# See yourself holding your finished book before it's printed

> Your book isn't in print yet, but there's a photo of you holding it.

Upload your photo and your book cover, and get a natural lifestyle shot of you holding the book. It's perfect for launch posts, preorder pages, and speaker one-sheets.

- Page: https://thesolocreators.com/prompts/author-holding-your-book/
- Category: Look like a pro
- Made for: Coaches, Consultants, Creators
- Works in: Gemini, ChatGPT
- Time: About 5 minutes
- Effort: A few steps
- Needs a photo: yes, attach it before you send the prompt

## The prompt

Fill in the parts in [square brackets], or leave them and the AI will ask you for them.

```text
Image 1 is me. Image 2 is my book cover. Create a candid lifestyle photo of me holding a hardcover copy of this exact book at chest height with both hands, cover facing the camera. Keep my face, hair, and features exactly as shown in Image 1. Keep the cover design, title, and colors exactly as shown in Image 2, sharp and fully readable. Natural, relaxed hands with five fingers each. Setting: [PHOTO SETTING, e.g. a cozy home office with bookshelves], softly blurred behind me. I'm wearing [YOUR OUTFIT, e.g. a navy blazer] and smiling warmly. Soft window daylight from the side, shallow depth of field, warm neutral tones, and realistic shadows on the book. Photorealistic editorial photography. Leave some open space at the top for a headline.
```

## Step by step

1. Save your cover as a flat JPG or PNG.
2. Upload your selfie first, then the cover.
3. Paste the prompt, then check that the title reads correctly.

## What you'll get

A warm, natural photo of you holding a real-looking copy of your book, cover crisp and readable, with room at the top for a launch headline.

## Good to know

**Which AI tools does this work in?** It works in Gemini and ChatGPT. On this page, one tap copies the prompt and opens the app, so you just paste. No paid plan is noted for this one.

**How long does it take?** About 5 minutes. It's rated "A few steps". There are 3 steps, listed above.

**What do I need before I start?** One clear photo to attach first, then the prompt. The prompt also asks for: photo setting and your outfit.

**What will I get back?** A warm, natural photo of you holding a real-looking copy of your book, cover crisp and readable, with room at the top for a launch headline.

Idea spotted on the web, shared by Cristian Da Conceicao (Picasso IA): https://blog.picassoia.com/create-book-covers-with-nano-banana-pro. The prompt is The Solo Creators' own version.

## Go further

Ready-made skills in the Solo Creators AI Studio (https://thesolocreators.com/studio/) that fit this: Slide Deck Designer (A blog post or an idea into a beautiful, on-brand deck. No Canva, no Gamma, no designer); Website Launch Builder (Plan, write, and build a launch-ready site, copy, design, legal pages, SEO and schema, without touching code).

From AI Use Cases and Prompts by The Solo Creators: https://thesolocreators.com/prompts/. Free to use; please link back to the page when you share it.