an apparatus for manufacturing book covers having a board feed for supplying cover boards and a spine insert having a covering material feed for supplying covering material , having a covering material cylinder , by means of which the supplied covering material is taken over , conveyed past a glue spreading roller and assembled with the supplied cover boards and having a folding and pressing apparatus as well as having a delivery apparatus and having a drive apparatus for the covering material feed , the board feed the covering material cylinder and the folding and pressing apparatus it is provided that at least the covering material feed the board feed and the folding and pressing apparatus are drivable in each case independently of one another . the covering material cylinder is preferably also provided with an independent drive . the independent drives are preferably servomotors , which are designed in each case as a slave and follow a virtual master the essential advantages of said apparatus are product - protecting and efficient fault handling as well as simple setting - up and correction operations .