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Build an Ebook vs Vellum

A Mac typesetting app for finished manuscripts against a studio that also writes the draft.

Written September 11, 2026

Quick answer

Vellum's promise is "Create beautiful books": a macOS app (13 or newer) that turns a finished manuscript into ebook and print files — EPUB, Kindle, PDF/X-1a — from professionally designed book styles, sold once at $199.99 for ebooks or $249.99 for ebooks and print. It is the finishing tool for a manuscript you already have. The studio produces the manuscript and a good-enough finish in the browser.

01

Where each tool starts

Vellum starts when the writing is done: import the manuscript, choose a style, generate the files. The studio starts before the writing: brief, outline, chapters drafted by a model, edited by you.

02

What happens after the draft

Vellum's output is the reference for indie typesetting — print-ready PDF/X-1a and polished EPUB. The studio's PDF, EPUB and DOCX are clean and validated but not a typesetter's; for a print edition with exacting layout, take the studio's DOCX into Vellum.

03

Which workflow fits whom

A Mac user with a finished manuscript who wants the best-looking print and ebook files should use Vellum. Someone who needs the manuscript first, or who publishes ebooks and lead magnets where a clean EPUB and PDF are enough, should use the studio — and can hand the result to Vellum later.

Sources

Platform figures on this page are quoted from the pages below, read on the date shown. Rules change; check the current page before you publish.

Vellum — homepage (platform, formats, pricing) · read 2026-09-11

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