With Vellum 2.6, you’ll find generation for Kindle to be more secure, more reliable, and much faster. That’s because Vellum no longer relies on Amazon’s KindleGen utility to convert files to the mobi format.

Instead, Vellum will now generate a Kindle-specific EPUB file.

Ready for Catalina

If you’ve been using macOS Mojave, you’ve likely seen warnings that KindleGen is not optimized for your Mac, and won’t work with the next version of macOS. That version is Catalina, and it’s coming next month.

With Vellum 2.6, you won’t see any of these warnings, and you’ll be ready for Catalina.

Questions & Answers

Here are some answers to questions you might have about this change:

How do I publish my Kindle ebook?

You can upload the Kindle.epub file straight to KDP. No additional conversion is necessary. Your readers won’t see any difference in the books they receive from Amazon.

How can I check my ebook beforehand?

The best way to proof your Kindle ebook is with Amazon’s Kindle Previewer, and it’s the only way to view your book with Enhanced Typesetting before you publish. You can open a Kindle.epub file directly in Kindle Previewer.

How do I send an advanced copy to readers?

To manage your ARCs, we recommend using BookFunnel. BookFunnel can accept the Kindle.epub file generated by Vellum and will automatically convert it if necessary.

If you don’t use BookFunnel, you can export a mobi file from Kindle Previewer and send this file to your readers.

Any other questions? Contact us.

Also in Vellum 2.6:

• You can now add an affiliate code for links to Google Play
• Simplified approval of Restore requests for your license
• Fixed a rare problem with incorrect page numbers
• Improved editing margin values in regions that use a comma

To get Vellum 2.5, use Check for Updates. Or download and install Vellum from vellum.pub.

If you’ve installed Mojave, you’ve likely seen warnings about Amazon’s KindleGen utility, which has not been optimized for current versions of macOS. As those warnings inform, older 32-bit programs like KindleGen won’t run in Catalina, the forthcoming version of macOS.

We’ve received many questions about whether Amazon will publish an updated 64-bit version of KindleGen in time for the release of Catalina, due this fall. We don’t know the answer to that. What we do know is that KindleGen hasn’t received an update since 2013, and shows many signs of being abandoned by Amazon.

Given this, Vellum will soon move away from using KindleGen entirely. Instead, Vellum will produce a Kindle-specific EPUB file.

You should find this makes little difference to your workflow. When you’re ready to publish, you’ll be able to upload this file to KDP without any extra conversion; your readers won’t see any difference. To proof your book beforehand, you can open this file directly in Kindle Previewer. And in situations where you do need a mobi file (to send an ARC, for example), you can make use of the Export command in Kindle Previewer.

By avoiding KindleGen, you’ll find generation to be much faster, more reliable, and free of any warnings about 64-bit compatibility.

This change will be released in the next update to Vellum, due in early September, and well before the release of Catalina. We’ll have more details at that time.

Have questions? Get in touch.

Update 9/19: Vellum 2.6 is now available

Vellum 2.5.4 is a minor update with the following improvements:

• Fixed Find & Replace in endnotes, subheads, and image captions
• Position of Uncategorized titles now matches other elements
• All Store Links now use the https protocol

This release is a free update, available now.

Vellum 2.5.3 is a minor update that includes these improvements:

• Fixed Paragraph After Break style for sections beginning with an Alignment Block
• Adjusted Medium-sized images so Flow options work as expected on Kindle

This release is a free update, available now.

Staying up for late-night publishing? Turn down the lights with Dark Mode!

Introducing an all-new, darker color scheme for Vellum. With low-brightness backgrounds and a light-on-dark editor, it’s designed to be used in dim environments.

Dark Mode can be just the thing for working at 2 AM, but we won’t blame you if you want to use it all the time!

Dark Mode requires macOS Mojave. You can activate it in the System Preferences for your Mac.

Also in this Update

• Large Print editions are now generated into a separate folder, and won’t overwrite a standard print edition.
• You can now use the Numbered toggle to disable numbering for Parts.

