How to Make a Paper Book Cover

It’s back to school pretty soon. Some have already begun, while others are enjoying their last days of summer. Going back to school can get pretty hectic, with all the notebooks, binders, pencils, schedules, teachers, and books. For most classes, a book is required, and for that book, a book cover is needed. You can make you own book cover instead of using the ones provided by your teacher that have advertisements and coupons all over them. Make you own and make it different, no one will have the same one.

Materials:
-clear tape
-scissors
-some kind of paper ( brown paper bag, white paper, newspaper..)
-pencil/pen

Directions

1. Measure your book. You have to make sure that you have enough of the material you want to cover your book with.

2. Place the paper you want to use on a flat surface, make sure that the side you do not want to show is facing up.

3. Get your book and put it in the center of the paper. Get a pencil/pen and mark where the top of the book is and then mark where the bottom of the book is when the book is in the middle of the paper.

4. Remove the book and fold the paper where the lines you made are. This is to make sure that your book cover will fit nicely on your book and that it will not be too loose or too tight.

6. Put the book back in the center and make sure that the left side of the book cover is long enough to reach halfway inside the of the front cover when the front cover is opened. Check to make sure that the left side of the book cover is long enough to reach halfway to the inside of the back cover. If the edges of the book cover are too long, cut them down to the appropriate size.

7. Put each of the edges of the book inside the book cover, and close it to make sure that it fits correctly. Because you folded the top and bottom of the book cover at the lines, there are now folds on both the top and bottom of the edges of the book cover. Slip the front cover of the book into these folds, and do the same for the back cover.

8. If you used plain paper and are going to decorate the book, remove the book cover from the book before doing so because if you use markers or stamps it could bleed through and damage the book.

9. If you used something like comic book pages or newspaper pages to cover your book and you do not want to add any decoration to it, leave it on and put a piece of tape on the top of the book where the folds that go over the cover and the front of the cover overlap. MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT TAPE THE BOOK! Do this with the bottom of the front cover, and the top and bottom of the back cover.

Decorating Your Book Cover

If you have used plain paper because you wanted to add some decorations to your book, do so after the book cover is done. You can use markers and draw all over the cover.

You may use rubber stamps which can be found at any craft store.

You can use stickers which can be found just about anywhere.

You can cut out cardboard pieces and glue them on to form the shapes that you want.

You can use things that you have cut out from magazines or newspaper and glue them on to the book.

You can decorate your book cover any way that you can think of, these are just some suggestions if you are having trouble deciding. Anything you decide to do to it will make it unique and original and you can be sure that no one will have the same one as you. It also makes your book look good even though you may not want to actually use it.