a device or in a scene. Which kind to make depends on where the image will go. Here is the kind, the size and the tool for each use.
Pick by where the image will go
Amazon A+ Content
Use a clean 3D or flat cover on a plain background, saved as JPG or PNG in RGB and under 2 MB. KDP's A+ guidelines turn down images with prices, promotions or shipping details, with watermarks, or with small text that can't be read on a phone. DIY Book Covers makes a free 3D cover with a transparent background that you can place on any colour.
BookBub ads
BookBub ads are 300 × 250 pixels. A 3D cover works if its title stays readable at that size; BookBub's own help suggests a cover image 115 pixels wide in its creative builder. Any 3D tool below works; make the cover large enough to read before you scale down.
Facebook and Instagram feed ads
Meta's ads guide recommends a 4:5 image at 1440 × 1800 pixels for the Facebook Feed. A cover in a scene reads well there: Placeit and Mediamodifier have hundreds of book scenes (hands, desks, stacks), and Canva has a free book mockup generator, handy if you already design your posts there.
Launch and social posts
Lifestyle scenes: a book held, on a table, in a stack. Placeit is a subscription with some free templates; Mockey has a free plan without watermarks, after sign-up, and can make short videos.
Your website, press kit or emails
A 3D cover on a transparent PNG, so it sits on any background. DIY Book Covers does this free, with no sign-up.
A series or box set
Several covers together. DIY Book Covers has composite layouts with more than one book; Book Brush, made for authors, has ready-made mockup scenes too.
Showing the inside of the book
An open-book spread with your own pages. Pacdora makes spread mockups free from your page images; Kittl and Mockey have open-book templates. To see your text set in a font pairing first, try the book design templates.
A paperback with the right spine
For a 3D paperback, the spine should match your final page count and paper. BookCoversLab works out the spine from the page count with KDP's white and cream paper figures, free and with no sign-up.
Checking your print cover before you publish
A mockup is a picture, not a print. To see the real cover, order a proof copy from KDP: it is printed like your book but carries a "Not for Resale" watermark and no ISBN. For the exact cover and spine size to design to, use the KDP cover calculator.
The tools at a glance
From each tool's own page, checked 2026-09-30. Prices and free plans change; check before you rely on one.
| Tool and cost | Good for |
|---|---|
| DIY Book Covers Free, no sign-up | Single and multi-book 3D covers; transparent PNG or JPG. Upload the front, and a spine if you have one |
| BookCoversLab Free, no sign-up | 3D paperback with the spine from your page count; Kindle and paperback-plus-Kindle scenes |
| Canva Free book mockup generator | Mockups where you may already design your posts and ads |
| Book Brush See its pricing page | Made for authors: ad templates and 3,000+ premade mockup scenes (Instant Mockups) |
| Kittl Free account at preview resolution; paid for high resolution | Hardcover, paperback, dust jacket; standing, open or flat; the cover wraps over the spine at scale |
| Pacdora Free spread mockups | Open-book spreads from your page images; PNG, JPG or video |
| Mockey Free plan, no watermark; sign-up | 800+ book mockups including open book, hardcover, square; several angles; short videos |
| Placeit Subscription ($89.69 a year); some free templates | Lifestyle scenes: hands, stacks, desks, beaches; video mockups |
| Mediamodifier Free tier; Professional from $19 a month | 496 book mockup templates; PNG, JPG or the PSD |
Getting the spine right
A paperback's spine grows with its page count and depends on the paper, so a mockup made from a draft page count can show a spine that the printed book won't have. Enter your final page count in a tool that calculates the spine, or check the width in the KDP cover calculator.
Many tools take only a front cover and draw a plain spine. If your spine carries a title, use a tool that lets you upload the spine as well.
Showing your interior
Open-book mockup tools place images of your pages into a spread. Export one or two page images from your formatting software at a high resolution, so the text stays sharp when the mockup is scaled down.
Before you format, the book design templates show your own text set in a font pairing on a KDP trim.
Mistakes to avoid
- Unreadable title. Ads and A+ images are seen on phones; if the title can't be read small, the mockup doesn't help.
- A format you don't sell. A hardcover mockup for a book that is only a paperback and ebook promises something readers can't buy.
- Price or offer inside an A+ image. KDP's A+ guidelines don't allow prices, promotions or shipping details in images.
- A low-resolution cover. Start from your full-size cover file, not a thumbnail.
Sources (last verified 2026-09-30):
- KDP: A+ Content guidelines: JPG or PNG, RGB, under 2 MB; no prices, promotions, shipping details, watermarks or unreadable small text
- BookBub Support: What size ad can I run?: 300 × 250 pixels; cover image 115 pixels wide in the creative builder
- Meta Ads Guide: Facebook Feed image: 4:5, 1440 × 1800 pixels
- KDP: Proof and author copies: "Not for Resale" watermark, no ISBN
- DIY Book Covers: 3D mockups: free, no sign-up, front and optional spine, single and composite, transparent PNG or JPG
- BookCoversLab: book mockup generator: free, no sign-up, spine from page count with KDP white and cream factors
- Canva: book mockups: free book mockup generator
- Book Brush: Instant Mockups: 3,000+ premade mockups
- Kittl: book mockups: formats, cover wrapped over the spine, free preview resolution
- Pacdora: book spread mockup: free spreads, PNG, JPG or video
- Mockey: book mockup generator: free plan, no watermark, 800+ mockups, sign-up
- Placeit: book mockups: $89.69 a year, free templates, scene types
- Mediamodifier: book mockup generator: free tier, $19 a month, 496 book mockups, PSD download
These tools and guides are for information only. Check requirements with KDP, and ask a qualified professional about tax or legal questions. AuthorKit is not affiliated with Amazon.