# Cover Brief

> Generate a cover design brief with genre signals, budget path, thumbnail test criteria, and series branding guidelines. Use before hiring a designer or building in Canva.

- Skill: `cdeistopened/cover-brief-2` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add cdeistopened/cover-brief-2`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/cdeistopened/cover-brief-2/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Finance & Business
- Author: cdeistopened (https://skillmd.com/u/cdeistopened)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/cdeistopened/cover-brief-2

---


# Cover Brief

Generate a complete cover design brief for a KDP book based on genre analysis, the 8 cover mistakes that kill sales, thumbnail test requirements, and budget-appropriate designer recommendations. Produces a document ready to hand to a designer or use as a Canva self-design guide.

## Usage

```
/cover-brief --title "Beekeeping for Beginners" --genre "nonfiction/hobby" --budget "$30"
/cover-brief --title "Dark Roses" --genre "fantasy/romance" --budget "$200" --series "Thornwood Chronicles"
```

## Prerequisites

- Book title and subtitle finalized (from `/book-architect`)
- Target Amazon category identified (from `/niche-scout`)
- Budget range determined

---

## Workflow

### Step 1: Understand What a Cover Does

> "A cover is more than artwork. It's a promise. When readers see your book for the first time, they're not just looking at colors and shapes. They're measuring your professionalism, your genre fit, and whether your story feels worth their time."
> -- Dale L Roberts, "Why Your KDP Book Cover Fails (And How to Fix It)"

> "Through places like Amazon KDP, readers make decisions in seconds. They scroll through dozens of titles, glance at each thumbnail, and move on unless something grabs them. Your cover has one job: to stop the scroll and convince a reader to click."
> -- Dale L Roberts, "Why Your KDP Book Cover Fails (And How to Fix It)"

### Step 2: Genre Signal Research

**Ask:** Screenshot the top 20 covers in your target Amazon category. Identify:

- Common color palettes
- Typography styles (serif, sans-serif, handwritten, bold)
- Imagery patterns (photos, illustrations, abstract, character-driven)
- Layout conventions (title placement, author name position)
- What makes the top 3 sellers stand out from the rest

Genre fit matters more than artistic quality:

> "I learned this lesson firsthand with one of my fitness books. Instead of sticking to a design that clearly fit the fitness market, I experimented with a comic book style cover... My audience thought it was fiction or something unrelated to fitness. And sales tanked, I mean, big time."
> -- Dale L Roberts, "Why Your KDP Book Cover Fails (And How to Fix It)"

**Rule:** Match your category's visual language first, then differentiate within it.

### Step 3: Apply the 8-Mistake Checklist

Screen your brief (and any design drafts) against Dale L Roberts' catalog of cover killers:

| # | Mistake | What Goes Wrong | Fix |
|---|---------|----------------|-----|
| 1 | Using KDP's Cover Creator | Cookie-cutter look, signals amateur | Use Canva (free) or hire a designer |
| 2 | Bad typography | Wrong font sends wrong genre signal | Serif = timeless; Bold = importance; Handwritten = elegance; Grunge = mystery |
| 3 | Wrong genre signals | Readers skip books that don't match visual expectations | Study top 20 in your category |
| 4 | Stock photos / generic templates | Readers spot them instantly | Professional design blends imagery, typography, composition |
| 5 | Unreadable at thumbnail size | If it doesn't work small, it doesn't work | Bold typography, strong contrast |
| 6 | Weak composition | Elements fight instead of working together | Balanced layout, complementary colors |
| 7 | Over-complicated concept | Cramming the entire plot onto the cover | Focus on ONE strong idea |
| 8 | No visual hook | Technically fine but no reason to click | Unusual color, powerful symbol, moment of tension |

On KDP's Cover Creator:

> "It's 100% free, and no, it might look convenient, but it was never built for authors who want to sell books. The tool is designed for hobbyists who want something quick and simple, not for those trying to compete in a crowded marketplace."
> -- Dale L Roberts, "Why Your KDP Book Cover Fails (And How to Fix It)"

### Step 4: Define the Thumbnail Test

> "90% of readers will see your book as a tiny thumbnail first. If your text is unreadable or the design fades at small scale, you're finished. You're cooked. It's over."
> -- Dale L Roberts, "Why Your KDP Book Cover Fails (And How to Fix It)"

Every cover must pass before publishing:

1. Shrink to roughly 120 x 180 pixels (Amazon search result size)
2. Can you read the title?
3. Does the design go muddy or fade?
4. Does it signal the correct genre at a glance?
5. Does it have a visual hook that stops scrolling?

Include these criteria in the design brief so the designer tests against them.

