If you’re looking to up your bookstagram game, this list of bookstagram props might help inspire you and give you some bookstagram ideas!
The first thing to note is that pretty much anything can be a bookstagram prop. And once you get into bookstagram and creating book flatlays and book photos, you’ll start to see how lots of everyday items could become bookstagram props.
You certainly don’t need to spend lots of money on bookstagram props and can start with things you already own.
That said, I know I, and many other bookstagrammers, get really into prop buying once you’re established on bookstagram and love collecting random but beautiful items to incorporate into book flatlays – it’s an addiction!
This list of bookstagram props contains everything from bits you’ll find around the house to items you can buy specifically for bookstagram.
Whether you’re on a budget or looking to buy some beautiful decorative pieces, there’s something for every type of bookstagrammer on this list.
New to bookstagram? I grew my Instagram following from 0 to over 70,000 followers and you can check out my Ultimate Guide to Bookstagram post here!
Bookstagram Props: Household Items
As I said, you absolutely do not need to spend lots of money on bookstagram props. There are lots of things in your home that you can already use!
Books
This is the most obvious, but you can use other books in your book flatlays.
If you are taking a book flatlay that highlights a particular book, you can use open books or book stacks as surrounding props to make your photo busier.
Mugs
Bookworms love a good cup of tea with their book right?
Most bookstagrammers will have lots of mugs at home, so why not use a mug of your morning tea or coffee in your next bookstagram photo?
Check out these beautiful bookish mugs on Etsy to add to your collection.
Food
You can incorporate snacks (or even plates of snacks) into your book flatlays. Think cookies, fruit, toast, breakfast items and more.
Preferably something that comes out of a packet and won’t get cold or melt whilst you take your bookstagram photos!
Throws & Cushions
If you’ve already got blankets and cushions at home, these are great to incorporate into the background of your book photos or book flatlays.
They can help add depth and texture to an otherwise flat blackground and make everything look so much cosier!
In need of bookstagram ideas? Check out my bookstagram page @whatshotblog for inspiration!
Bookstagram Props: Fashion & Clothing
As well as household items, you can look into your wardrobe for bookstagram props. The clothes don’t have to be a feature of the photo but could be used as a background.
Clothing
Dig into your wardrobe for your favourite outfit. You could lay these down together, layering the folded items on top of one another, and place your book on top of or alongside these. There you have an outfit book flatlay photo.
Alternatively you could dig out a nice chunky sweater and use this as a background item for texture instead of a throw or blanket.
Handbag
Handbags or backpacks make great props, either as backdrop items or for photos with your every day items and books spilling out of them.
Make up
Small items from your make up drawer can make great additions to book flatlays. Especially if you’re trying a handbag shot like I mentioned above.
Your lipstick, perfume or eyeshadow palette could make for great bookstagram props. I often use my pastel nail polish collection in my flatlays too.
Jewellery
Small trinkets are great for adding in to the blank spaces of your photograph. If your book flatlay has a random empty corner, you can add a watch or a few rings into the space.
I use my rose gold pandora rings and Daniel Wellington watch in my photos all the time!
Glasses
I love using glasses in book flatlays and they’re the perfect accompaniment to any book photo. Glasses (or sunglasses) can be placed upon your book or upon open pages and add a dark academia vibe.
Bookstagram Props: Stationery etc.
Stationery
Pens, pencils, scissors, highlighters – all items that you’d expect to find at your desk or in your pencil case can be used as bookstagram props.
Notebooks and Diaries
Using notebooks and diaries can be wonderful props to use under the book you’re featuring. If you’ve got pages full of handwritten notes, an open notebook can be even better!
I find photos that are a little messy and look like real-life snapshots of a desk or bookish moment can look really beautiful.
Old postcards
If you’ve got old postcards then these can look really lovely in book flatlays for the same reason as handwritten notes can.
Polaroids
If you’ve got polaroid photos of beautiful places then you could scatter a number of these in your photo. I wouldn’t go for anything personal unless if you’re comfortable sharing these snaps with the world.
Bookstagram Props: Miscellaneous Items
Dried flowers
Dried flowers are a great option for book flatlays and a much better idea than real flowers which can be very expensive and don’t last long.
A cheap flower like baby’s breath is a great option as once it dries it still looks beautiful (though does become rather delicate). This is a very popular bookstagram prop and once you’ve got a bunch you can keep using it until it disintegrates!
You can put these in a pot or simply lay the small bunch of dried flowers down in your photo, but these are always a beautiful addition.
Browse beautiful dried flowers on Etsy here!
Fairy Lights
Fairy lights can help make your book photo look extra cosy and if you’re good at photography and can use them to create a bokeh effect in your shot then all the better!
You can hang these in the background of your photo or use them to frame your other bookstagram props.
Buy cheap fairy lights online here!
Wooden boards
Wooden boards and platters are great for adding different textures and colours into a photo, especially if you’re using a plain white background.
You could put your mugs on here or layer other items on top but it just helps make the background more interesting.
