Monthly Archives: October 2020

Breaking News: Vellum 2.8 is Here!

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.

Page Breaks

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).

Selecting Ebooks Only for a call-to-action at the end of a chapter

Ebook Calls-to-Action

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.

Options for EPUB Only and EPUB + MOBI Kindle generation.

New Kindle Output Options

To help you follow Amazon’s new recommendation for an EPUB file, Vellum now offers these updated options for Kindle output:

  • EPUB Only
  • EPUB + MOBI

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.

Also in Vellum 2.8

  • A new prompt to confirm chapters reordered via drag-and-drop
  • New commands to add chapters to Parts and Volumes
  • A fix for cases when Chapter 1 did not appear on the right side of a spread
  • More compatible ornament images for Kobo ebooks
  • Improved compatibility with the upcoming release of macOS Big Sur

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.

Coming Changes to Kindle Ebook Generation

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:

  • EPUB Only
  • EPUB + MOBI

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:

A prompt offering options for EPUB Only and EPUB and MOBI.

These options will also be available in Generation Preferences.

Again, these changes will be in our next update to Vellum, coming soon now available.