Making Killer Book Charms – Part One

People want to know how to make these book charms! Because it’s such a hugely long process and I want to show all the pictures, I’m going to break it up into multiple parts. In this part, I’ll do the prep work for the covers of your future, beautiful, to-die-for book charms.

First, I’ll answer the questions that have been banging into my email inbox, Facebook message center and Twitter direct messages since I first posted the pictures of my charms.

Also, I’m making these instructions super-duper detailed. You might be able to skip over a lot of it. I’m doing this so that total newbies like I was don’t creates so many Fail Box contents. If you already know how to make mini-versions of your book covers in photo shop that are detailed, you can skip this post entirely and go to the next part (when I post it!)

What are these book charms, exactly? How big are they?

These book charms are not made out of wood, a single piece or any of that other stuff. There are simply loads of different ways to make a book charm and they are all equally awesome. This is a method of making charms that I have figured out (via many fails). In this case, I really love the results. To get the best representation of your book cover image, a charm size of one inch works best, as in one inch tall. I’ve gotten some down to 7/8ths of an inch, but at that point, you’ll begin to lose detail on very detailed covers. Strikers, for example, still looks good at 7/8ths, but the medallion in the middle is a little less awesome.

Learn from my Fail!

Just ten feet from me lies a box with its lid partially open and simply bursting with its contents. It doesn’t look like anything special, just a box. But inside that box, the contents peek out almost balefully, reminding me of failure. I want to save you from getting your own Big Box of Fail. Truly. That box contains hundreds of bucks worth of stuff that I can’t use (though I may find another Crafty Author project that can employ them). I’ll be sure to show you exactly what worked and list exactly what didn’t work and why in case you’re tempted to substitute.

In my posts there will be lots of links to specific items from various places and an Amazon widget. This is not a way for me to make money (though I do use my affiliate link for Amazon and will get a few cents if you use it). This is so you don’t have your Big Box of Fail and can get the right thing first.

Also, I have made almost every mistake in the book (or in the book charm, as it were) and I’ll call out places I stumbled with a #LFMF tag so that you can avoid a particular pitfall I fell into.

Where do I get all this stuff?

I’ve shopped and shopped. I’ve explained the Amazon widget, but not everything is best priced there. I won’t include anything in there that I’ve found at a better price elsewhere consistently. I’ll tell you if I’ve found any other place that has it cheaper and link if I can. I’m also doing a What You Need post so that you (if you’re impatient like me) can get it all and not delay between stages while you get more stuff.

I’m a comparison shopper with a beady eye towards getting the most for my money. And I will often buy two different brands of something to compare quality for future reference. If I’ve sourced multiple versions of something but think the more expensive version is better, I’ll tell you why as well. And after adding a large amount of fail to that box in the form of jewelry findings that just aren’t right, I’ve finally found an awesome source for findings at the best prices around. (No, I do not get a kickback or anything else from Fire Mountain. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Not even a Christmas Card. But they do have the best pricing and quality, so I’ll tell you when something comes from Fire Mountain Gems.)

Is this too expensive for me, the average self-pubbed author? What about for us non-writers?

That’s always going to depend on your budget, but more importantly, on what you already have at home. I started from scratch, with none of the tools or accessories that make doing this so much more…well…doable. If you’ve got to buy tools, then it’s going to be a much larger initial outlay. If not, then you can probably made 50 charms for an initial outlay of about $20 (or less!) Also, it will depend on what you want to do with the charms. If you’re making them to add to metal bookmarks, then you’ll have to buy the bookmark stuff. If you’re doing it to make bracelets like mine in the picture at the top, then you’ll need that stuff. (Don’t worry, I’ve already buckled under and agreed to do tutorials on how to use the book charms for bookmarks, bracelets, necklaces loops and so on.)

These also great to make gifts for people who love books. For example, I’m making copies of a book series that a relative loves and putting it onto a charm necklace for her. So, for the Crafty Person in general, this is fun stuff.

I’m going to do the images for this part using an old version of Paint Shop Pro because so many people have sent me emails asking what should they do if they don’t have PhotoShop. The workspace looks similar to many other programs so it should be no problem to translate it. If you have a particular question about doing this in another program, just email or comment below and I’ll do my best to answer.

Also, I’m told by my accountant that I can count the supplies I get for book swag off on my taxes, but he was less sure about the items that turned out to be failures because they aren’t actually used in the items I’m counting as “promotional items”. This is another reason to be smart about what you buy.

Prepping Your Covers

What you’ll need:

• -Some sort of graphics program. I’ve tested this using Photoshop Elements 13 and Paint Shop Pro (a slightly better version than that which came on computers) and one test using CyberLink PhotoDirector (which does come free on some laptops). They all work fine.
• -Card stock, specifically 65 lb card stock. I often use the kind offered at Michael’s because they frequently put it on sale for half price, which means I can get 50 sheets for about $2.50 cents. But no matter where you get it, it needs to be good stock or else the image won’t hold up for the initial coatings of lacquer. I also really like Neenah and since it comes 250 sheets per package, it’s actually cheaper than Michael’s on sale, plus you don’t have to wait for a sale.
• -A decent printer and lots of printer ink.
• -A very good image of your cover. The .jpg or .pdf version of your final print cover should do nicely. If you’re a non-writer and want to do it for, let’s say, the Harry Potter series, then just google the images and you’ll find them if the book is famous enough.

Let’s Do This:

1. Uber important! Create a new folder that specifically calls out that these are your images for manipulation (I call my folder Images For Manip) and copy, not move, the book cover images you’ll be using into that folder. Only open things inside this folder in your graphics program (#LFMF) because you could easily wind up saving over your original book cover after you’ve shrunk it or changed the brightness. This would suck. Rename any image you put into that folder with the addendum “manip” at the end of the file name just for safety’s sake.

