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.
Vellum has new, powerful options for a Full Page Image in your print edition.
All of this can be found in Vellum 2.6.5, a free update, available now.
Vellum 2.6.4 is a minor update with the following improvements:
DOCX extensionThis release is a free update, available now.
Apple has just released Catalina, the newest version of macOS.
If you choose to upgrade to Catalina, you’ll need the latest version of Vellum. You can update Vellum using Check for Updates.
Vellum has been tested on Catalina and includes fixes for potential issues with this new version of macOS. If you experience any problems with Vellum, please let us know.
With Vellum 2.6.2, you can (once again!) generate mobi files for Kindle. Vellum uses a new generation method that is compatible with coming updates to macOS.
To generate a mobi file with Vellum, you will need Kindle Previewer on your Mac. If you don’t already have it installed, Vellum will provide instructions the first time you generate.
Vellum will generate mobi files by default. If you prefer the new Kindle.epub format, though, that option is still available in Preferences.
This is a free update, available now.
After receiving feedback from our users, we’re announcing that in our next update, Vellum will return to generating mobi files for the Kindle platform.
Vellum recently moved away from creating files in the mobi format, as the KindleGen utility that Vellum used to convert these files is not compatible with the forthcoming version of macOS. To generate mobi files in a manner that works with macOS Catalina, Vellum will switch to use conversion tools bundled with Amazon’s Kindle Previewer utility.
Because we have also received some positive feedback about the new Kindle.epub files, generating Kindle-specific EPUB will remain as an option. This option will also serve as a fallback in case the conversion tools in Kindle Previewer fail in the future.
This update is currently planned for October 2. In the meantime, if you need to convert Kindle.epub files to the mobi format, you can do so by opening your file in Kindle Previewer and using the Export option. If you have any questions, please contact us.
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.
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.
Here are some answers to questions you might have about this change:
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.Kindle.epub file directly in Kindle Previewer.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.
To get Vellum 2.5, use Check for Updates. Or download and install Vellum from vellum.pub.
Update 10/02/19: Mobi output is again available in Vellum 2.6.2.
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 10/02/19: Mobi output is again available in Vellum 2.6.2.