People who write books spend a long time making sure they say the right things. After that, they might be ready to put their work online and hope that they get good reviews.

Take a look at how to make a book cover before you start self-publishing. You’ll be glad you did!

When people look at books, whether they are physical or digital, the cover is often the first thing they see. It’s likely that if your cover looks bad or isn’t in line with your book’s genre, people will move on to the next cover without giving it a thought.

How does a wordsmith learn how to use images and graphics to turn a blank cover into a beautiful collage, especially if you want to keep your self-publishing costs low? How do you make a book cover? What’s the best way?

The book marketing services offers some ways to make a book cover, whether you want to hire an expert or do it yourself.

Hire a professional designer.

Make your own cover a no-no: Some of these options may cost more, but they could help you get a better-looking book out there, which could lead to more sales.

1.      Fiverr.

Fiverr has a deal where you can get a professional book cover for just $5. Before choosing a designer, you can look at their portfolios and see how other people have rated them on the site.

Some people are very happy with Fiverr, but some people have been very disappointed. Frankie and Johnnie, an ebook writing team, had to make 20 design changes at the cost of $5 each before they found one that worked.

They still say that Fiverr is a good place to start when you need a simple cover designer and a way to try out different cover design options.

2.      99designs.

Besides your book cover, this site can also make your author’s logo and any other thing you can think of.

Start by setting up a contest for your project. 99 Designs will help you write a “design brief” that explains what you want and how much money you have. It will then show your specifications and budget to its customers.

Designers then come up with their own ideas based on your brief. A winner is chosen after a period where you can look at designs. You ask for changes, and the person who wins gets the money you’ve budgeted for the project. You own the copyright to the final design you choose.

A book cover costs $299, and an ebook cover costs $199. Do both for $399.

Using a site like 99designs could be a good thing if you like a designer’s work. You might be able to keep working with that designer on future products if you like their work.

3.      BookDesignTemplates.com.

When Joel Friedman died, he started it. He was one of the most well-known and respected people in the self-publishing world. His blog, TheBookDesigner.com, has been giving advice on how to make books for a long time. As little as $199 can get you professional-looking, customizable templates from this site.

The DIY option.

People who do not want to pay a professional to do their work can use these resources instead.

1.      Microsoft Word.

Believe it or not, you can actually make a whole book cover with Microsoft Word.

The Creative Penn has a great tutorial on how to make your own book cover by Derek Murphy. “Simple is better,” he says in his tutorial. He also talks about how important it is to balance the colors in a picture.

How to find images is also covered in the tutorial. You can take your own photos, buy stock images, or get them from websites like Etsy and DeviantArt. Then, it shows how to make a cover that will make people want to read the book.

2.      Canva.

Non-designers love this software because it makes it simple to make professional-looking designs. A few parts of your designs will cost you money, but many of Canva’s templates and other tools are free.

When you use Canva, you can just drag and drop to make your book cover. In addition to millions of images, it has filters for your photos, free icons and shapes, and hundreds of fonts.

If you’re unsure where to start, check out Canva’s free Design School. There, you can learn even more about design, as well as how to make a book cover.

3.      Pixlr.

Pixlr has a lot of apps for editing photos. “Pixlr Editor” lets you use layers, change colors, and change objects. Another popular option is “Pixlr Express,” which lets you make quick changes and add your own personal touches with a less complicated interface.

The “Made with Pixlr” gallery shows how the site can help you make and improve beautiful images. Many Pixlr tools are free, but if you want to use the desktop version of Pixlr, you may have to pay for the service

Conclusion.

Creating a first-class book cover takes a lot of imagination and risk-taking. Keep things simple if everything else doesn’t work out. Good Luck! Be brave enough to try new things, and stand out enough to make your readers want to read your work.