The best Free Book Cover Design Software Online for beginners for creating a professional book cover design specially for self-publishers. Download book cover design templates, graphics, images and fonts free and create your own book cover in minutes with this software.
Here are some softwares that can come in handy.
Adobe InDesign – Our Choice
Handles print and e-books
- Top-tier interface and instruments
- Integration with other Adobe products
- Lots of downloadable fonts
- Customizable layouts
- Agile even on weak PC’s
- Not found
Verdict: Adobe InDesign is a go-to tool for many designers and printing experts, who are interested in producing page layouts. It is equipped with all sorts of purpose-built tools that can satisfy both average and professional users.
The program is helpful when you need to create print or interactive documents, which significantly expands the scope of its application. Adobe InDesign can function as book cover software and it offers the necessary features for handling the inside pages. Choosing this program, you can precisely control the size of pages, typography aspects, and enjoy numerous export options.
QuarkXPress
Flexible layouts
- Intuitive palette and styles
- Amazing typography features
- Platform-optimized page layouts
- Handy extensions
- Remarkable customer support
- High price
- It is impossible to open multiple projects simultaneously
Verdict: Though QuarkXPress doesn’t top this list, it is still a worthy InDesign alternative, which you can rely on if you want to design a book.
It can assist you whether you need to work on the filling or external side of a book. The most notable feature of this software is “Flex Layouts”, which provide a graphical “WYSIWYG” interface that you can use in an efficient manner without learning HTML and CSS coding.
You can easily change the size or shape of the Flex Layouts, thus automatically affect the text and graphics on the page. This is a really helpful option, making it possible to see how the page will look on different devices with varied screen sizes.
Bookemon
A Variety of Thematic Book Templates
- Streamlined interface
- Ready-made book templates
- Supports a range of formats
- A version for mobile devices
- Advanced options are paid
Verdict: Bookemon is a free service for designing books and preparing them for printing. You can use it to create books and share them with your friends, clients, or followers. This option will be especially useful for authors of biography books, children’s literature, poems, etc. Besides, you can use it to create a yearbook. This service has a mobile app for making photo book and can be used as a cookbook software.
When using Bookemon, you can customize the available templates or use files in Word, PDF, PPT and various image formats. You can also use your own photos to illustrate your book.
Whether you decide to use a version for macOS or Windows, you will have access to a variety of themes that can be edited even by beginners. You just need to click on a thumbnail to start working on your project. After designing a layout, you can select a book format and choose a cover.
Affinity Publisher
Low-cost single purchase
- Powerful program for publishing needs
- Can work in conjunction with other Affinity programs
- Subscription-free
- Handles large-scale documents
- User-friendly interface
- Paid fonts
- No INDD support
Verdict: What is the best software for book layout? Many people engaged in designing books, newspapers, magazines and other printed media believe that it is Affinity Publisher. The program has a straightforward UI and diverse features for performing even complicated tasks.
Here you can work with master pages, text wrapping, image frames, link text frames, tables, grids, and use numerous graphic and editing instruments. The StudioLink technology ensures smooth integration with other components of the Affinity suite. Thus, you can edit images, publication pages, and vector art without resorting to third-party apps.1/2
Adobe FrameMaker
For long & complex books
- Quick content transfer from Word
- Smooth work with long documents
- Creating engaging content using rich media
- Creates TOC and indexes across the whole book
- Effortless formatting of multiple paragraphs
- Not in the budgetary group
Verdict: This is the best book design software if you plan to work with long and complex files. The program is regularly used for creating non-fiction books and all types of technical documents.
Thanks to a broad range of publishing options, you can easily optimize and output your creations to different devices – generate PDF, Responsive HTML5 or export in extensions meant for Kindle. Anyway, this book layout software is ideal for work with long documents. You can use automatic settings for headers and footers, easily shift content from chapters and paragraphs, etc.
FlipHTML5
For creating flipbooks
- Over 10 adjustable book design templates
- You can add multimedia to digital publications
- Custom domain for the book
- Free online hosting service
- For all platforms & devices
- No way to edit a flipbook once it is made
- Only for flipbooks
Verdict: Coming with more than 10 book layout templates and handy tools, this program can satisfy both beginner and seasoned designers. The online editing instrument is helpful if you need to add links, videos, text, hot spots, audio, sliders and other multimedia elements to your book.
Thanks to the possibility to own a custom domain for the book, you can use your own brand for HTML5 books instead of an embedded one. The free online hosting service allows you to share your books on the net even if you don’t have your personal website. The statistics section delivers timely info on the popularity of your book.
