Audiobook Cover Art: Requirements & How-To

Audiobook cover art must be a square image of at least 2400 × 2400 pixels in RGB color, saved as a JPEG or PNG. ACX, INaudio, Spotify, and Kobo all require this square format — unlike ebooks, which use a tall rectangle. Most authors adapt their existing ebook cover into a square for free or under $50.

Audiobook cover art differs from ebook cover art in one decisive way: shape. Ebook and print covers are tall rectangles, while every major audiobook retailer requires a perfect square. The square shape exists because audiobook covers display in music-style grids on Audible, Spotify, and Apple Books, where a square thumbnail sits beside album art. Authors who try to upload a rectangular ebook cover are rejected at the first upload step, so reshaping the artwork into a square is the unavoidable starting task.

The square requirement is consistent across platforms, but the exact pixel dimensions and file-size caps vary slightly by retailer. A square image of 2400 × 2400 pixels in RGB color, exported as a JPEG or PNG, satisfies ACX, INaudio (formerly Findaway Voices), Spotify for Authors, Google Play Books, and Kobo Writing Life simultaneously. Building to that single specification means one cover file works everywhere you plan to distribute, which is why 2400 × 2400 has become the de facto standard for audiobook cover art.

What size does audiobook cover art need to be?

Audiobook cover art needs to be a square of at least 2400 × 2400 pixels, in RGB color mode, saved as a JPEG or PNG. The square shape is non-negotiable on every audiobook platform; the 2400-pixel minimum is the highest of the common platform requirements, so meeting it once covers them all. Below are the published specifications for the platforms most indie authors use.

The key takeaway from the specification table is that building one square file at 2400 × 2400 pixels in RGB satisfies every major audiobook platform at once, since the larger platforms set the highest bar and smaller minimums fit inside it. ACX also applies the tightest file-size cap (5 MB), so authors who distribute to Audible should export a compressed JPEG rather than an uncompressed PNG to stay under that limit.

Can I use my ebook cover for my audiobook?

You can reuse the artwork from your ebook cover, but you must reshape the rectangular ebook design into a square. Ebook covers are typically tall rectangles around 1600 × 2560 pixels, whereas audiobook covers must be square at 2400 × 2400 pixels. Reusing the ebook's imagery, title, and author name keeps the two formats visually consistent, which helps readers recognize your title when they cross from text to audio. The work involved is reshaping, not redesigning.

Reshaping an ebook cover into a square involves extending the background to fill the wider canvas and re-centering the title and author text. The simplest approach takes the central image or color field from the ebook cover and stretches or repeats it to fill the square, then places the title and author name large in the middle. Authors converting an entire catalogue to audio will repeat this reshaping for each title — the workflow scales well, and the guide to where to sell your AI audiobook covers the distribution side once your covers are ready.

How do you create audiobook cover art? (step by step)

Creating audiobook cover art takes five steps, whether you adapt an ebook cover or start fresh. The process below assumes you already have an ebook cover, which is the fastest path for most self-published authors. Each step lists the concrete action and the dimension or setting to confirm before moving on.

Step 1: Start from your ebook cover

Starting from your ebook cover is the quickest route to an audiobook cover because the title, author name, and central imagery carry over unchanged. Open the highest-resolution version of your ebook cover artwork in a graphic tool — the original design file is ideal, but a large flat JPEG or PNG also works. Keeping the same imagery means a listener who saw your ebook recognizes the audiobook instantly in a store grid.

Step 2: Resize to a square 2400 × 2400 canvas

Resizing to a square canvas is the step that turns a rejected rectangular file into a compliant audiobook cover. After opening the artwork, create a new square canvas of 2400 × 2400 pixels at 72 dpi in RGB color, then place your existing artwork on it. Because the ebook cover is taller than it is wide, you extend the background color or texture outward on both sides and re-center the title block so the composition fills the square evenly.

Step 3: Make the title legible at thumbnail size

Making the title legible at thumbnail size matters more for audiobooks than for any other format, because audiobook covers are browsed in small grids beside album art. After laying out the square, shrink your design on screen to roughly 150 × 150 pixels and check that the title and author name are still readable. If the text disappears at that size, enlarge it and raise the contrast against the background until both lines read clearly when small.

Step 4: Export as RGB JPEG or PNG under the size limit

Exporting correctly is the step that prevents a last-minute upload rejection. After finalizing the layout, export the square as a JPEG (recommended for ACX, which caps files at 5 MB) or PNG in RGB color mode — never CMYK, which is for print and is rejected by audiobook platforms. Confirm the exported file is exactly square and at least 2400 × 2400 pixels before you leave your editor, since fixing it later means re-exporting.

Step 5: Upload the cover alongside your audio files

Uploading the cover happens during the title-setup step on your distribution platform, in a field separate from the audio. After exporting the square file, upload it where the platform asks for cover art — usually before or alongside your chapter audio files. The cover and the audio are required together to publish, so prepare both before you begin a submission; the guide to publishing on Audible walks through the full ACX submission flow including the cover upload.

How much does audiobook cover art cost?

Audiobook cover art ranges from free to a few hundred dollars depending on whether you adapt existing artwork or commission new work. Because the audiobook cover reuses the ebook's title, imagery, and author name, most indie authors reshape a cover they already own rather than pay for a fresh design. The three realistic price points are below.

The key takeaway from the cost table is that an audiobook cover rarely needs a large budget: a free self-adaptation or an under-$50 template covers the requirement for most authors, and a freelance square conversion is the upper end rather than the norm. Keeping the cover cost low matters because the cover is one line item in the total budget — see how much it costs to make an audiobook for the full picture, where production is the larger figure and the cover is a small fraction of it.

Does an audiobook cover need to be different from the ebook cover?

An audiobook cover does not need new artwork, but it must be square rather than rectangular and should share the ebook's title and author name. Keeping the same title and imagery across formats helps a listener recognize your book whether they encounter it as text or audio, which supports cross-format discovery. The only mandatory differences are the square shape (2400 × 2400 pixels) and large, high-contrast text that survives the small thumbnail size of audiobook stores.

One thing an audiobook cover should never include is text that implies it is a specific edition or format that contradicts the metadata. Audiobook covers should not carry a price, a retailer logo, a website URL, or "Audible exclusive" style banners, because platforms reject covers with promotional text or third-party branding. A clean cover with just the title, author name, and artwork passes review on every platform; before you publish, confirm your title also has any identifiers it needs by reading whether an audiobook needs an ISBN.

Once your square cover is ready, the remaining work is generating the audio and submitting both together. TomeVox produces ACX-compliant audio — M4B with chapter markers plus per-chapter MP3 files — within 48 hours, and you can re-generate any chapter at no extra cost if a name or term sounds off. For the full path from manuscript to published listing, including formatting and distribution, see the AI audiobook production guide.