How to Design Book Covers and Format eBooks on Canva

Self-publishing has made it possible to write, design, and release a book entirely on your own — no publishing house required. But a book is often judged by its cover before anyone reads a single page, and a poorly formatted eBook can turn readers away just as fast. The good news is Canva handles both jobs well, and you don’t need design experience to get professional-looking results.

This guide covers designing your cover first, then formatting the interior pages so your finished eBook looks clean and readable on any device.

What You Need

• A free Canva account (Pro recommended for multi-page eBook formatting, though Free can work for covers)
• Your book title, subtitle (if any), and author name
• Your manuscript text, ready to be placed into a formatted layout
• Any cover imagery, illustrations, or author photo you plan to use
• Knowledge of where you’re publishing (Amazon KDP, another platform, or a direct PDF) — this determines the exact size and format you’ll need

Part 1: Designing Your Book Cover

Step 1: Get the Correct Cover Dimensions

Cover size depends entirely on your publishing platform. If you’re using Amazon KDP, their cover calculator (found on KDP’s website) generates the exact dimensions based on your page count and trim size — always use the platform’s official calculator rather than guessing, since incorrect sizing is one of the most common reasons covers get rejected.

Step 2: Set Up Your Canvas in Canva

In Canva, create a custom-size design using the exact dimensions from your platform’s cover calculator. Search “Book Cover” in the template bar for a starting layout close to your genre’s style, or build from a blank canvas if you have a specific concept in mind.

Step 3: Design With Your Genre in Mind

Cover expectations vary a lot by genre — a thriller typically uses bold, high-contrast typography and darker tones, while a romance cover often leans into softer colors and illustrative imagery. Browsing bestsellers in your genre (for inspiration, not copying) helps you understand what readers expect to see before they’ll even consider clicking on your book.

Step 4: Keep Text Readable at Thumbnail Size

Most readers will first see your cover as a small thumbnail while browsing online, not full-size. Choose a bold, clear title font and avoid overly thin or decorative fonts that disappear at small sizes. Shrink your design preview down to check readability before finalizing.

Step 5: Export the Cover Correctly

Export as PDF Print for a print cover, or follow your platform’s specific file requirements for a digital/eBook cover (often JPG or PNG at a minimum resolution). Always double-check your publishing platform’s exact export specs before uploading.

Part 2: Formatting Your eBook Interior

Step 6: Choose an eBook-Friendly Page Size

Create a new multi-page design in Canva sized to your eBook’s target format (commonly matching standard trim sizes, or a simple 8.5×11″ if publishing as a straightforward PDF). Keep margins consistent across all pages for a clean, professional look.

Step 7: Set Up Consistent Styles

Before placing your full manuscript, decide on your heading style, body text font, and spacing — then apply it consistently across every chapter. Canva’s “Copy style” tool (paint roller icon) makes it quick to apply the same formatting from one page to the next without redoing it manually each time.

Step 8: Add Your Text Page by Page

Paste your manuscript text into text boxes across your pages, checking that paragraph spacing, font size, and margins stay consistent throughout. This part takes patience with a full-length manuscript, but consistency here is what makes an eBook feel professionally formatted rather than self-published in a rough sense.

Step 9: Add Chapter Breaks and Page Numbers

Use consistent chapter title styling and page numbers throughout (Canva doesn’t auto-number pages, so this is typically done manually per page, or handled in a dedicated eBook formatting tool if your manuscript is very long).

Step 10: Export as PDF

Once formatting is complete, export your eBook as PDF Standard for digital distribution. If your platform requires EPUB or MOBI instead of PDF, you’ll need a dedicated eBook conversion tool afterward, since Canva doesn’t export directly to those formats.

Between the cover and the interior formatting, this is genuinely one of those projects where doing it once yourself teaches you more than any amount of reading. If you want to sharpen your design skills further before starting, our Graphics, Design & Creativity section has more tutorials to help.

How to Fix Common Problems

Cover gets rejected by your publishing platform: Almost always a sizing issue — re-check dimensions using the platform’s official cover calculator.

Text formatting looks inconsistent across pages: Use the “Copy style” tool to apply identical formatting rather than manually adjusting each page.

eBook file is too large to upload: Compress images before placing them, or reduce image resolution slightly — full manuscripts with many high-res images can create very large files.

Platform requires EPUB, but Canva only exports PDF: Export your finished PDF, then run it through a dedicated PDF-to-EPUB converter tool as a separate step.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I design a book cover for free in Canva?

Yes, Canva’s Free plan includes enough templates and elements to design a cover, though some premium templates and multi-page eBook formatting work more smoothly with Canva Pro.

What size should my book cover be?

It depends entirely on your publishing platform and page count — always use your platform’s official cover size calculator rather than guessing.

Does Canva support EPUB or MOBI export?

No, Canva exports to PDF. If your platform requires EPUB or MOBI, you’ll need a separate conversion tool after exporting from Canva.

How do I make sure my cover looks good as a small thumbnail?

Shrink your design preview down to thumbnail size while designing and check that the title is still readable — this is how most readers will first see it online.

Can I use the same Canva design for both print and digital covers?

Not directly — print covers usually need additional elements like a spine and back cover, based on exact page count, while digital covers are typically just the front image at a different size.

Conclusion

Designing a book cover and formatting an eBook both come down to getting your sizing right and staying consistent throughout — the cover needs to work at thumbnail size, and the interior needs formatting that doesn’t distract from the writing itself. Reading through the steps gives you the process, but the video walkthrough below shows exactly how each part comes together inside Canva.

Watching someone build a cover and format pages in real time genuinely saves you from a lot of trial and error — it’s a practical, hands-on resource, not just something to skim. Grab it below and follow along at your own pace.

Have a question, or run into an issue formatting your cover or eBook? Drop it in the comment box below — we read every one — or reach the DCL Admin directly through our Contact Us page.