Add Footnotes with Vellum 3.7

Vellum 3.7 is now available, and brings a much-requested feature: footnotes!

Footnotes in Print

In your print edition, footnotes appear at the bottom of each page, and are indicated by your choice of symbols, numbers, and more. You can include footnotes in the Word file you import, or add them right in Vellum.

Footnotes in Ebooks

Footnotes aren’t just for print! In your ebook, they’ll appear as popups, which readers can view without leaving the page. Vellum automatically creates popups for every supported platform, and you can visualize them right in Vellum’s Preview.

Footnotes + Endnotes

Working on a book that needs footnotes and endnotes? You can combine them both, using your choice of indicators for each type of note.

Also in Vellum 3.7

  • All-new Automatic Layout enhances widow-prevention and balancing, with fewer differences between Draft and Proof mode
  • Refreshed Print Settings improves access to controls and offers new details about font size
  • Create Box Set can easily add recent files and features a new switch for reusing elements
  • Added Social Media media profile for Ream
  • You can now control indentation for the paragraph following a Block Quotation, Alignment Block, and other text features

Vellum 3.7 is a free update and requires macOS Big Sur or newer.

To get Vellum 3.7, use Check for Updates, or download Vellum from vellum.pub.

Vellum 3.6.4

Vellum 3.6.4 includes the following improvements:

  • Fix for possible crash when working with older (pre-2019) Vellum files
  • Prevent some italicized characters from being cut off in print headers

This release is a free update, available now.

2023: Year in Review

Happy 2024! A new year is the perfect time to reflect on the changes since last year. So in case you missed them, here are some of the new features we added to Vellum in 2023:

Store Links with Amazon Attribution

To start the year, we added support for Amazon Attributions, a new system for rich analytics from Amazon. Because they’re integrated with Vellum’s Store Links, these links are only included in your Kindle edition, and will automatically direct a reader to the correct Amazon storefront for their country.

New Find Bar

Vellum 3.5 introduced an all-new Find Bar that’s easier to use and smarter about finding words with apostrophes, quotes, or ellipses. Looking for Text Features like Images or Ornamental Breaks — or just where you’ve used italics? You can locate them with Find Special.

Expanded Startup Window

Vellum 3.5 also included a revamped Startup Window that lists up to 100 of your most recent files. Have a file that you always return to? Pin it to the top by making it a Favorite. Accidentally move files to the Trash? The Startup Window will warn you.

Reusable Elements

Last but not least, Vellum 3.6 introduced the powerful Reuse Elements feature. Reuse elements to quickly add back matter to a new book, build a box set, or create a teaser. When you make changes to the source, you can update reused elements with a click.

Also in 2023

In addition to these major features, we also made these improvements:

  • New Generation Settings include the option to append date to filenames
  • When typing, Undo now changes whole words (rather than single letters)
  • The Text Editor can use a light background when in Dark Mode
  • Exported Word files are tailored for Import
  • An Inline Image can be marked as ebook-only or print-only
  • You can control clarified scene breaks at the top/bottom of the page

More to Come!

All of these features were released in 2023 as free updates. You can make sure you have access to them using Check for Updates. (Current versions of Vellum require macOS Big Sur or newer.)

We have more to come in 2024. As always, the features we add are inspired by your feedback, so if you have an idea for something that will make it even easier to create beautiful books, let us know!

Vellum 3.6.2

Vellum 3.6.2 includes a workaround for macOS 14.2, which can incorrectly indent text next to floating elements like drop caps and images. 

Also in this release:

  • Fixed importing endnotes within lists on Intel Macs
  • Em dashes ending paragraphs are no longer isolated in ebooks
  • Fixed potential crash when using Exclude Title of Current Book
  • Improved error reporting for files using obsolete image formats

This release is a free update, available now.

3 Ways to Reuse Elements

Vellum 3.6, our newest release, adds the powerful new Reuse Elements feature: a flexible way to share content across your books. Here are just three ways you can reuse elements:

Add Front and Back Matter

Blurbs, Also By, About the Author: front and back matter that is in all of your books. Save elements like these in a dedicated file, then reuse them in every new book you create.

Include a Teaser

Developing a series? Give readers of Book 1 a taste of Book 2 by creating a teaser. Reuse chapters from the next book in the series and give readers a sneak peek of what’s to come.

Build a Box Set

Once your series is complete, you can bundle the books as a box set. When you create a box set, chapters are automatically reused from the original books.

Update with Changes

However you reuse elements, you can easily update with changes to the source. Need to add books to your Also By, update your bio, or just fix a typo? Whatever the change, you can update with a click.

You can begin reusing elements with a free update to Vellum 3.6. You’ll need macOS Big Sur or newer.

Reuse back matter and more with Vellum 3.6!

Vellum 3.6 is now available! Here’s what you can do with this latest release:

Give it Back Matter

Formatting a new book? Now you can reuse back matter like your Also By and About the Author. With just a few clicks, incorporate elements from any file, whether it’s a previous book or a master template.

Change the Ending

Need to refresh your Also By? Modify the original and easily update any reused version. Reused elements stay connected and track changes to their source.

And you can reuse more than just front and back matter! Reuse entire books to build a box set, or take a selection of chapters and create a teaser.

Vellum 3.6 is a free update and requires macOS Big Sur or newer.

To get Vellum 3.6, use Check for Updates, or download Vellum from vellum.pub.

Big Changes to Sideloading on Kindle!

Amazon is making big changes to books delivered via Send to Kindle, and is now applying Enhanced Typesetting to books that are sideloaded! That means a much better experience for ARC readers and those who purchase your book directly from your website.

On iPhone, sideloaded books will finally display Vellum’s advanced formatting features, so your readers will see drop caps, ornaments, and bubbles for Text Conversations!

Now, sideloaded books — on all Kindle devices — should look no different than books purchased from Amazon. And the books in your library will display cover thumbnails, even when they come from Send to Kindle!

Since Amazon is doing most of this work behind the scenes, you won’t need to do much to see these changes. However, you will want to make sure you:

  • Provide your Kindle EPUB file when using Send to Kindle
  • Have the latest version of the Kindle software on your device

Have you seen other improvements to your sideloaded books? Let us know!

Vellum 3.5.4

Vellum 3.5.4 fixes a few issues that affect macOS Sonoma users:

  • Trailing em dashes no longer appear on their own lines
  • Fixed paragraph runt prevention
  • Addressed drawing issues when using the Find Bar or Endnote Editor
  • Restored eliding behavior for very long headers

This release is a free update, available now.