20 | Cover Art

This section shows how to properly embed cover art into an EPUB using Sigil.

UPDATE: Due to some user confusion, this section has changed considerably. If you've used this tutorial in the past, you'll need to pay attention, here.

File Version

Throughout this section, continue to work only in addtoc_projectx.

Cover Image Vs. Cover Page

Changes have been made to clear up some confusion, and help users bridge the difference between how EPUB retailers and KDP (Kindle Desktop Publishing) deal with cover art. So first, let's make sure everyone understands what we're really saying when we're talking about "covers".

We're dealing with two distinctly different entities, here:

First there's the cover IMAGE itself. Then there's the cover PAGE.

• • The cover image is a JPG or PNG (or SVG but we're SO not going there) file. This file just sits there taking up space unless something in the ebook's code asks the device/app to display our cover image.

  • The cover page is an HTML or XHTML file that will actually display our cover image on an ereader/app. It's just like any other page in the book (like dedication or license page or whatever) except all it does is display the cover image.

Unfortunately, a lot of users have run into the dreaded "double-cover" issue with KDP/MOBI. This is due to the tutorial adding a cover.xhtml page to the file. To avoid this, we'll have to make two separate EPUBs: one strictly for MOBI conversion, and one for plain-old EPUB.

We WILL add that cover page later on, after we've converted to MOBI. For now, we're going to take a couple simple steps.

Add The Cover Image

In Sigil, right-click on the Images folder in the Book Browser pane.

This happens:

Then:

• 1. Click on "Add Existing Files"

  2. Browse to the desktop production file

  3. Find your cover art image and double-click, or select the image and click "Open"

Once that's done, we're going to tell the EPUB universe that this is our cover image by using Sigil's Add Semantics toys. This is super easy.

Double-click into the Book Browser's Image folder (or click the little arrow to its left) so any files in there are visible, like so:

Now...

• 1. Right-click on the cover-image file (your png or jpg cover image)

  2. Hover over "Add Semantics"

  3. Click "Cover"

There. Now the entire EPUB universe knows which image is the cover. Remember, this is NOT a cover page. Only a name-tag of sorts, saying "Hello, My Name Is COVER IMAGE.

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