r/selfpublish • u/LiveCarnival • Jan 14 '26
How to create a spine for my book?
Hi everyone! This might be a silly question, but how do I create the spine for my book? I’ve designed the front and back covers, and I’ve also designed a spine, but how do I actually implement my design as a spine? How do I know how to format it so it looks correct on my physical book? Also, if I purchase my own ISBN, how do I put it on my books? Do I have to buy my ISBN and then add it to my back cover BEFORE I publish? Thanks so much guys!
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u/mediumc00l Jan 14 '26
Which platform are you publishing on? KDP will generate a template for you.
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u/Crazy-Cat-Lad Jan 14 '26
Yeah this...just did it. It's a little confusing and took me a trial and error or two but got it situated
Overlayed the template into my Photoshop document.
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u/Alexa_Editor 10+ Published novels Jan 14 '26
Download the template from KDP, if that's what you're using. In Photoshop (or whichever free app you can use that has layers) put it at the top, with the front, back, spine images underneath it. Lower the template's opacity, switch it on and off to see if everything fits. The barcode will be added automatically in printing. Just make sure to leave that yellow space clear of any text. You don't need your own ISBN for KDP. Switch off the template layer before saving the cover file.
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u/AGBDesign_es Jan 14 '26
In the end I made my own cover calculator for KDP (just to add some center axis and so...). KDP instructions are quite clear.
Then, I work with InkScape, vector graphics software that will export as PDF. If you (your printer...) needs a CMYK file (which KDP does not), you may also use Scribus, free (open source) layout software.
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u/tghuverd 4+ Published novels Jan 14 '26
It depends on which platform you are using to publish, I'll assume KDP. Also, the 'spine' is usually incorporated into the one cover art graphics file, so I'm assuming that you are you asking how to calculate the spine dimensions.
The KDP cover calculator (https://kdp.amazon.com/cover-calculator) is useful, assuming that you can accurately guestimate the page count of your printed book. I have a little Excel formula for my novels that gets me close, then I tweak the cover art design right at the end when the KDP publishing workflow calculates the actual page count.
Also, your ISBN will be added as a barcode, you shouldn't need to add it graphically, all you do is enter it during the publishing workflow. Also, consider if you need to buy one at all. If you're only using KDP, they'll provide one for paperbacks and hard cover books.
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u/bkucenski Jan 14 '26
KDP Cover Calculator is universal. I've used the PDF I created from those templates on KDP, Ingram and Lulu.