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It’s easy enough to find a case for your Kindle but if you want one that is uniquely made, feels, and looks great, this DIY book cover may be just what you need! It’s simple but that means it’s easy to make and there are unlimited options for you to choose from. Any old book will do as long as you are happy with it and it fits your Kindle.
Besides that, you’ll only need a few other materials to complete the project. All of which can be purchased for a minimal price, if you don’t already have them.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- A Kindle, of course.
- A book that fits your Kindle. A hardcover is best but whatever inspires you the most is the best option.
- Velcro or some kind of hook and loop material.
- Glue – general-purpose Elmer’s works great.
- Scissors
Once completed, you’ll have a simple book cover that looks like a real book but contains your Kindle inside. Open the book up and read just like you would with a real one. When I first created my mine, I instantly felt more inspired to read. With the digital nature of ebooks, having a real book cover can make the experience more authentic.
Step 1 – Find a Book That Will Fit Your Kindle
You’ll want a book that is close to the size of your kindle. You may already have one around your house or you can find a discount book at a book store to use. I used a journal that had a cover I liked and fit my kindle perfectly. The journal I used for my Kindle 2019 (10th Generation) can be found here.
A journal like this makes a great choice because it has an elastic closure already attached that will come in handy for your finished case. You can add one yourself but why not choose a book with one already attached?
The most important thing to consider is whether or not you like the book cover and feel inspired to pick it up and use it! This journal is soft to the touch, grippy, and is the perfect size for such use. Best of all, it was an affordable option that turned out better than any other standard case I had found.
You can purchase this same journal online or most likely at a local bookstore. Of course, it doesn’t have to be a journal. It can be any book that you have lying around that you don’t mind cutting up. For an older Kindle I had, I took this approach and used a book that I was about to add to my yard sale box.
After removing the book jacket, I was left with a nice hardcover book that fit my old Kindle perfectly. I used it for years until the screen broke on my device and I had to get a new one.
Whatever you use, make sure you are happy with the look and feel of it and it will be something you’ll want to pick up often. It will be much better, and probably cheaper than buying a cookie-cutter case and you’ll have a unique end product that will look great.
Step 2 – Remove Pages From The Book
For this case, you only need the book cover so almost all the pages in the book will need to go. You’ll want to carefully remove the pages while keeping the first and last cover pages intact. Be careful during this part not to tear the book cover or pull the page away from the front and back cover.
Each book is different so your pages may be glued in or stitched in. You can cut the stitching or just carefully pull out the pages if only glued. An X-ACTO knife may come in handy but I was able to carefully pull the pages out with no problem.
Once finished, you should have a basic book cover with no pages other than the first and last ones that are often decorative.
Step 3 – Clean Up The Leftovers
Once the pages are gone, you can clean it up a little and get the cover ready for the finishing touches. You’ll probably have a messy torn area on the inside spine of the book. This will need to be covered up and made to look presentable in order to leave you with a nice-looking case.
This is where the front and last pages will come into play. If you have left these pages, you will need to glue one of them over the inside spine to cover up the area where the pages used to be.
For mine, I glued the back page to the back cover. Then I glued the front page over the inside spine and onto the back cover as far as it would reach.
Once glued, I used another book and a small dumbbell to apply some weight to the spine as the glue dried. Make sure you get this spine section glued down tightly.
Once the spine area was fully set, I then glued the remaining paper to the back of the cover. Once the glue had dried, I was left with a book cover and a clean inside area on which to attach my Kindle.
Step 4 – Attach Kindle With Velcro
There are a couple of ways that you may choose to attach your kindle. The easiest will be by using Velcro or some kind of double-sided sticky material. Once your book cover is ready for this step, you can simply attach the Velcro to your book and then tear off the sticky side. Once ready, position your Kindle where you want it and stick it down.
I only used two small strips of Velcro and it works fine.
Once stuck, you can detach it and then make sure the material is tightly pressed onto each side.
You can also attach your Kindle to the book cover with elastic bands.
If you don’t want anything stuck to your device, you can use elastic bands to hold the four corners of your device. This is more difficult but is another option if you are handy with sewing or have another way to attach the elastic bands.
Step 5 – Add Protective Material (Optional)
Once your kindle is in place, it’s a good idea to place some kind of protective material on the inside of the front book cover. While not required, it will add a little protection and softness to keep your device looking pristine over the years.
I used felt material in mine and I feel better knowing the screen and front frame are more protected.
To measure the material, you should be able to use the pages that came out of the book if they are still in decent shape. My book pages were the perfect fit for what I needed so I placed the stack of pages onto the felt material that I used and then taped around them using painter’s tape.
This gave me a perfect cut line that followed the size of the pages. I cut the felt by simply following the lines of the tape. I had to do a little guesswork for cutting the round corners which you may or may not have to do depending on your book cover. Once cut, it can be glued to the front cover.
This will add a little protection and you can use whatever material you have available if you choose to do this. Even an old T-shirt will probably do the trick.
Enjoy!
Now that you have a completed book cover, you can enjoy reading as you would with a real book. This makes a huge difference for me knowing that I am holding something that used to be an actual book. It feels good in my hands and keeps my device well protected.
I find myself wanting to read more than I did when I had my Kindle in a cookie-cutter case that I purchased online. Hopefully, you’ll feel the same way once your case has been created.
