Design with BookWright by Blurb

BookWright is Blurb's free desktop software that lets you create custom professional-quality books with full creative control—from cover to content.
A magazine featuring architectural photography lies open overlaid with elements from BookWright's user interface

What can you do with BookWright?

BookWright gives you the creative freedom to make any book you can imagine. Whether you're a photographer crafting a stunning photo book, a novelist formatting your manuscript, a chef creating a custom cookbook, or leave-behinds for creative professionals this premium-grade software puts complete control in your hands.
Key capabilities:
  • Create photo books, paperback and hardcover books, magazines, notebooks, and wall art
  • Free, downloadable software—work from anywhere without internet
  • Full creative control with freestyle grids, typography tools, and design capabilities - design from a blank canvas or start with our expertly crafted templates.
  • Professional templates and layouts for every project type
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Everything you need to create bookstore-quality books

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Complete Creative Control

Complete Creative Control

Design exactly what you envision with freestyle grids, advanced typography, cover design tools, bleed lines, and trim guides. Add page numbers, background colors, and customize every detail—all in one tool.
Smart Image Handling

Smart Image Handling

Use built-in auto-image retouching powered by Perfectly Clear by EyeQ, plus image scaling, cropping, and enhancement features. Seamlessly integrate with Lightroom for streamlined photo workflows.
Text Flow Made Simple

Text Flow Made Simple

BookWright's Text Flow feature automatically fits your text to any frame with Rich Text Format (RTF) importing—flowing in your content is just a few clicks. Perfect for long-form writers and novelists.
Professional Templates and Flexibility

Professional Templates and Flexibility

Choose from Blurb's professionally designed templates for photo books, cookbooks, novels, and more. Use auto-layout suggestions or place every element yourself—the choice is yours.

How it works

Step 1

Create Your Account

Sign up for your free Blurb account to access all BookWright features and publishing options.
Step 2

Download and Launch BookWright

Install the free desktop software on your Windows or Mac computer and open your creative workspace.
Step 3

Create Your Book

Choose your book size, cover type, and paper options. Design your book using templates or start from scratch with complete creative control.
Step 4

Print or Publish Your Book

Print on demand, order in bulk, or buy a PDF—all from the same project file.

System Requirements

Operating System
Windows RequirementsWindows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10
Mac RequirementsmacOS 10.13+
ProcessorIntel Pentium Dual-Core or AMD Athlon II processorIntel Core 2 Duo processor
RAM2GB of RAM2GB of RAM
Storage500MB of available hard disk space500MB of available hard disk space
Screen Resolution1280x8001280x800
Internet ConnectionRequired for publishingRequired for publishing

Bring any vision to life

Transform your ideas into polished books and publications. From photography portfolios to cookbooks, novels to business needs—BookWright handles it all with precision and style.
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Author Dana Walton sitting at a table and flipping through her BookWright book Friday Harbour next to a pile of copies
The front cover of Friday Harbour by Dana Walton featuring white text and a black and white image of a construction site
Dana Walton's photo book Friday Harbour lies open on a table next to a mug and a vase. The pages shown feature two photos of blue deck chairs on a beach.
Dana Walton's photo book Friday Harbour lies open on a table next to a camera, a candle, and some photos. The pages shown feature text and a photo of a fish leaping out of water.

Friday Harbour

Photo book by Dana Walton
Stephen Loya holds a copy of his children's book Stop and Smell the Flowers next to a display promoting the book in a bookstore.
The front cover of Stop and Smell the Flowers by Stephen and Kris Loya. The title text is illustrated with colorful children's monsters and flowers.
Two pages from the children's book Stop and Smell the Flowers made by Stephen and Kris Loya in BookWright, with text and illustrations.
Two pages from the children's book Stop and Smell the Flowers made by Stephen and Kris Loya in BookWright, with text and illustrations.

Stop and Smell the Flowers

Photo book by Stephen Loya and Kris Loya
Chris Tudor holds a copy of their hardcover book, Here and There in Myanmar which was made in Blurb BookWright and features a photo of a hot air balloon against a dusky sky on the cover.
The front cover of Here and There in Myanmar by Chris Tudor featuring a photo of a hot air balloon against a dusky sky above a city.
Two pages from Chris Tudor's BookWright book Here and There in Myanmar. The pages shown feature two photos of a body of water, one taken during the day and one taken at sunset.
Two pages from Chris Tudor's BookWright book Here and There in Myanmar. The pages shown feature two photos of hot air balloons in the sky during the day and at sunset and some text.

Here and There in Myanmar

Hardcover book by Chris Tudor

Start creating today

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BookWright FAQs

Find answers to common questions about BookWright and get started with confidence.
What is BookWright?

BookWright is a free bookmaking tool from Blurb that lets you design and customize your own print masterpiece. You can quickly and easily create a coffee table book, a professional portfolio, novels, poetry books, a magazine, wall art, or a photo book.

How is BookWright used?

BookWright comes with several templates to choose from, depending on what type of book you want to make. You can easily drag and drop images to the page and get layout suggestions you can use in one click. The tool also helps you lay out and automatically flow text as well as design your book cover, table of contents, about the author, index, and more.

BookWright is free to use, and you only pay for your book when you decide it's ready to print. To begin using the tool, sign up for a free account. Once your account is created, you can download and install the BookWright software.

Is BookWright free?

Yes, BookWright is free to use at no cost. You can build a photo book using our templates with no commitment or credit card required. You only pay for your book when you send it out for printing.

How do you make a book with BookWright?

BookWright provides complete creative freedom so you can design your photo book in any way you imagine. It provides a variety of page layouts and layout suggestions so each page is balanced and uncluttered.

How do you make wall art with BookWright?

BookWright makes it easy to bring your wall art project to life. Follow these six steps in BookWright:

  • 1. Open BookWright and click the Get Started button.
  • 2. Select Wall Art followed by the Next button.
  • 3. Select the wall art style for your project and click Next.
  • 4. Select the size for your wall art and click Next.
  • 5. Give your project a memorable title and choose a location on your computer to save the .blurb BookWright file. The default save location is Documents > Blurb, however you can click Browse to choose a different location for this file.
  • 6. Finally, click Start a New Project to begin creating your design.

BookWright allows you to design wall art with boards, backgrounds, and typography. Choose from sizes small to large to match your space. Blurb wall art also comes in three styles: canvas, acrylic, and metal.

How do you delete a book in BookWright?

To delete a book, find the BookWright folder on your computer and then delete the book file. This action can't be undone, and we can't recover books you've removed from your computer. Only delete a book if you're certain you no longer need it. Here's how:

  • 1. Search for the folder Blurb on your computer to locate the book's .blurb file. The default location on a PC is My Documents > Blurb, while on a Mac it's Documents > Blurb. To find the file path for a book project, click the Book Info button within an open book.
  • 2. Navigate to the folder on your computer named Blurb that contains files ending in .blurb.
  • 3. Right click on the file you want to delete and select Move to Trash to permanently delete the book. (The exact wording may vary depending on your operating system.)

Remember, this can't be undone, so make sure you no longer need the book file.

Want something simpler?

If the desktop app feels like too much, try BookWright Online for quick photo books and notebooks—design right in your browser with streamlined features.