I know there are many tutorials out there. I wanted to show how I add the covers into my photos.
This is especially timely since e-ARCs will be fairly common in the months to come.

Step one
A basic flat lay is going to be the easiest option for my method. I take a “filler” book and use it as a stand-in book for my photo. [This is to help you know the dimensions of the book cover you’re going to add.]
Take and edit a photo for bookstagram like you normally would.

Step two
Upload your edited photo to Canva. The Instagram Post template (blank) will have the correct dimensions for posting to Instagram.
Editing solely on the Canva app on my phone is tricky for me. I prefer to upload the picture to the app from my phone and then log on to the website on my computer to pick up the editing from there. You can edit 100% on your phone or 100% on your computer or 50/50; whatever makes sense for you.
Step three
Find the book cover of the book you want to insert into your photo.
If working with an author or publicist, it will likely be in the media kit they sent you. Otherwise, Goodreads is a place to look.
Save the image and upload the book cover to Canva.
Step four
Open up the edited bookstagram photo on Canva. Over to your left, you’ll see the uploads tab with all the photos you’ve uploaded.

Click the book cover that you’re going to insert. Canva will just insert the book cover into the middle of your photo.

Now you simply need to move the book cover to reposition and resize it to cover the stand-in book.
Step five
That’s it!
Save your photo to your phone or computer; however you upload to bookstagram.

There you have it. Easy as can be.
Some ideas for you to use this method to elevate your bookstagram account:
- reviewing or posting e-ARCs
- posting about e-books
- cover reveals
- library book (maybe it’s a rough copy or the barcode is on the front cover)
- you don’t have access to a lot of books
Let me know if you have questions about my method!
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Canva is a really good (and free) option! I’ve used my built in phone photo editor before but sometimes it’s a bit clunky.
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I still prefer Lightroom & Snapseed for editing my pics. Canva is the absolute best for making any type of graphics though. SO easy to use.
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Great post! I used to use Canva for this purpose and completely forgot. Now, I use PicsArt.
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Ooh, I haven’t tried PicsArt yet.
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Great post!! This is super helpful!!💜
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This was an interesting and informative post
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[…] How To Add A Book Cover Into A Bookstagram Photo […]
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This is so clever and I’m actually so shook by this post hahaha 😅! I never thought of just editing a book cover onto a photo 🤦🏻♀️, so thank you for this guide 🙂!
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You’re welcome! I had to figure out something when I was getting eARCs. Those don’t photograph well. 😂
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Great post! I’m going to try this with my e-ARCs!
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I’m new to bookstagram. How/where do you get cover reveal announcements or book releases to post on your insta account? Is is ok to repost from facebook?
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For cover reveals, a publisher or author will reach out to you about the promotion if they like your account.
If I’m not on the “team”, I’ll share the author/publisher’s cover reveal in my IG stories. Usually something like “Oooh look how gorgeous X cover is. 😍”
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[…] How To Add A Book Cover Into A Bookstagram Photo […]
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