How to Decorate a Book Cover
You have labored long and hard over your book. You are almost ready to send it to the printer for self-publishing. The final thing you need to do is get the cover ready. This is one of the most important things you can do as far as publishing your book. It is the cover that will entice people to pick it up and read the description on the back. Hopefully they will buy your book, and the way you decorate or design your book cover will help them decide to do just that.
Instructions
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Think about how you want your book cover to look. Think about what would make it stand out on the shelves of books at the bookstores. Jot down some ideas you have.
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Make sure your ideas for decorating your book cover go along with your story or theme of the book. Eliminate any ideas, no matter how fabulous you think they are, that do not point to the theme.
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Open your computer program. Set up a page to accommodate the front, back and spine of your book. Follow your computer program's instructions for setting up this type of document.
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Set all the appropriate margins and bleeds. Make sure to set the bleed so that the color will cover all the way to the ends of the cover of your book.
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Choose a background for your book cover. Select backgrounds with texture instead of flat colors.
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Import pictures that relate to your book. Get these from your own personal collection or from online sources.
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Arrange the picture or pictures on your cover to your satisfaction. Try it in different locations on the cover, such as centered, off-centered, at the top or bottom of the front cover.
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Pick a font for the title. Choose a font that fits in with the theme of the book. Use a font that looks like a child's handwriting for a children's book. Place the title on the front cover to coordinate with any pictures.
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Write a description of your book for the back cover. Write using catchy words, and leave enough suspense so the reader will want to buy the book.
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Save the document to complete the decoration of your book cover. Convert your file to a PDF for the printers.
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Tips & Warnings
Many online sources offer thousands of different pictures for a low price. Do not purchase pictures where the owner requires you to pay royalties.
Scrap-booking paper is an excellent source for book-cover backgrounds. There are a wide variety of colors and textures for you to choose from at a reasonable price. Just scan and save pictures of the paper.
