Vellum Writing Software: Should You Get It? [Features and Pricing]

Vellum Writing Software: Should You Get It? [Features and Pricing]

If you're an author or publishing professional, don't spend hours manually formatting your book files for e-book and paperback production. Instead, you can use the Vellum software system, which handles the complexities of formatting for you. Generate great-looking files for Amazon KDP and other book-retailer platforms. In this post, I cover the Vellum features and pricing. See if it's a fit for you.

What is Vellum software?

Vellum software is a tool writers and publishing professionals can use to format manuscripts into e-book, paperback, or hardcover files ready for inclusion on retailer sites like Amazon, iBooks, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and Google Play.

File formatting for books can be quite complex, with requirements for word spacing, chapter breaks, page-margin dimensions, and more. Without software, these tasks can be tedious and time-consuming.

​Plus, if you happen to make an error, your upload to a retailer site can be rejected, forcing you to start over.

​Vellum was created to save you time and hassle with the book-production process.

Who is Vellum software for?

Vellum is primarily used by three types of people:
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• Writers who publish their books independently of any publishing company and format their files on their own.

 

• Book-production employees of publishing companies.

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• Book-production freelancers who work with self-published authors and publishing companies. 

If you're a publishing-company employee or freelancer, you very well could be taking on multiple formatting projects a week. Doing all of them manually seems ludicrous - you'd surely benefit from a tool like Vellum.

If you're a self-published author formatting your own files, even on a single project, you'd feel the benefits of automating the process. If you plan to self-publish multiple books, the benefits of leveraging software would be even greater.

Not sure if Vellum is right for you? They offer of a free trial. Check it out on their website:   

Visit Vellum Site

How does Vellum software work?

• ​Dowload it. First, you download Vellum. Two versions are offered, one for e-books only and a second for e-books and physical books (paperback/hardcover).

 

• Upload raw files. After you have a completed manuscript in your word processing program, you upload the manuscript to Vellum, along with your cover file.

 

• Select styles. You can choose from various style templates, specifying fonts, chapter headings, chapter breaks, backgrounds, and drop caps (big capital letters that begin a chapter or section). 


• Auto-format. The software will automatically format your manuscript with your chosen styles, while handling spacing, margin sizes, and interior images. A title page and table of contents will be automatically generated for you too.

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• Preview. With real-time previewing, see how your book would look in digital or physical form and make any tweaks you feel are needed.

 

• Export e-book file. Once your e-book project is formatted to your liking, you can export the finished file as an ePub, compatible with Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, Apple iPad, Kobo, and other e-reading devices.

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• Export physical file. For paperback and/or hardcover projects, you specify your desired trim size (from 14 options) and Vellum handles headers, footers, page numbers, and more. Completed projects are exported as PDFs, compatible with on-demand printing services like Amazon KDP.

Vellum and cover files

Vellum is a file-formatting tool, not a cover-design tool. Whether you're creating an e-book, physical book, or both, you will need a cover file before you can sell copies on Amazon and other retailers.

Cover-design projects for e-books involve the creation of a rectangular image that matches the dimension requirements of retailers.

Cover-design projects for paperbacks are more involved, particularly because of the book spine. The width of the spine is dependent on the number of printed pages your book will have, which is dependent on its length, trim size, and interior spacing.

Once you produce a file for your physical book's interior in Vellum, a cover designer should be able to use the page count to appropriately size the spine. From there, a spine design can be created, plus a back cover.

​When uploading files to Amazon KDP for paperback printing, you will need an interior PDF (which you can generate in Vellum), plus an exterior PDF for the front and back covers and spine. I'd recommend you work with a professional graphic designer on the exterior PDF versus trying to make it yourself.

​If you need a good cover designer at a good price, check out the freelancers on Fiverr. 

How much does Vellum software cost?

• Free version. You can download Vellum for free. Create and preview a book file in free mode, however, exporting it for retailer sites isn't available. The free version is a good way to try out the tool to see if it's a good fit.

 

• Vellum Ebooks. The version for e-books only goes for a one-time fee of $199.99. With it, you can create an unlimited number of e-books. The license doesn't expire.

 

• Vellum Press. This version, for e-books and physical books, goes for a one-time fee of $249.99. Generate an unlimited number of e-books and physical books (paperback and hardcover). This license doesn't expire either.

Vellum alternatives

For e-book creation, you can find other software tools that are cheaper than Vellum. However, they may lack Vellum's styling options and ease of use. As for physical-book creation, not many other software systems can do what Vellum does.

At only $249.99 for lifetime access to the most comprehensive package, Vellum is worth the price. A poorly formatted book can be disastrous for sales. People browsing it may decide not to buy, while people who do buy yet don't like the page design, would be less likely to recommend your book to a friend.

An e-book may sell for $4.99 and a paperback for $14.99. So, if you can just sell just 15 additional copies in each format, you'd already earn back what you spent on Vellum, plus a profit.

​If you're an author who plans to self-publish many books, this profit effect would be magnified over time. 

Ready to try Vellum?

​Get going with the free trial on Vellum's site:

Start Free Trial

If you're an author looking to streamline other aspects of your marketing, you should check out these other tools available to you.


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