Having written more than 10 books in fiction and nonfiction, I’ve had my share of formatting headaches. At first, I used professional formatters. And honestly, that worked fine… until I needed to make changes.

That’s when it started getting annoying. Every little update meant going back to the formatter. A typo fix. A small grammar edit. A new “Also By” section. A revised author bio. None of those things were huge, but they still took time, and sometimes they meant paying again.

I don’t blame formatters for charging for extra work. They should. But after doing that a few times, I started looking for a way to format my own books without making them look amateur.

So I began testing different book formatting software. Some were free. Some were paid. Some were easy but limited. Others had plenty of features, but felt like I needed a master’s degree just to use them.

After trying a lot of them, I found that the best book formatting software usually comes down to a few things. I want something I can own outright instead of paying for forever. I want it to be easy enough that I can use it without fighting the software. And I want the final book to look professional without having to spend hours tweaking every little thing.

With that in mind, here are the book formatting tools I think are most worth considering, along with where each one works best and where it falls short.

Best Software for Formatting Books and eBooks

Let's start by going over the top book formatting options out there, with a quick blurb on some of their significant features.

Then after that list, I'll do a specific review on each (with pictures) to help you learn a bit more about each option:

So, as you can see, the following are considered by the best book formatting software:

1. Atticus
2. Vellum
3. Kindle Create
4. MS Word
5. Scrivener

Now, let's go head and dig a bit deeper in each to see why they were ranked that way.

#1. Atticus: Editor's Choice

Let's start this off with my favorite book formatting software, Atticus. Not only is it incredible at formatting your book, it is super intuitive and easy to use.

But that's not all. Unlike a lot of other formatting options in this list, Atticus was not only built to be an amazing book formatting software, it is also an excellent option to write your book in it as well. This way, you can easily write and then format, instead of having to write in one software, and then format in another. Talk about a headache. Plus, Atticus now includes collaboration, so you can work with a co-writer, editor, proofreader, or formatter inside the same program.

So, with this in mind, Atticus was basically built to be a combination of the best parts of Vellum, Google Docs, and Scrivener, and can format beautiful ebooks and print books. To learn more about Atticus, you can read my full review of Atticus here.

I thoroughly recommend Atticus for book formatting above Vellum because of the difference in price, as well as Atticus' upcoming features that will make it the best all-in-one tool for authors and not just formatting.

Atticus has grown a lot since launch, and at this point, it covers the features most authors need for writing and formatting. I still wouldn’t say any software has “literally no downsides,” but for authors who want a cross-platform tool that handles both ebooks and print, Atticus is the easiest one for me to recommend.

Its word processor is also a huge benefit, one that is geared to eventually serve as the only word processor you need, with writing goals and different writing modes attached.

Atticus offers these intuitive benefits and innovative formatting options:

• Far more affordable than the leading alternatives
• Available on all conceivable platforms
• Easy to use
• Contains all the major features of Vellum, with more on the way
• A dynamic theme builder
• Works as a formatting software and as a word processor
• A stellar support team

Furthermore, just look at some of the examples I created using Atticus. That's some seriously beautiful and professional looking books. And the best part is, it only took me 30 minutes to create those full books seen below:

Check Out Atticus Here!

#2. Vellum: Works only on Mac

For years, Vellum was the most loved formatting software on the market. It is a fantastic tool, and made creating professional looking books very easy. However, it was with its problems. First, it only worked on a Mac (so anyone with a PC was out of luck). Also, it was always extremely expensive compared to other software.

But regardless of that, authors would still find ways to use it and pay the asking price.

Then, Atticus showed up. Now, through Atticus, authors can get professional ebook and print formatting on Mac, Windows, Linux, and Chromebook, while paying over $100 less than Vellum’s ebook-and-print package. It is for this reason that Vellum is #2 on the list. To learn more about Vellum you can check out my full review here.

There are 2 significant downsides to Vellum:

1. It’s only available for Mac computers, not Windows computers or any mobile devices
2. It has a lofty price tag ($199.99 for eBook publishing, or $249.99 for eBook and print book publishing)

And while you can technically write a book in Vellum, you probably wouldn't want to. Vellum was not designed to be a place in which to write…only to format.

So, in the end, because it is $102 more expensive than Atticus, and doesn't have as many features – nor is it a good option to write in, Vellum gets my second place for book formatting software.

Check It Out

#3. Kindle Create

Ah, Kindle Create… honestly, this could have been something but really falls short. Back in the day (like YEARS AGO), Amazon made Kindle Create as a way for authors to format their books – back when there weren't many options out there.

However, Kindle Create still feels limited compared with paid tools built specifically for authors who want more control over the final look of their book.

Does it work? Yes… sort of. Does it give you great options to make something amazing? No. Amazon does warn that Kindle Create is not the best fit for every type of book. For example, it does not support paperbacks with tables, footnotes, or endnotes, and image-heavy books may need extra care. So if your book has complex formatting, you’ll want to be careful before relying on Kindle Create.

Not to mention it's not easy to use. I created a video showing you how you can format a book with Kindle Create. It's a few years old now, but as you can see, it's a bit of a task and doesn't have a lot of options authors need.

But it is a free book formatting software solution, and that still matters if money is tight. Reedsy Studio is another free option worth mentioning, since it lets authors write, format, and export EPUB and PDF files online. So, there's that if money is super tight.

To give you a better understanding of what you can create with Kindle Create, here are some examples I made. Now, just compare those with what you saw above with Atticus:

But for straightforward novels and essays, Kindle Create is a great tool that lets you:

• Format your manuscript
• Customize your headers and footers
• Create a table of contents
• Insert page numbers
• Give your eBook a visual theme
• Preview your eBook as it will appear on a tablet, phone, or e-reader
• Format for eBook or print publishing

So, again, if you need a free option and don't need to make you book look amazing, then this is it.

