What is a Book Cover?

WHY A GOOD BOOK COVER IS NECESSARY.

THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CREATING A BOOK COVER.

THE COST OF HAVING A GOOD BOOK COVER.

HOW TO IDENTIFY A GOOD BOOK COVER.

HOW TO CREATE A CUSTOM BOOK COVER- (DIY BOOK COVER).

THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A GOOD BOOK COVER

THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CREATING A BOOK COVER

Get Inspiration. 

Accurate dimension

For those who publish their hardcover books through Amazon, you are very fortunate as Amazon has ready-made templates you can work with. All you need to do is simply pick your model and the Amazon software will generate a custom template for your needs. 

You can find a direct link to the Amazon template generator by clicking the link that can be found in the next paragraph. For now, let me walk you through how you can use this amazon online software.

When you click this link, you will be diverted to a page that belongs to Amazon. To gain access to a custom hardcover template for your book, all you need is to adhere to the directions underneath. 

1. You need to pick your cage. This is your book measurement and you are to decide what that will be based on the genre your book belongs to. This is because there is an inclusive standard measurement for the various genre.


2. You will need to provide the number of pages your book has. Keep in mind that the paper estimate must not be on A4. As I referenced before, the book paper estimate must be the equivalent of your book cover. This means that you should give the number of pages your book has after the paper size has been changed over to what the book cover is.



3. Pick your paper colour and click on "download the cover template".

Finally, a download will be made. It will be a zip file which you need to extract its contents. Ordinarily, the extracted folder contains two templates in different formats (pdf and jpeg).

Text

When getting ready to make your book cover, make sure that your text must be reasonably big and striking for all to see. 

You should likewise pay exceptional attention to the sort of textual style that will be utilized i.e. your font. Some texts are beautiful however not readable while others are not so fancy but are readable. 

I will say; go for texts that are not overpowering in style and very important, something your readers will not have issues reading.

 

Colour

It is super okay if you don’t know how to pair colours; I don’t know how too! This is why I always look out for colour inspiration combinations. This is a life saver and time saver also. I get inspirations from Pinterest most of the time. You can search google for book colour combination inspirations. Canva has also tried to help with this but I really do not like their inspirations.

Click here to check out my favourite colour combination pallets. Link 1, Link 2, Link3.

Images

Pictures are not obligatory when planning to get your book cover. However, on the off chance that you choose to utilize one, it must meet the accompanying list below

It mustn't be off colour. My point is the image's colour should not be overpowering.

It must be noticeable.

It must have something to do with what the book is about. My point is that, if you've composed a book about kids, the picture on your book cover ought not to be ladies in bikinis.

THE COST OF HAVING A GOOD BOOK COVER.

I don't have the foggiest idea of what the response to this will be for a traditionally published Author.

For an independent publisher, the expense of getting a gorgeous and sellable book cover Varies. It depends significantly on who you have hired to design your book cover. For a super expert who is well known, you can pay up to $500. To me, that is over the top expensive! 

Thanks to the presence of freelancer sites, you can get a book cover at a way less expensive price. I am talking of between $100-$10. You can look at Fiverr by clicking here and Upwork here.

You can likewise get yourself an attractive and sellable book cover for as low as $5. I have likewise made a book cover where I needed to pay $0. In this article, I have a video attached that will help you to create a book cover for $2. 

In the event that you are wondering what the video is all about, it is an instructional exercise on the most proficient method to make your book cover yourself.

You can get this for $2 without watermark.

HOW TO IDENTIFY A GOOD BOOK COVER

I will keep this as straight forward as possible. An incredible book cover is a blend of well-combined colours, an innovative design and readable texts. I think the clarifications I made in the previous paragraphs can help you in assembling the puzzles.

HOW TO CREATE A CUSTOM BOOK COVER- (DIY BOOK COVER)

I like making learning fun so for this reason, I will liken creating a book cover to making a meal. I guess you are salivating already!

I have found it really convenient in my cooking journey to set every one of my ingredients on my work surface before I start cooking. This way, I don't have to go around in perplexity when the cooking starts. 

Appropriate planning additionally offers me the chance to choose what ingredient I need in my dish. Thusly, I can make a psychological picture of what I need my dish to look like and taste like.

For this situation, we are dealing with book covers. It is best to have the following before starting your design: 

The photo/ image you will like to use

There are a huge number of wonderful photos to use on the web, yet utilizing the wrong ones can get you stuck in an unfortunate situation. 

