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
99
100%
Does it follow best practices?
Impact
Pending
No eval scenarios have been run
Critical
Do not install without reviewing
Create genre-appropriate book covers with AI image generation via inference.sh CLI.
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
}'Install note: The install script only detects your OS/architecture, downloads the matching binary from
dist.inference.sh, and verifies its SHA-256 checksum. No elevated permissions or background processes. Manual install & verification available.
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.
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
Approximate: page count / 400 = spine width in inches (varies by paper stock).
┌─────────────────────────┐
│ 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
└─────────────────────────┘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:
Test: shrink your cover to 80px wide. If you can't read the title or identify the genre, redesign.
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
}'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"
}'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
}'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"
}'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
}'AI cannot render text reliably. Generate the cover art/background with AI, then add typography in a design tool.
# 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
}'| 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 |
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@ai-image-generation
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@prompt-engineering
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@image-upscalingBrowse all apps: infsh app list
9a723cd
If you maintain this skill, you can claim it as your own. Once claimed, you can manage eval scenarios, bundle related skills, attach documentation or rules, and ensure cross-agent compatibility.