Best FREE Graphic Design Websites for Authors
Ever wonder how Indie Authors create all those gorgeous graphics for book promotions and book launches? Want to make professional Facebook and Instagram posts to advertise your books... for FREE? Well, here are my favorite websites to create stunning graphic images for cheap!
As an Indie Author you're not only a writer. Unless you pay other people to do the countless other jobs that come along with publishing books, you're probably donning a lot of hats.
I've only just dipped my toes into self-publishing waters, but I've already seen how important marketing and book promotion can be. And while I have yet to figure out advertising (oh boy, those seem like deep, dark waters filled with countless tears and oodles of money), I have dabbled my toes in book promotion and graphic design.
Maybe you're like me and really want to create beautiful images to share your books... but you don't have a lot of money or the super-techy graphic design skills to do it.
I hear you.
This is THE premiere site to create graphics for your books.
It's specifically made for authors, which means it's intuitive and easy to use. There are a ton of beautiful and FREE images. And the site has crucial author-specific features, like the ability to create cool 3D mockups for your books and add bookseller specific stamps (ex: Kindle Unlimited, 5 stars, now on Amazon).
You can use Bookbrush to create professional-looking Facebook and Instagram ads. Personally, I've used it to make these images below:
The only con to this program is that there is a limit of free images that you can make each month. But if you plan things correctly (and use the other websites I recommend in this post), you should have more than enough images to advertise and sell your book!
Currently, these are the two most popular posts on my author website:
I have some theories on why these two blog posts are so popular, but that's not the point of this particular blog post. I'm just using these two posts as examples where I used the Be-Funky Collage maker to make collages showcasing all these STUNNING book covers.
If you ever want to create collages showcasing all YOUR books (or other authors' gorgeous books), this collage making website is the best. It is easy to use and offers so many free options for creating images just perfect for IG, Pinterest, or Facebook.
I really hope this post was helpful to you! What websites do YOU use to create book graphics?
(Oh! One last point- If you're a fantasy author, you should check out my post on how to make FREE maps for your imaginary worlds!)
And now, back to editing the third book of my Light and Fire Series!
~Ginger
Top 3 FREE Graphic Design Websites for Indie Authors
As an Indie Author you're not only a writer. Unless you pay other people to do the countless other jobs that come along with publishing books, you're probably donning a lot of hats.
- You're a book promoter.
- You're a graphic designer.
- You're a social media coordinator.
- You're an advertiser.
- You're a newsletter writer.
- (And you probably do all these jobs on top of the other jobs you do during the day... like parent. Or clean. Or work.)
I've only just dipped my toes into self-publishing waters, but I've already seen how important marketing and book promotion can be. And while I have yet to figure out advertising (oh boy, those seem like deep, dark waters filled with countless tears and oodles of money), I have dabbled my toes in book promotion and graphic design.
Maybe you're like me and really want to create beautiful images to share your books... but you don't have a lot of money or the super-techy graphic design skills to do it.
I hear you.
3 Awesome FREEGraphic Design Websites for Self-Published Authors
(Perfect for all their marketing needs)
Here is my list of 3 top FREE graphic design websites that I've used to create book promotion images. Hopefully, this compilation of sites helps all those other self-publishers out there to save a couple of dollars too!
1. BookBrush
This is THE premiere site to create graphics for your books.It's specifically made for authors, which means it's intuitive and easy to use. There are a ton of beautiful and FREE images. And the site has crucial author-specific features, like the ability to create cool 3D mockups for your books and add bookseller specific stamps (ex: Kindle Unlimited, 5 stars, now on Amazon).
You can use Bookbrush to create professional-looking Facebook and Instagram ads. Personally, I've used it to make these images below:
Notice the 3D book rendering and professional "available at Amazon" stamp!
See the gorgeous background image, cool book tablet image, and "Amazon" / "Kindle Unlimited" stamps?
The only con to this program is that there is a limit of free images that you can make each month. But if you plan things correctly (and use the other websites I recommend in this post), you should have more than enough images to advertise and sell your book!
2. Canva
This program is like Brookbrush.... on steroids.
Seriously. It has all the features of Bookbrush, but it also offers so much more. Personally, I enjoy playing around with image creation, so I find the bells and whistles very helpful. But some people might find it intimidating to have so many options. So they prefer the simplicity of Bookfunnel, which was really designed with the author in mind.
Canva is my go-to website because it has so many templates that you can play around with to create cool, eye-catching images. I'm NOT a graphic designer. I DON'T have super-advanced computer skills. And I don't have an eye for design. But with Canva, I look like the cool kid in school by tweaking and adjusting the designs that other artists have so graciously shared with the Canva community.
Here are some examples of images that I've made using Canva:
This Facebook and Newsletter header (including the icon behind my name)
This IG post
Psst- My website header, Author profile image, and this blog's header image and pinnable image were also made in Canva too! Cool, right?
Here's a breakdown of the pros and cons of Canva:
Pros:
Tons of FREE gorgeous images, designs, and layouts for all sorts of purposes (book cover design, recipe creation, brochures, CD covers, etc...)
Cons:
A lot of the images aren't free, so you need to search around for free options. Also, some people may become overwhelmed by all the design options offered.
3. Be-Funky Collage Maker
Lastly, I wasn't sure whether to include this site, but I do find it helpful in creating images, so I've added it to the end of this post.Currently, these are the two most popular posts on my author website:
I have some theories on why these two blog posts are so popular, but that's not the point of this particular blog post. I'm just using these two posts as examples where I used the Be-Funky Collage maker to make collages showcasing all these STUNNING book covers.
Oooh, drool-worthy!
Oooh! Gorgeous!
If you ever want to create collages showcasing all YOUR books (or other authors' gorgeous books), this collage making website is the best. It is easy to use and offers so many free options for creating images just perfect for IG, Pinterest, or Facebook.
I really hope this post was helpful to you! What websites do YOU use to create book graphics?
(Oh! One last point- If you're a fantasy author, you should check out my post on how to make FREE maps for your imaginary worlds!)
And now, back to editing the third book of my Light and Fire Series!
~Ginger
Helpful blog post! Thanks for sharing.
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