In case you're searching for pictures to use in your book cover, you can discover pretty much anything you need online. This could either be free or paid images. Here is a couple:

Free Book Cover Images

The photographs/images on these sites are free for you to utilize and change as long as you give the craftsman credit.

Always check the attribution rules to know whether there are explicit areas where the craftsman want's the credit to be shared. (for example, the back cover or a specific page).  Please never sleep on this. Below are sites you can check out.

Flickr

Free Images

Pixabay

Unsplash

Wikimedia Commons

Here are a couple of websites where you can get paid images, or you can utilize boundless photographs with a paid membership.

Deposit photos

Dreamstime

Shutterstock

Stock unlimited

The graphic design software you will like to use

To create a book cover you need software that will permit you to combine all your resources together as one. 

The software can either be online or offline. For the sake of this tutorial, I am using online software. This means that I will need an internet connection to be able to work.

There are lots of Online graphic design software you can use. Some of them are as follows:

Canva (I will be using this)

Crello

Design Wizard

Tinkercad

Vect r

I prefer using Canva for my designs in light of the fact that I have been using this for some time now. I have confidence with the product and because I am used to it, I know my way around Canva.

FYI, this is not a sponsored post.

The next Ingredient you will need to set up an awesome book cover is your book cover template. I previously clarified how you can get that. You should download yours as various books have distinctive needs.

The last thing you will need is your colour inspiration combination. If you are ready, I am ready so let's get it started!

In the video beneath, I've shared how to make a book cover (DIY book cover). It was specifically made for a non-fiction book but I will come up with different tutorials on this topic. 

GOALS

My aim is to give you an idea of what it takes to create a good book cover.

To give you the inspiration to create your book cover.

To help you create a good-looking book cover at a discounted price. In this case $2.

To help you understand that you do not need to settle for a badly made book cover.

Learn through my shoulders as I show you the best way to accomplish this.

If you are interested in getting my next tutorial, simply check out my YouTube channel.

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written

Hi, my name is Cesar Lucio. I am an online entrepreneur, fitness enthusiast, adventurous person that LIVES LIFE TO THE FULLEST! I always like to do things in a different way, I do not like to be average, I refuse to be! I aim to be great! I commit every day to be the first, the most, the only and the absolute be I´ve written two books so far:
-MEDITATION: The Power Of Meditation, The Path To Mastery
-PROCRASTINATION: The 7 Most Powerful And Proven Strategies To Stop Procrastinating And Start Producing.

-PROCRASTINATION: The 7 Most Powerful And Proven Strategies To Stop Procrastinating And Start Producing. I understand that we are not going to live 1000 years and every minute we´re dying.
I want to know that I contributed in some way to make this world a better place because I was here. This inspired me to write a book about achieving your goals and stop procrastinating!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?

I would say I like to write when I´m listening to “rocky” playlist, the songs inspire me.

What authors, event or books have greatly influenced you and your writing?

Robin Sharma and Stefan James are great leaders who have inspired me to become the best version of myself. Their books have tremendously changed my life in a positive and meaningful way.

What are you working on now?

I´m working on a new project. I´m writing a book about successful habits.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?

I´ve been promoting my book using Facebook and Twitter. I´m currently learning new strategies to get more traffic.

Do you have any advice for new authors?

Be consistent and when the tough times arrive, remember your goals. 

What is the best advice you have ever gotten about writing?

Enjoy the climb. The journey is the reward, not the destination.

What are you reading now?

Thinking fast and slow, by Daniel kahneman 

What´s next for you a writer?

I want to become a great leader to inspire as many people as I can. I will continue reaching out to more people through my books.

What´s your favourite book of all time?

Rich dad Poor dad, by Robert Kiyosaki

Indie Author or traditionally published author and why?

Indie author, I like to take 100% responsibility for my actions. I like marketing and promoting stuff.

Tell us an inspiring story about you or share a joke with us.

When I was 18 years old I was very shy and did not have many friends, I was in bad shape and did not know what to do with my life. Then, I read “the monk who sold his Ferrari” by Robin Sharma and my life changed dramatically! I started setting goals for myself and I committed to becoming the best version of myself, I committed to master all areas of my life such as money, relationships, mind, body and spirit. Since then I have accomplished so much in my life and now I am a very confident person.

Hi Ninjas! I've realized that you love it when I have Authors come over for an interview; today is one of those days! Go snatch yourself a comfy seat as we get to meet Trusty Emma Marie in this week's segment of Authors Corner.

