Software & Technology review
BookCoverly review
Desktop software for indie authors who want to design their own paperback, ebook, audiobook and hardback covers offline, for one payment of $97.
Worth it
The most straightforward vendor in this batch. A named company with a street address, a stated licence, no fake discount and a specific feature list. The main caution is that refunds run through the vendor's inbox and the checkout sells the Personal License only.
- Price
- $97
- Billing
- One-time payment, no subscription
- Best for
- Self-publishing authors putting out several books who want full control of the cover and no per-project designer fee
- Not for
- Someone publishing one book, where a freelance designer costs about the same and delivers a finished result
BookCoverly at a glance
BookCoverly is a standalone cover design application for Mac and Windows. It builds print-ready paperback covers at any trim size, book jackets with flaps, ebook covers, audiobook covers, textbook covers and CD or DVD cases. The features that matter to self-publishers are the unglamorous ones: a built-in ISBN barcode creator, an automatic spine width calculator, output at 300 or 600 DPI, and export to PDF, TIF, PNG and JPG. It needs no internet connection to run and there is no subscription. The vendor states it has been serving authors since 2007.
- Format
- Standalone desktop application, works offline
- Runs on
- Mac and Windows
- Creates
- Paperback, hardback jackets, ebook, audiobook, textbook, album, CD and DVD covers
- Output
- PDF, TIF, PNG and JPG at 300 or 600 DPI
- Licence
- Personal License at this price, licensed for five devices
- Digistore24 ID
- 383879
What is BookCoverly?
It is a cover design program that you download and run on your own laptop. No browser, no account, no internet connection required once installed. You start either from a blank canvas or from one of the 80-plus supplied templates, and you export a file your printer will accept.
The pitch is aimed at a specific person: the indie author who has finished the manuscript, does not want to pay a designer three hundred dollars per title, and needs the cover to be technically correct rather than beautiful. Technically correct is the hard part, and it is where the software earns its keep.
The features that actually matter for self-publishing
Anyone can drop a photo behind a title in a free graphics tool. Getting a print cover accepted is a different problem, and three of the listed features address it directly.
What separates this from a general design app
- Automatic spine width generator, which sizes the spine from your page count and paper stock rather than guesswork
- Built-in ISBN barcode creator, so the barcode is generated at the right size and resolution instead of pasted in as a low-res image
- Flap settings for hardback book jackets, a case most consumer design tools do not handle at all
- Export at 300 or 600 DPI to PDF or TIF, which is what print-on-demand services ask for
- Support for all TTF and OTF fonts, so you are not limited to a bundled set
Who is selling this?
Unusually for this marketplace, you can answer that question. The sales page carries a company name, a street address in Fort Wayne, Indiana, a contact email and a support email, and a stated history going back to 2007.
That is not proof of quality, but it changes the risk profile. A vendor with a findable address and a decade-plus trading history has something to lose from a bad product, which is more than can be said for most listings that arrive through an anonymous funnel.
One detail to hold in mind: the page's copyright notice reads 2021, so parts of the site have not been touched in a while.
Which licence does $97 buy?
The vendor's page states that BookCoverly is offered in three licences, and the checkout text starts listing them without the page making the distinction obvious at the point of purchase.
The product image attached to Digistore24 product 383879 settles it: it is stamped PERSONAL LICENSE. So the $97 buys the personal tier, licensed for five devices, described elsewhere on the page as covering personal or commercial use. If you are running a cover design service for other authors, confirm with the vendor which tier you need before paying, because it is not the one on this order form.
How refunds work here
The return policy is 60 days, which is standard, but the mechanism is not. The page asks you to request a refund by emailing the vendor directly rather than pointing you at the marketplace.
Digistore24 purchases can be refunded through the marketplace itself, and that is the route to use if a vendor inbox goes quiet. Keep your order confirmation email, since it carries the Digistore24 order number you will need.
Is $97 worth it?
It depends entirely on how many books you plan to publish. A commissioned cover for a single title runs from around a hundred dollars upward, so for one book you are roughly even and a designer does the work for you.
For an author with a series, or someone publishing several titles a year, the maths flips quickly. Five covers at $97 total is a different proposition from five covers at design rates, and the spine and barcode automation removes the two mistakes that most often get a print cover rejected.
Pros and cons
What works
- Named company with a street address and a stated history since 2007
- One payment, no subscription, no crossed-out anchor price
- Spine width and ISBN barcode automation, the two things that get covers rejected
- Works offline on both Mac and Windows, licensed for five devices
What does not
- The checkout sells the Personal License while the page lists three tiers
- Refund requests are directed to the vendor's email rather than the marketplace
- The page's copyright notice reads 2021, so the site is not actively maintained
- Poor value if you are only ever publishing one book
BookCoverly FAQ
Does BookCoverly work on a Mac?
Yes. The listing states Mac and Windows compatibility, and the application runs offline once installed.
Which licence do I get for $97?
The Personal License. The product image on Digistore24 order form 383879 is stamped with it, and the vendor lists two further tiers elsewhere on the page.
Can I sell the covers I make?
The page describes the tier as covering personal or commercial use, but if you intend to design covers for other authors, confirm the correct licence with the vendor before buying.
How do I get a refund?
The page asks for a refund request by email within 60 days. Because the sale runs through Digistore24, you can also request the refund through the marketplace using your order number.
The bottom line
The most straightforward vendor in this batch. A named company with a street address, a stated licence, no fake discount and a specific feature list. The main caution is that refunds run through the vendor's inbox and the checkout sells the Personal License only.