Updated: 23 October 2026

Professional book cover

This prompt designs a book cover for your genre with the exact title and author name. You choose a central image, such as a lone lighthouse in a storm, and the mood. Ideogram is the most reliable for the lettering.

image-book-cover-design — ideogram — 51 words

A professional book cover for a [GENRE] book titled "[TITLE]" by "[AUTHOR]". Central image: [KEY VISUAL, e.g. a lone lighthouse in a storm]. Mood: [MOOD]. Bold readable title typography at the top, author name at the bottom, [COLOUR] palette, strong focal point, portrait 2:3 ratio, looks good as a small thumbnail.

Edit in the builder Copy & open Ideogram ↗Copy & open Midjourney ↗Copy & open ChatGPT ↗

View it at thumbnail size. Retailers show covers tiny.

Get a better result

What you will get

A portrait 2:3 book cover with a strong central image, bold title type at the top, the author’s name at the bottom, a palette that matches the mood and a design that still reads as a small thumbnail.

Common mistake

The title or author name is misspelt.

Fix: Check every letter, even in Ideogram, which is built for text in pictures. If one letter is wrong, regenerate or fix the text in an editor.

Also watch for

The cover does not look like its genre, for example a thriller that looks like a romance. Name the genre cues: “thriller: dark palette, heavy condensed sans-serif title”, “romance: script lettering and warm light”.
You need a size that the store accepts, and the picture is too small. Check the store’s cover guide for the required pixel size and upscale the image before you upload it.

Try a variation: series look

For book two, say “same layout, same fonts and title position, a new central image and a new accent colour”. Matching covers help readers see the books as a series.

Still not right? Add this and run it again

Keep the central image. Make the title heavy, condensed and high-contrast, check that every letter is spelt correctly and make the palette darker and colder for a thriller.