Bookstagram Props: Book Merchandise
Now these bookstagram props are unlikely to be things you already have around the house unless if you’re already subscribed to book subscription boxes and the like.
Book merchandise can be great additions to book flatlays, especially if they’re centred on a particular book series or fandom.
Book merchandise
There is so much wonderful book-related merchandise out there from small businesses, especially on websites likes Etsy. Here you can find all manner of things from book sleeves to book pins to bookmarks.
Every popular book or series will have people making related bookish items inspired by those stories or their famous quotes. For example, if you’re featuring Sarah J Maas’ Court of Thorns and Roses series then you could include some of these Sarah J Maas inspired goodies.
There’s a huge amount of bookish merchandise to browse, from the very cheap to the very expensive.
These items can also make for wonderful gifts for the bookworms in your life.
Check out Etsy’s selection of amazing bookish merchandise from small businesses here!
READ MORE: Bookish Gifts for Book Lovers That Aren’t Books
Memorabilia
You can get memorabilia for very famous books and films such as Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings from shops like Noble Collection. They sell a huge host of goodies for fantasy fans from wands to the Evenstar necklace.
These are a lot pricier as they are official goods that accompany these series but if you’re a big fan then these are wonderful items to invest in for display in your home or as bookstagram props.
I own a huge amount of Harry Potter memorabilia which come in handy for any magical or Harry Potter related book flatlays.
Browse some amazing Harry Potter memorabilia from small businesses on Etsy here.
Funko Pops
If you’re a bookstagrammer, you’re probably familiar with these tiny figurines of book, film and television characters. Funko pops are incredibly cute and people love to collect armies of them.
If you’re a fan of a particular series, be it Marvel, Disney or LOTR, you can collect Funko Pops and add them into your book flatlay.
Depending on how sought after the Funko Pop is, these can be quite expensive. They tend to start from around £10 with some of the more expensive ones going up to £20.
Bookstagram Props: Tech
Lightbox sign
A lightbox sign or a letter board can be great for helping people understand what your photo is about without looking at the caption.
For example, you could construct the letters “book review” or similar so people scrolling by know that your caption includes a book review.
You could also use this to make announcements and draw people’s attention.
Alternatively you could go for a short motivational quote.
Mobile
If you’re not using your mobile to take these photos and you’ve got a nice phone case then you can flip your phone over and use these in your photos.
Laptop
My signature flatlay includes my laptop in it. You can put various different views on the screen from a beautiful screensaver, a Fliqlo timer, your blog homepage or a Netflix still.
This could be the main event of the photo or it could be in the background.
Earphones
If you’ve got over ear headphones, these look good in any book photo, especially if you’re talking about audiobooks!
Cameras and Polaroids
If you’ve got a polaroid or film camera (that you’re not using to take these bookstagram photos with!) then you can add that in to your photo for vintage vibes.
Bookstagram Backdrops
An important component of any book flatlay is the backdrop. Most people will take these photos on the floor, on the bed or on the desk.
But if you’re looking for a certain look then these bookstagram backdrop ideas may come in handy.
White sheet or card
If you want a nice clean background upon which to create your book flatlay then white bedsheets or white card can be a great option.
This will make the items you’re using really stand out as the background itself won’t offer any distractions.
When I first got into bookstagram, I bought a few sheets of strong white card to use as my background.
That was back in the days when everyone wanted their Instagram feeds to be super white and minimalist!
That style isn’t so popular now but it’s a great place to start, especially if you’re teaching yourself photography along the way too.
Wooden table or desk
A wooden table or desk can offer a beautiful textured brown background to your photo so if you’ve already got one of these then that’s a great option! If you don’t then read on for the professional backdrop section below.
Rug
If you don’t have the most aesthetic carpet in the world then taking your photos on a rug can be a great idea. If you have one of those lovely fluffy sheepskin rugs, that is ideal! If you don’t, here is a gorgeous white fluffy rug to consider.
Nature
Bookstagram photos don’t have to be confined to the indoors! You could take your books outdoors to take photos and use nature as your backdrop.
If you live near a park or forest then there’ll be lots of beautiful angles to consider apart from book flatlays on the grass.
Professional backdrops
If you don’t have any of the above or are dissatisfied with your book photo backgrounds, you could consider investing in professional backdrops.
These are sheets or boards with a particular texture or photo on them that you can use a background. These are very popular amongst food bloggers or people who do product styling.
One that I’ve always considered getting is a white marble backdrop. Obviously white marble anything is quite expensive but a backdrop would be a cheaper alternative to create this beautiful background if that’s what you want.
Check out these amazing and cheap photography backdrops for your bookstagram photos here.
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If you liked this post, check out my other book blogging guides:
The Ultimate Guide to Bookstagram
How to Start a Book Blog
36 Book Blog Post Ideas
Book Hashtags to Use
24 Book Review Questions
Affiliate Marketing for Book Bloggers
20 Bookstagram Accounts to Follow
Laura
Editor of What’s Hot?