### Step 5: Select Budget Path

| Budget | Best Option | Best For |
|--------|------------|----------|
| $0 | Canva Free | Ebook covers only (no CMYK for print) |
| $0-$13/mo | Canva Pro | CMYK print export, pro templates, pro elements |
| $5-$30 | Fiverr | Low-content and standard nonfiction/fiction |
| $100-$300 | Miblart | Professional quality, series consistency, multi-format |
| $500+ | Reedsy | Authority books, bestseller bids, Big Five-level design |

> "This is a great way to get started with Amazon KDP if you're low in budget because you can basically create a book cover for free. Now once you start making money from your books, I highly recommend you reinvest a profit into hiring an actual illustrator."
> -- Sean Dollwet, "How to Create a Book Cover for FREE with Canva for Amazon KDP"

> "Fiverr doesn't cut it when you're really looking for that awesome authority book or that sweet epic sci-fi that's coming out that you want to become a real bestseller."
> -- Dave Chesson, "Reedsy Review and How To Use"

### Step 6: Working with Professional Designers

> "You never want to cram that square peg through the round hole... you don't want to tell these professional designers how to do it because they actually know what they're doing. You need to let them do it. That's when you'll get the best results."
> -- Dave Chesson, "Reedsy Review and How To Use"

**Designer brief should include:**
- Book title, subtitle, author name
- Genre and target category
- 3-5 reference covers you like (screenshots from Amazon)
- What you like AND what you do NOT like about each reference
- Target audience description
- One-sentence book summary
- Mood/tone keywords (e.g., "warm, approachable, professional" or "dark, mysterious, suspenseful")
- **Do NOT** prescribe specific design solutions -- describe the feeling, let them design

### Step 7: Series Branding (If Applicable)

> "Do you know the connection between these Pringles cans and a successful book series on Amazon KDP and Beyond? It's the branding and overall shared aesthetic."
> -- Dale L Roberts, "THIS Stops 90% of KDP Book Sales"

> "Authors with a deep backlog, it's like Pringles -- once you pop, you can't stop... with this deeper backlog you've got more content, which means there's more to consume, means that more readers are going to come back to you time and again."
> -- Dale L Roberts, "THIS Stops 90% of KDP Book Sales"

**Series branding rules:**
- Order all covers from the same designer
- Lock in shared color palette, typography style, and layout structure
- Keep author name in same position and size across every book
- Readers should spot the next book in the series instantly

### Step 8: Export Settings

| Format | File Type | Color Profile | When to Use |
|--------|-----------|---------------|-------------|
| Ebook cover | PNG | RGB | Kindle ebook upload |
| Paperback wrap | PDF Print | CMYK (Canva Pro) | KDP paperback upload |
| Hardcover wrap | PDF Print | CMYK (Canva Pro) | KDP hardcover upload |

> "When you're downloading the file, the color profile is highly recommended to be CMYK because that is the best color profile for printed books."
> -- Sean Dollwet, "How to Create a Book Cover for FREE with Canva for Amazon KDP"

---

## Output Format

### Cover Design Brief

```markdown
## Book Details
- **Title:** [title]
- **Subtitle:** [subtitle]
- **Author:** [name]
- **Genre/Category:** [genre]
- **Target Audience:** [description]

## Design Direction
- **Mood:** [3-5 mood keywords]
- **One-Sentence Summary:** [what the book is about]
- **Genre Conventions:** [what top 20 covers in this category look like]
- **Differentiation Opportunity:** [how to stand out within genre norms]

## Reference Covers
1. [Cover title] -- Like: [what works] / Dislike: [what doesn't]
2. [Cover title] -- Like: / Dislike:
3. [Cover title] -- Like: / Dislike:

## Technical Requirements
- Ebook: PNG, RGB, [dimensions]
- Paperback: PDF Print, CMYK, [wrap dimensions from KDP template generator]
- Hardcover: PDF Print, CMYK, [wrap dimensions]

## Thumbnail Test Criteria
- Title readable at 120x180 px
- Genre signal clear at glance
- Visual hook present
- No muddy elements at small scale

## Budget & Designer Path
- Budget: $[amount]
- Recommended path: [Canva/Fiverr/Miblart/Reedsy]

## Series Branding (if applicable)
- Series name: [name]
- Shared elements: [color palette, typography, layout]
- Books in series: [count planned]
```

---

## Related Skills

- **[[book-architect|book-architect]]** -- Provides title/subtitle for the brief (run FIRST)
- **[[competitor-reverse-engineer|competitor-reverse-engineer]]** -- Find reference covers from top sellers in your category to include in the design brief
- **[[listing-optimizer|listing-optimizer]]** -- Description and categories (run in parallel or after)
- **[[upload-checklist|upload-checklist]]** -- Final pre-upload verification including cover specs

## Related Frameworks

- `cover-creation-workflow.md` — The full cover creation process from genre research through export settings
- `freelancer-hiring-workflow.md` — How to find, vet, and brief a professional cover designer on Fiverr, Miblart, or Reedsy