Pubcraft

PubCraft is a free, local, open-source desktop application designed for indie authors and writers who want to format professional books without proprietary lock-in or high costs.

Built as a lightweight, cross-platform alternative to software like Vellum and Atticus, PubCraft combines a distraction-free writing environment with an automated book layout engine.

Key Features

Cross-Platform & Local: Runs natively and offline on Windows, macOS, and Linux with zero cloud dependency.

Vellum & Word Import: Easily import existing .vellum project archives and Microsoft Word (.docx) files into clean, editable Markdown chapters.

Markdown & Obsidian Friendly: Projects are organized simply as folders with standard Markdown (.md) chapters and a book.yaml configuration file. Includes a --watch mode for live preview while writing in external editors like Obsidian.

Print-Ready PDF & EPUB: Generates polished EPUBs for Kindle/e-readers and print-ready interior PDFs compliant with Amazon KDP and IngramSpark (custom trim sizes, interior margins/gutters, headers, and pagination).

Distraction-Free Flow: Minimalist interface focused purely on the prose.

Fast & Lightweight: Powered by a native C engine with a local Go-based interface.

PubCraft is released under the permissive MIT open-source license and is completely free to use.