Download Kindle Create

#4. MS Word

As many of you have, I've used MS Word for years. Because of this, I am super comfortable with it, and have written all types of papers, articles, books, etc within it. But as a word processor for authors, there in lies the problem. MS word was made for every type of writing, and thus isn't the best at all of them.

So, for authors, there are better writing options out there. But you're not here to learn about its writing. So, let's talk about the formatting process with MS Word.

Formatting a book with MS Word isn't easy to do. There are a lot of tutorials that can help walk you through it, like the video one I did here. Also, just to prove a point on how difficult it is to format with Word, someone out there sells a $100+ course to learn how to format with Word. I wouldn't recommend that because at that point, you're better off buying a software and making your life easier (plus having more capability).

Now, you can simplify using Word for your books with some of my free book templates out there – however, again, those can only go so far.

Also, remember that Microsoft 365 Personal currently costs $99.99/year or $9.99/month. If you want a one-time purchase instead, Microsoft lists Office Home 2024 at $179.99. So, if you don't already have it, this quickly becomes one of the most expensive options out there.

So, in the end, if you already have it and you want to spend money to learn how to use it to format with it, that should be fine. Just remember that your formatting will be limited, and you won't be able to do as much as you would with something like Atticus or Vellum. It's because of this that it gets the #4 for formatting.

Get MS Word Here

#5. Scrivener

Now, you might be asking, “Wait! What is this black box of things you are showing me above.”

Well, that's what formatting a book with Scrivener looks like. As you can see, this is NOT intuitive, and pretty hard to do. It's so complicated, that people actually sell courses that are over $100 just to learn how to ‘format' a book with Scrivener. (And that's for a software that costs only $59.99)….smh

Furthermore, just look at how limited your creation is with Scrivener is as compared to Atticus…even after finally learning how to create with it:

So, when it comes to formatting with Scrivener , this isn't a great option. Most fans of Scrivener will write in, and the export it into a formatting software. This is because of how hard it is to format within, but also because in order to work with an editor, they have to export it anyway. Furthermore, the options and things you can do with Scrivener formatting (even with the expensive courses) are still very limiting.

Now, as a writing software, Scrivener is a different story.

Scrivener is the best at writing books and was my go-to for years. I love its ready-made templates, distraction-free Composition Mode, and its emphasis on organization and having all your research files in one window. It truly was built with doing large scale writing in mind. However, it still isn't fully devoted to books and its complexity shows.

Having writing millions of words in it, and first using it back in 2007 for my Masters Thesis, I still don't know how to use 60% of it. I've even paid for courses

If you'd like to learn more about Scrivener, you can check out my full review.

By the way, if you do decide you want to get Scrivener, you can use my code below and get 20% off the $59.99 price. Use my 20% off coupon code by foloowing these steps:

1. Click the following link to access the product
2. When you get to the checkout, type in KINDLEPRENEUR
3. After that, you should see the 20% taken off the price

Get Scrivener Here

Other Formatting Options

The 5 formatting tools above make up the top book formatting software available. But there are other formatting programs you may want to consider.

Adobe InDesign: This is the industry standard for professional formatters. No question. But it’s also expensive and packed with way more features than most authors will ever need. Unless you’re planning to become a professional formatter and are ready to spend a lot of time learning it, it’s probably overkill. I’d only look at InDesign if you’re serious about design as a skill, not just formatting your own book.

Calibre: Calibre can manage, edit, and convert ebooks, and the fact that it’s free definitely catches people’s attention. But I’d think of it more as an ebook management and conversion tool than a polished book formatting app for authors. It can do a lot, but the interface and workflow are not as author-friendly as tools like Atticus, Vellum, Kindle Create, or Reedsy Studio. You still run into limitations, and the interface isn’t exactly friendly. It works… it just takes more effort than most authors probably want to deal with.

Jutoh: Jutoh is a one-time purchase with no per-book cost, and it can generate major ebook formats. It also supports importing files like ODT, DOCX, HTML, text, and EPUB, though DOCX and ODT are recommended for best results. I do like that it flags potential formatting issues you might miss. That’s helpful. But it does not feel as modern or author-friendly as the newer tools on this list. It can still be useful if you like having more technical control over ebook creation, but most authors will probably find Atticus, Vellum, Kindle Create, or Reedsy Studio easier to work with.

Affinity: Affinity is now a powerful free design suite with strong layout tools, so yes, you can use it for book formatting. But it’s still built for designers, not authors. There’s a learning curve, and it’s more complex than most writers need. Unless you already enjoy working in design software, it’s probably overkill just to format your book.

Which One is My Favorite Formatting Software?

For me, Atticus is still the easiest recommendation.

It gives authors what they usually need most: ebook formatting, print formatting, a clean writing space, strong customization options, and a one-time price instead of another monthly bill. It also works across Mac, PC, Chromebook, and Linux, which matters more than some people realize until they’re stuck trying to use software that won’t run on their computer.

Check Out Atticus

Vellum is still a very good option if you’re on a Mac and only care about formatting. I wouldn’t tell someone they’re wrong for using it. But for most authors, Atticus gives you more flexibility for less money, and it keeps improving without making you pay again every time a new feature shows up.

If you need a free option, Kindle Create is the one I’d look at first. It won’t give you the same control or polish as a paid formatter, but it can get the job done if your book is fairly straightforward and your budget is tight.

The main thing is to choose a tool that fits how you work. The best formatting software, for you, is the one that helps you get a professional-looking book finished without making you hate the process.