Before you begin raising your eyebrows, I am sorry for not asking you about your week! I trust you accomplished a great deal and I surmise your ledgers are grinning. My week was alright. It was one of those weeks where I needed to force myself to work in order to make the week more productive. Thankfully, I was able to fight lethargy and get myself to work. I read two books and I got the chance to meet a few people who are keen to do business with me. By the way, these are the books I read: "Flip the Single Switch: 5 Days to Ditch the Duds and Create the Love Life Of Your Dreams" by Albo, Bonny. Visit my Facebook fan page to see my review as well as some books recommendations and reviews. Together with that; I read, "The second book I read was Samuel's Journey: Choices and Changes" by Trusty Emma Marie. After reading her content, we reached out to her and she was happy to answer our interview questions. Magnificent, isn't that so?

You may ask why I chose to have Trusty Emma Marie. Well, subsequent to reading her fiction novel "Samuel's Journey: Choices and Changes" which I truly delighted in and took in a great deal from; I thought it was astute to have a little chat with her. After my time with her book, I found myself making some research to learn more about some terms and characteristic with the book. You can check out my review of Goodreads if you want.

This Interview is to learn who Trusty Emma Marie is, additionally to help and guide new writers and aspiring authors with a few tips that will make composing a book simpler or perhaps, inspire you to continue composing.

TRUSTY EMMA MARIE

I’m a retiree that became interested in the history of the Underground Railroad after being made known that our ancestors had some part to play in it. I wrote my first book in 1999, which was an in-depth historical look at the Underground Railroad titled “The Underground Railroad: Ties That Bound Unveiled”, and from that, I’ve written this series. This series is based on the history of a young boy named Samuel, following his life from the 1770s. The current three books in Samuel’s Journey series cover the 1770s until the 1840s. The fourth book, which is to be published soon, will focus up until 1865, the end of the civil war. At this time, I’ve currently written 4.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?

The name of my latest book is “Samuel’s Journey: Choices and Changes”. I was inspired to write this because it shows how history can still relate to our present day. The young person in the story has choices to make and these choices bring about significant change for him and his family. This is what we go through today; we have choices and changes to make in our lives that will affect us and others around us.

 Do you have any unusual writing habits?

I don’t believe I do have any unusual writing habits. I’m telling these stories in a sense of how it unfolds. My goal is to keep the books connected by a thread which began with my first book. I want readers to connect with Samuel as he grows into a man.

What authors, event, or books have greatly influenced you and your writing?

There would be several books where I did research in getting the first book written. At the end of each of those chapters, I placed bibliographies. I think church history had a large influence on my writing and I referenced information from both religious and secular compositions. Bishop Daniel Pane was the A.M.E. church historian during that time period. I found his accounts to be aligned with other records by different sources. Our family story helped direct me in finding the material. What my mother, grandmother, and father had told me about our family history guided me into finding the information I needed when I looked into archives.

What are you working on right now?

Right now, I’m not doing too much. I’ve already written, edited, and received a hard copy of the fourth book of Samuel’s Journey. In the meantime, I am working on writing a few devotionals based on what I am reading in the Scripture.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?

I have hired someone to take care of Public Relations and Promotion of my book, but based on the results I have seen, I would say Goodreads. Goodreads allows you to post in multiple forums where you can gain more exposure for your book(s) and I’ve received many responses from that.

Do you have any advice for new authors?

My advice would be to continue writing and doing what you’re doing. Don’t be afraid to edit and don’t give up on your work. Writing isn’t as easy as it seems. It’s difficult to get the story in your mind onto paper and make it a story other people would want to read. However, it’s possible with time and dedication. 

What is the best advice you have ever gotten about writing?

The best advice I ever received about writing was to pay attention to sequence and order. They said it was important to make sure everything was in chronological order, especially since my book is focused on history. The person mentioned that in the beginning stages of my writing, my book seemed to be out of order. They suggested having an outline so that I could visualize the concepts I wanted to cover in my book. I found that to be very helpful.

What are you reading now?

I’m reading the Book of Nehemiah right now. It’s a book of the Bible that focuses on how Nehemiah overcame the great difficulty in his life. I’m learning how to apply this to my life.

What’s next for you as a writer?

The next step is to promote what I’ve already done. I have a few ideas for more books, but I’d like to make sure I properly promote the books I have written. I want to understand what works best for me for any upcoming books.

What is your favourite book of all time?

