Common questions
Questions authors actually ask.
What is a book cover mockup?
A book cover mockup is an image of your finished cover presented on a physical or digital object - a paperback on a desk, a phone screen, a stack of three copies. It makes a cover read as a real book rather than a flat file, which is useful for launch posts, newsletters, websites and press kits.
What is the best book cover mockup tool?
For authors specifically, BookBrush is the most purpose-built - its mockup and 3D-cover tools are made for book covers. Canva is the most widely available and free to start, with a very large template library, though it is a general design tool rather than a book one. BookBaby covers it inside a full-service publishing bundle if you want one supplier for print, distribution and design together.
Can I use a cover mockup as a Facebook or Amazon ad?
You can, but it usually underperforms, because a mockup shows readers an object rather than a story. An advert has to give a stranger a hook, a promise and a reason to click, and that has to come from what is inside the book. A mockup only knows what the cover looks like.
Do I need a mockup and ad creative, or just one?
They solve different problems. Use a mockup when you need to show the cover to people who already follow you. Use ad creative built from the manuscript when you need a cold reader to buy. If your budget is going into paid ads, the creative is the part that decides whether the money works.
Related: once the mockup is done, see book advertising for where ads run and what they cost, and the BookBrush alternative comparison for prices as each company lists them.