Blurb BookWright
For beginners
- Templates can be edited
- Plug-in support
- Unique ISBNs for every book version at no cost
- Super easy alignment process
- Inconsistent color management feature
Verdict: This convenient free book layout software can tackle any printouts from photo albums to novels, including the creation of e-book versions. Many users are especially grateful for the free ISBN number they can obtain.
From the same file, you can simultaneously create a printed and an electronic version without the need for tedious separation processing. Among the free options, you won’t find such quality and flexibility supported by convenience of use that this software offers.
Especially since the program can recognize the plug-ins of the most popular Adobe programs and even work on portable devices through a designated app. Apart from being a popular text formatting instrument, it is also featured among the best photo book makers.
Lulu
Allows to distribute and retail books
- User-friendly interface
- Easy distribution
- Impressive customization
- Themes provided in abundance
- Restricted ability to design
- Shaves too much off author royalties
Lulu (FREE)
Verdict: This is not only the best book cover design maker but also a great program for independent authors. It allows assembling and putting out for sale a book quickly and with little investment.
You can take care of the style and layout of the text and when the result is satisfactory, there are two options. You can either put it out for sale on the platform as an eBook, or print the physical volumes. In the first case, the service is free, in the second, you pay a flexible price that reduces for larger volumes.
Lulu is a one-stop shop for independent authors and publishers looking to get their book created, distributed, and sold with next to no initial investment.
In the past, Lulu users had to upload their book designs as a pre-designed PDF file. But Lulu’s new Cover Wizard allows users to create their own cover design through the site by choosing from a range of pre-loaded themes. Designers can create a more unique flair through adding their own images.
The Cover Wizard is geared towards creating decent covers for both eBooks and print books. But, the lack of flexibility in the wizard means that creative cover designers might find the program a little limiting.
Once you’ve created your cover and inside pages, you can upload the book to Lulu’s online marketplace. Distribution for eBooks is free, but print books are charged per unit, with some small discounts for large volumes.
Pro
An easy-to-use, low-cost, one-stop software-and-distribution offering that allows you to get your cover created, printed, and out in the marketplace.
Con
Although it’s free to create both print books and eBooks, distribution costs can quickly turn your budget-friendly project into an expensive endeavor.
Best for: First-time eBook authors looking to get their work out for sale as quickly and cheaply as possible.
Adobe Spark
For creating book covers
- Wonderful designs and layouts
- Lovely typography
- Available on iOS, Android, or online
- Helpful tutorials for newbies
- A watermark added to your projects
- Icon and text inserting is too basic
Verdict: Adobe Spark is popular free graphic design software. It has a multitude of templates that can further be enhanced in any way that your creativity suggests. Thus, the results can be truly unique each time.
Many claim this is the best book cover design software because of the incredible fonts that were professionally designed and set out for free use. Between the available images, fonts, colors, layouts, and instruments for adjusting them, you will feel unrestricted possibility to create.
Shutterstock Editor (FREE)
Shutterstock Editor is a multi-purpose layout software, that allows you to create professional-looking content for print and online.
This entry-level design tool Shutterstock Editor is great for budding cover designers or self-publishing authors. With built-in templates for creating a range of media, including eBook covers, Shutterstock Editor allows you to choose from millions of images from Shutterstock’s library and customize typography and color to create a completely unique and eye-catching result.
Compared to other publishing software like InDesign, Affinity Publisher, and QuarkXPress, Editor is much more intuitive and easy to use for beginners. Editor is hosted online and also completely free to use. So, you can save work in your Shutterstock account and come back to it later.
Pro
It’s simple, quick and easy to us, with a broad range of templates and images to choose from.
Con
For more sophisticated print editing, users might find Editor a little lacking. But it allows a very quick and easy eBook cover design process for time-strapped authors.
Best for: The intuitive and simple interface makes Shutterstock Editor a great choice for beginner cover designers, especially those looking to publish eBook covers.
For eBook cover designers
- Extensive library of templates and images
- Simple to use
- Online access
- Adaptive workflow
- Just the basic toolkit
- Requires a Shutterstock account
Shutterstock EditorUSE FOR FREE
Verdict: This multi-purpose layout software from Shutterstock is a great program for assembling the book and its cover for print single-handedly.
Though you’ll be using templates, the library you’re getting access to, in combination with the instruments for customizing, will result in a perfectly unique design. For more elaborate work, you will find better options on this list.
If you’re in a rush to have everything done, this is just what you need for doing a decent design in little time. Since this free book design software is powered by the huge stock photography platform, you need an account to have access to the editor.
Conclusion
Overall, all of these tools have some great qualities that many freelancers need to create their own book cover design designs. Many of them are free and easy to use, which is ideal for people just getting started with making their own book cover designs.