You’ll find these additions in Vellum 2.5.2, a free update. This version requires macOS Sierra or newer.

If you attempt to proof your generated books using the Kindle program for Mac, you may encounter a few problems, especially with ornamental images:

We’ve received reports of several issues with this recent update to Kindle for Mac:

• Ornamental break images can appear oversized and may overlap text
• Heading ornaments can disappear entirely
• The cover image may show through to other pages
• The Find command can show incorrect text
• The application can freeze when turning pages
• Links within the book can be difficult to click

As far as we know, these issues only occur when you sideload a book for testing. Books purchased by readers and delivered by Amazon should not exhibit these issues.

We’ve reported these issues to Amazon, but we have no way of knowing when they will address these problems with the Kindle for Mac program.

To proof your book, we recommend using Kindle Previewer. Kindle Previewer is the most accurate way to view your book, and will not exhibit problems like the above.

Large Print

Now, you can create a Large Print Edition of your book with just a few clicks. Select a Large Print option and Vellum will configure everything for your book: font size, headers, page numbers and more!

With larger, more legible text, these special editions can help you reach new audiences of readers.

Mass Market

Prefer something on the smaller side? Choose from Vellum’s new Mass Market trim sizes. Your readers will love taking these portable, pocketable paperbacks on their next vacation.

International Trim Sizes

If you’re publishing outside of the US, you’ll appreciate a new set of international trim sizes. Options like B-Format, 12 × 19 cm, and A5 allow you to use European print-on-demand services, and create paperbacks in familiar sizes.

Combined, you’ll find over a dozen trim size options in Vellum!

Also in Vellum 2.5:

• You can now customize the Outside Margin of your print edition
• Dimensions in Print Settings can be shown in centimeters
• Books within a Box Set can each have a Table of Contents
• Improvements to how links and very long words break across lines
• The use of Line Separator characters no longer results in missing text

Vellum 2.5 is a free update. This version requires macOS Sierra or newer.

To get Vellum 2.5, use Check for Updates in the Vellum menu. Or download and install Vellum from vellum.pub.

If you’ve updated to macOS Mojave, you’ll likely see a warning the first time you generate for the Kindle platform:

Vellum makes use of Amazon’s KindleGen tool to convert ebooks to their proprietary mobi format. When running Mojave, your Mac will warn about this program because it has not been built in a 64-bit format, something Apple will require in future versions of macOS.

While Amazon has released 64-bit versions of Kindle Previewer and Kindle for Mac, they have not yet published a 64-bit version of KindleGen.

Until they do, you will periodically see this warning when you generate for Kindle. This does not affect your generated books. We recognize it can cause concern, though, so we are investigating ways to create ebooks for Kindle without triggering this warning.

Update 9/19: Vellum 2.6 is now available and no longer uses KindleGen.

Vellum 2.3.1 is a minor update that includes these improvements:

• Fixed a problem with the Table of Contents crossing the inside margin in print
• Fixed a rare crash when pasting into the Text Editor

This release is a free update, available now.

Vellum 2.3 is now available and includes a brand new Text Feature: Endnotes! You can use endnotes to annotate the books you create with Vellum.¹

In ebooks, readers can use a popup to access each note without losing their place:²

In print, readers will find endnotes in a dedicated section at the back:³

Use endnotes to include citations in your academic work, to add translations of foreign phrases, or to create a parallel narrative in your postmodern opus.⁴

Also in this Release:

• Use bold, italics, and web links in image captions
• Scene breaks at the top or bottom of the page are now clarified
• The iBooks platform has been renamed to Apple Books
• Show in Preview now highlights the selected paragraph
• And more!

1. Endnotes and footnotes in a Word file are automatically converted when you import
2. Supported on Kindle, in Apple Books, and on most devices for Google Play and Kobo
3. An Endnotes element is automatically created whenever you import a manuscript containing endnotes
4. Untitled. Unfinished. UNRELEASED