My favourite book of all time is “Charlotte’s Web”. It’s been quite a while since I’ve read it, but that book has always been quite close to my heart.

 Indie Author or Traditionally published author and why?

I have had experience with both types of publishing. I self-published my first book, “The Underground Railroad: Ties That Bound Unveiled”, but I traditionally published the “Samuel’s Journey” series. I was very involved in all of the processes so it feels as though I am an indie author. Both methods have their pros and cons and I think it’s important to understand what is best for you personally.

Tell us an inspiring story

In one of my stories, I am a girl called Little Susie. I enjoy the scene where Little Susie goes to the Blueberry Bog because I did that in my actual life. My uncle would put me in the tree and I would shake the blueberries down and eat them fresh off the tree. I was able to enter into the story in a personal way through my childhood experiences.

As you know by now, I have been opportune to read Emma's book. Below are my thoughts.

MY THOUGHTS 

This is one of those books where you read and you get your mind loaded up with more inquiries that will make you desire to make some research. I extremely like the manner in which the Author could display recorded occasions, Christianity, family life and the significance of filling in as a group. All of these were been delivered without making the storylines excessively exhausting. 

My time with this book opened my eyes to a few things which I know about; however, have not by any means given careful consideration to why these things are being done. For example, snapping of fingers and a generous handshake. I needed to make some exploration which gave me a clearer understanding.

The story was not quick paced, it was very easy to read and understand. I feel like both youthful and older readers will find this book fascinating.
The story was of a youngster called Samuel who had decisions to settle on and these decisions achieve huge change for him and his family. His family was a big path of this story and his folks were an epitome of what genuine leader ought to be. As one who was conceived in a community where guardians make profession decisions for their youngsters, it was really pleasing for me to dive into the environment within this book and learn how parents actually gave their children the opportunity to make choices that pertains their careers. 

I extremely like the manner in which the Author could convey a story with such huge numbers of virtues. I recommend this book.

You can connect with Trusty Emma Marie by visiting her website, you can also check her out on Goodreads. I hope you found this interesting and engaging if yes! Let me know in the comment section. You can grab yourself copies of Emma’s books on Amazon. 

Get a copy of  In Between by Mark Cindell for free!

You can also get access to his book, by clicking here

MARK CINDELL

I was born in Chicago Illinois.  My mother was born in Germany while my father was born in Puerto Rico. Due to the horrifying things that happened around where we lived, I grew my passion for reading. Our house was on lockdown pretty much all day apart from school hours.  Roald Dahl's Charlie and The Chocolate Factory were some of the creations and creators that made me love books some more. 

After various incidents and bad events in the area we lived, my parent taught it was wise we relocate. When I was twelve years old, my family and I moved to Puerto Rico. Relocating to Puerto Rico was a great idea, however, life was hard. We grew up through poverty. For some rare reason, I became fascinated with creating stories; it was my way of somehow mentally escaping my current life and travelling through the pages I'd create. 

Since then I kept writing but never dared to publish or show any of my stories to anyone until I finished.   Apart from writing my main hobbies are reading, going to the movies and finding good food through local restaurants.

Q & A

 What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?

WASH YOUR FACE

STOP TOUCHING YOUR FACE

Always keep in mind that; with an oily skin, your skin is defenceless and fragile. It isn't the best practice to always put your hands all over your face. Perhaps this is a practice you are used to, the time has come to stop it. Day by day we are presented to a wide range of microscopic organisms, and the hands play a vital role in the distribution of these microorganisms to different parts of the body. 

The hands are a medium through which you give and get things. This makes it most likely to trade microscopic organisms through the hands. It could be through a handshake, by contacting cash, nourishment or touching your pets. There is no doubt that those hands can transfer germs into your pores. 

You can help yourself by washing your hands before touching your face. This will diminish the odds of passing contaminations to your face.

MOISTURISING 

I got this tip from a Google partner whose name is Nikkia Joy. You can check her out on YouTube if you choose. As one with an oily skin, it is ordinary to expect that moisturising isn't for you. Majorly on the ground that, you already create an overabundance of oil. The truth of the matter is that moisturising your oily skin will trick your skin into trusting that you as of that point have enough oil at the surface. This will consequently cause a decrease in the amount of oil created by the skin. 

Honestly, this works. With this, the skin makes a balance in its creation of oil. I guess the skin feels like; the surface is already oily, there is no compelling reason to deliver more oil. I surmise you get my point.