2. Open your print cover in your graphics program. If you only have a PDF file, then it may give you a memory warning and offer you a dialog box where you can enter details of how you want to open it. If so, then be sure to enter a relatively high number of pixels per inch, such as 300. You’ll need this detail once you start shrinking your cover.

3. Create a “New” image as well. For best results (while not bogging down older laptops), use 300 pixels/inch resolution. Set paper size to 8.5″X11″ and be sure the background is transparent. The dialog box should look something like this:

4. Resize your book cover. Do this by using the Resize tool, not the little arrow thingies. A dialog box will open. Set your image size to 2″ in height. The width will vary based on the thickness of your book, but 2 inches in height is what you want. And also, be sure to set the resolution to 300 pixels/inch. Do this even if your original image isn’t like that because you’ll need the detail. Either be sure you don’t hit “Save” or do like me and go ahead and click “Save As” and give it a new name…like adding “smaller2inch” to the end of the original name. #LFMF

5. Now, click and copy your book cover image and paste it to the new image as a “new layer”. You’ll get a new layer for each paste and that is okay. We’ll do the adjusting on this first one though.

6. Shrink that bad boy. This time, using the free resize tool and the Grid. Those lines on the image are the Grid. The dialog box here shows you how to set the grid for a 1/4 inch. This is a good size for once inch book charms. Just bring in the corners until you line it up with the grid for a one inch height.

 

6. Adjust the image. For this book, Strikers, I don’t have to do much because the cover already has a good amount of contrast and is quite bright. For darker covers, you’ll need to brighten it and bring up the contrast a little. For example, my book The In-Betweener has a very dark cover (probably too dark, I may need to get a new one…grrr…but it’s not selling and I think it’s the cover) with a large background of black overlaid with a lot of red and orange. I brightened it until it almost looked gray and increased contrast by 10%. Either way, the lacquer will re-saturate the colors and deepen them, so you should adjust until it doesn’t feel like it looks good to your eyes on the screen. That point of discomfort is usually the right spot.

7. Once you have it where you don’t like it (LOL) then do a test print. Use one of your pieces of card stock and set your printer to Best Photo (or whatever it has) and Matte Presentation Paper (or whatever you have that’s the best matte paper setting). The colors should look a little richer and more vibrant than on the screen. Test it further by dampening the tip of your finger with a drop of water, rub your fingers together until only the smallest bit of dampness remains, and then swipe your finger over the paper image. That should give you a good simulation of what the lacquer will do.

8. If you don’t like it, adjust the image until you do like it. HINT: Move the little book image on your computer to a new spot and print using the same piece of card stock to save paper. If you do like it, then lets move on.

9. Now you’ve got your perfect one-inch version of your cover. Go ahead and copy that one, then paste it as a new layer. It will probably paste somewhere in the middle of the image. I usually paste a few then shove them all up toward the top before placing them precisely. That way, I don’t have to constantly zoom out and in.

10. Line up your photos and cover the page. Maximize your number of covers per page for frugality, but leave enough room for your cutting. Once you’re all done, you should first save your image as the native format for your program (paintshop, photoshop, whatever) and then also save a version in .jpg format. That will flatten all the layers and make the file size much smaller. Just for redundancy and also so you can see what’s on your thumbnails since File Explorer doesn’t usually show thumbnails of the picture formats for photo manipulation programs.

It will look like the picture below. Notice the gray/white blocks on the PSP version (left) and none on the JPG version (right).

11. Print it!

12. Now you need to cut them out. But it’s not as simple as just grabbing a pair of scissors and going to town. Every single wiggle of those scissors will leave a very obvious flaw on the finished product. Instead, cut your rows apart with scissors and also separate the individual book covers, but then use a craft knife like the one shown and a ruler to finish the cutting. I actually have two craft knives. The one shown is great for cutting the books (and other projects) out, but the other one is absolutely essential for trimming the books later. It’s worth it to get both so you don’t cut up your fingers.

Believe me, (insert #LFMF here) that cutting them out with the blade is better. Yes, it takes longer. Also, use a steel ruler and not one of those cheapies that most of us get for the kids’ school list. They are not straight enough. I have two. One has a cork back, but sometimes I find that one slipping on the tiny pieces. Mostly I use the plain steel ruler. Whatever you get, be sure it’s one you’re in love with because you can use it for most Crafty Author projects.

Also, here is a nice #LFMF. Don’t use your good cutting board. You’ll leave slices on it that won’t go away and it will look like garbage afterwards. Plus, if you’re like me, you’ll eye it askance after you use the cutting board for meat next, wondering if any germs are lodged into those tiny cuts. Instead, use a self-healing mat. I got one from Michael’s that sucked and one from Amazon that is awesome. The Amazon one cost 9 dollars less, but works wonderfully. Go figure.

There’s one more thing that is helpful, but you may not need it. That’s a magnifier lamp. I use it for almost all Crafty Author projects and unless you have perfect lighting in your workspace and untiring, young eagle-eyes, you’ll probably be glad you have it. They are expensive and often huge, so I shopped around and found this Carson one at an awesome price on Amazon. It works splendidly for me.

Notes: Because any crafty author will need to eventually use photo-manipulation software – and probably use it a lot for everything from Facebook covers to promo material to web graphics – I highly recommend just getting it over with and buying one. If you got a good version on your computer for free, that’s great, but if not, then PhotoShop Elements is a great buy. I used to have the Cloud subscription, but I felt like I wasn’t getting my money’s worth, so buying the Elements version freed me from monthly dues but left me with all the tools I needed. Amazon has it cheapest of all the places I searched.