I get it, hiring people to do the job costs money, so you want to do as much as possible yourself. Creating a softcover on Amazon or Ingram seems easy enough: you calculate the back cover, the spine (which depends on page count and paper type), the front cover, plus a 3.2 mm bleed. Easy peasy!
Hardcovers, however, require a “fold-around” area. Depending on your book’s size and cover design, this can add around 19–20 mm of extra space that wraps around the edges. Make sure you don’t place anything important in that area, even if it looks strange on screen.
Amazon and Ingram both provide downloadable templates with exact measurements once you’ve entered your book’s specifications. Be sure to double-check those measurements before uploading your files.
Would you like some help? Feel free to contact me.
