Fact: people do judge a book by its cover. We say this here again and again. You don’t need an ugly book cover ruining your potential bestseller. Certain “experts” will warn you not to make your own book cover but there is a secret they don’t want you to know about.
Fantastic book covers can be made in Microsoft Word
This will be the short-and-sweet version of how to do it. Simply put, the effectiveness of your book cover depends on the pictures or art you use. You must use royalty free images, and remember that simple is our friend. Lots of bright colors are distracting, so focus on one or two main colors.
When choosing images, start with a dramatic background scene, then work your way forward. Stock photography, meaning images you pay for the privilege of using, are easy to find and inexpensive. Once you have your pictures selected, then you’re ready to get started on your cover.
First step is, of course, to open up MS Word. You need to start with a blank document. Use the “page layout” to adjust the size. Go to the “insert picture” then select the picture you want. Remember that you are building from the background to the foreground. Using the “wrap text” and “behind text” functions will let you layer, scale and resize your photos.
To include a banner for the title and your name, go to “insert”, then click on “shapes” and choose the rectangle. Drag it out and place it where you want it. To add text to it, use the “draw text box” function then type in your title and author’s name. Use the “shape fill” and “no fill” functions to give your text the colors you want. Give your fonts some spice by passing on the standard Windows styles, and try using two different fonts.
Often you may find that you need to lay one image over another, or text over a background image. This is where the “transparency” feature comes into play. And “play” is the keyword here. Make adjustments to the transparency to change the overall effect of the cover. You can put one picture in front of another, or tuck a textured look behind the text. You can lay one image right over another if you need to. Play with it until you get the effect you’re going for.
This is a process that can take under an hour for those who are experienced with the technique. For those who aren’t, it can be arduous and tedious. But don’t despair. There are templates available for DIY book covers that you can use as your base, then simply “tweak” them to suit your purposes. But if you don’t have the time, or you feel like your creativity is limited, there are other excellent options available such as using an online eBook cover maker, which is great if you want customized 3D eBook covers.
Pointing and clicking your way to a fantastic cover that perfectly complements the bestseller you plan to present behind it is just one more way to express yourself.