The overuse of standard templates can make anything from a resume to presentation seem boring and generic – so much so that the phrase “death by PowerPoint” has emerged in business world.
Apple’s iBooks Author tool is no exception. The app can be used by teachers and instructors to create their own textbooks, by businesses to deliver marketing materials and reference documents, and authors that want to self-publish in Apple’s iBookstore. One problem with iBooks Author is that Apple includes just six themes for ebooks in iBooks Author – all of which have a textbook feel to them that isn’t a good fit for many projects. Thankfully, there are some alternatives.
For authors that want a different or more custom look, however, there are some excellent options. As with Apple’s iWork apps, iBooks Author allows third-parties to create additional themes.
To date, there are two major theme collections to consider.
First is the $9.99 Book Palette collection from Jumsoft, which includes 20 themes that cover a lot of styles including textbooks, cook books, scrap books, corporate reports, and more. Book Palette is available in the Mac App Store.
Second is Themes for iBooks Author from Graphic Node, which offers an even bigger selection of 70 themes that cover pretty much any type of style imaginale. Normally priced at $16.99 – this mega-bundle is currently 25% of if purchased from Mac Update (the sale price is good through the end of the month). Themes for iBooks Author is also available (at its regular price) from the Mac App Store or the company’s website.