CLEANING IS KEY

As I referenced toward the starting, water and soaps are insufficient for expelling specks of dirt and impurities from the face. Utilizing facial cleansing products is an amazing way of getting a great number of impurities off your face.

For one with an oily skin, it is fitting never to utilize an alcoholic cleanser. The application of an alcoholic cleanser on oily skin aids in tightening the pores. Truthfully, this is what everyone with an oily skin wants. Unfortunately, using such product causes the skin to produce two to three-times than its normal oil production.  The skin basically detects that there is no oil at the surface and feels the need to produce some. 

You don't need a cleanser that will wipe off all your natural oil but something that will clean dirt of the skin as the name implies.

 USE FACIAL MASKS

A facial mask could be gotten from a store or you can make some for yourself at home. On the off chance that you want some homemade facial mask recipe, simply let me know in the comment section below.

 A facial mask is a  treatment made to sit on the face while it gradually penetrates the skin in other to provide it with the necessary nutrition. 

All the processes involved in taking care of an oily skin can overwhelm the skin so pampering the skin and giving it the necessary nutrients with a facial mask is not too much to do.

EXFOLIATE THE SKIN

Exfoliation helps in getting rid of dead skin cells. With dead skin cells off the way, it makes it easier for skin care products to work better. With this, all polluting influences in charge of hindering the pores from being nurtured are swept off through the exfoliation procedure.

Breathe life into your oily skin by exfoliating twice a week. I do every day, depending on how bad the condition of my skin is.

WORKOUT

One of the reasons we workout is to burn excess fat in the body in other to look fit, feel fit and be fit. Working out religiously makes it easier for us to burn fats, thereby; reducing the quantity of melted fat the face will produce.

WATER WATER WATER!!!

Drinking lots of water keep you hydrated and help in flushing out impurities that activate the production of acne on the face. 

USE OIL FREE MAKEUP PRODUCTS

Using oil-based makeup on an oily skin is a typical example of using oil on oil. Continually doing this will break your skin out. It is advisable to use water-based products in other to make life easier for you. Using an oil-based foundation, primer, toner or cleaner is the beginning of madness on your face.

KEEP YOUR PETS AWAY FROM YOUR FACE

As an animal lover, I understand how hard it can be not to adore your pets. For a fact, and as one with an oily skin; I will exhort we do everything with balance. 

Pets can likewise be a medium through which we can get germs into our skin, particularly, when we embrace or convey them, when they kiss our face or when we touch them. By and large, animals do things you would not do as people, this includes smelling the ground, moving on the ground, smelling the butt of creatures inside their race. Any correct reasoning person who takes part in a portion of the demonstrations recorded above, definitely realize it is ideal to wash up. 

Naturally, most animals don't have such sense or capacity to wash. Exposing your delicate skin to this sort of hazard or contamination isn't the best. Always remember to wash your hands, and wash your face any time you are not comfortable with the activities you have exposed it to.

OIL FREE DIETS

Fruit and vegetables should be a buddy to one with an oily skin. Eating very oily foods will give the body a reason to produce more oil through any medium. Most often, the face and our weight are the areas where they prefer to express themselves.

VISIT A DERMATOLOGIST

Tips provided by Bloggers or YouTubers are generally based off on personal experiences and things they have seen work for others. Talking to a professional is a great way of knowing more about your skin issues. It is great and relieving to be sure of what the problem is from a professional. 

For instance, a pain at the back could be as a result of making a wrong movement, falling hard on the floor or even tuberculosis of the bones affecting the spinal cord. All this have a similar symptom which is a pain at the back but they all need a different approach and medication to attack the issue. Likewise, thousands of people who have oily skin might need a different medication in managing their situation. 

This is the major reason I don't recommend products to others. A product that works well for me might not give you the same result, come to think of it what if one is allergic to such a product? The most I do is to recommend natural things I have used which were effective. If you need professional advice, visit a specialist.

REMOVE YOUR MAKEUP PROPERLY

Another way through which impurities take root on your face thereby causing acne is as a result of not taking off your makeup properly. The remains of products on the face build up to cause skin infections. After years of using make-up remover, I can tell you that they are not a hundred per cent effective. It could be either as a result of the product not being effective or the user's fault but lately I have found an easy way out and I tell you it is 99.9% efficient and with this, you know longer need a makeup remover. 

Click here to learn how to remove 99.9% of makeup off your face. Click here for LIFE CHANGING MAKE-UP HACKS FOR OILY SKIN THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW.