Vellum is now optimized for Apple’s M1, the chip found in new Macs arriving later this week.
Vellum 2.8.2 is a universal app, so it will run natively on both existing Macs and on those using the new M1. And on the M1, Vellum is fast, with significant speedups for importing, previewing, and generating books. If you’ve purchased a new Mac, be sure to update to Vellum 2.8.2, available now.
Apple has released macOS Big Sur, featuring a brand new look for your Mac. If you upgrade your Mac to Big Sur, make sure you’re running the latest version of Vellum (2.8.1), which has been updated for this new release of macOS. You can do that using Check for Updates.
Apple also announced brand new Macs featuring the all-new M1 processor. If you’re planning to purchase one of these new models, you can look forward to a version of Vellum optimized for the M1, coming early next week.
Update 11/17/20: Vellum 2.8.2 is now available, and is optimized for the M1.
Vellum 2.8.1 is a minor update with the following improvements:
This release is a free update, available now.
Vellum 2.8 is here! With this release, you can insert page breaks, create an ebook call-to-action, and choose from updated options for Kindle output.
With Vellum 2.8, you can now insert a Page Break within a chapter. Use page breaks to start each section on a new page, or end a chapter with a page of discussion questions or items for reflection.
In some cases, you may only want to keep a section title from the bottom of the page. If you’ve used an Alignment Block for the title, you can now enable Keep With Next Paragraph to ensure the title stays on the same page as the text that follows (just as a Subhead will).
If you end your final chapter with a quick call-to-action (like a newsletter signup or a request for a review), you may want to restrict this to your ebook edition. You can now mark text like this as Ebook Only using the new Include In menu for Alignment Blocks.
To help you follow Amazon’s new recommendation for an EPUB file, Vellum now offers these updated options for Kindle output:
With either option, Vellum will provide a Kindle-specific EPUB file that’s ready to upload to KDP. If you need to sideload onto a Kindle, Vellum can output a MOBI file as well.
If you’ve generated ebooks before, you’ll see the prompt above the next time you generate. You can also select from these options in Generation Preferences.
Vellum 2.8 is a free update. This version requires macOS Mojave or newer.
To get Vellum 2.8, use Check for Updates in the Vellum menu. Or download and install Vellum from vellum.pub.
Recently, we wrote that Amazon now recommends uploading an EPUB file to KDP. In that post, we wanted to share the news of this change, and make sure you knew how to use Vellum’s Generation Preferences to choose between generating a Kindle-specific EPUB and MOBI file.
Because of Amazon’s new recommendation, we’ve decided to make a small change to these options. In a coming update, Vellum’s options for Kindle output will be:
With these new options, Vellum will always generate an EPUB file that is designed to be uploaded to KDP. If you need a MOBI as well — for sideloading or sending out an ARC — Vellum will generate one at the same time, giving you a file for each use case.
To keep things simple for new users, Vellum will default to EPUB Only. If you’ve generated books before, you’ll see the following prompt when you next generate for Kindle:
These options will also be available in Generation Preferences.
Again, these changes will be in our next update to Vellum, coming soon now available.
If you’ve recently uploaded an ebook to KDP, you may have noticed a change. Amazon now recommends providing an EPUB file for publishing instead of a file in their MOBI format. MOBI files are still supported, but if you open one in Kindle Previewer, you will see the following warning:
We imagine there may be some questions about this change. Here are some answers:
Q. Can Vellum produce an EPUB file for Amazon?
A. Yes! 🎉 You can change the format used for Kindle in Preferences. Vellum will produce an EPUB file that is designed for Kindle, and won’t result in any warnings from Kindle Previewer. Generating an EPUB file is also much faster than relying on Amazon’s conversion tools.
Q. Can I just send Vellum’s Generic EPUB to Amazon?
A. No! 😱 Don’t do that! Any Store Links will likely be wrong, and you may see issues in Amazon services like Look Inside and Kindle Cloud Reader.
Q. Can I still upload a MOBI file?
A. You can. Though they recommend providing an EPUB, Amazon still lists MOBI as a supported format.
Q. Is Amazon now sending EPUB files to customers?
A. No. Files delivered to customers use Amazon’s format for Enhanced Typesetting. Amazon converts your ebook to this format after you upload to KDP.
Q. Can I load an EPUB file onto my Kindle?
A. No. Unfortunately, you will still need a MOBI file to sideload onto your Kindle or to send to a reader with a Kindle. (If you make use of BookFunnel, they can take care of this conversion for you.)
Q. Will Vellum stop producing MOBI files?
A. No. Don’t worry. But given Amazon’s new recommendations, we are considering solutions such as generating both Kindle EPUB and MOBI files. As long as Amazon keeps the necessary conversion tools available, we will continue to provide MOBI as an option.
Have a question not answered here? Contact us.
Update 10/22/20: More about coming changes to Kindle generation
Update 10/27/20: Vellum 2.8 includes options for EPUB + MOBI
Vellum 2.7.3 is a minor update with the following improvements:
This release is a free update, available now.
Vellum 2.7.2 is a minor update with the following improvements:
This release is a free update, available now.
Announcing Internal Links! You’ll find them in Vellum 2.7 with a whole lot more:
You can now create Internal Links, which direct a reader to a different section of your ebook. Use an Internal Link to refer to another chapter, to provide quick access to a glossary or a map, or even to build an interactive narrative.
You can add Internal Links within Vellum, or import links you’ve established in your Word file.
If you’ve organized your chapters using Subheads, you can now list them in the Table of Contents. Include Subtitles for your Chapters, Parts, and Volumes as well. And if you’re creating an anthology, you can now credit story Authors in the TOC.
Vellum 2.7 is a free update. This version requires macOS High Sierra or newer.
To get Vellum 2.7, use Check for Updates in the Vellum menu. Or download and install Vellum from vellum.pub.
Vellum 2.6.7 is a minor update with the following improvements:
This release is a free update, available now.