Vellum Software: Is It Worth the Extra Investment for PC Users?

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It’s no secret to those who follow me, but I am a PC user who is thrilled to use the Vellum Mac app for ebooks, both for myself and my clients. While I’m a strong Vellum advocate today, that wasn’t always the case.

Why I didn’t want to try Vellum

I’ll be honest … After I learned about Vellum, I fought for several weeks against even trying it out.

One, I’m a PC user, and Vellum is written only for Mac. {C’mon, guys, I’m more than a little miffed at being part of an entire section of the population who is left out!}

And two — okay, there’s a way to sign on to a Mac server, but I’ve never done that, it sounds like a pain, and I just don’t want to.

So as I was thinking those things, I was also realizing that something needed to change. At that point in my life as a proofreader, I was honing my Adobe InDesign skills, studying typesetting and typography, and pretty ok with print design. But finessing ebooks requires the use of HTML and CSS — web design tools, not in my skill set.

So I hunted around for better converters and workarounds that wouldn’t break the bank, since ebook files through free converters were less-than-stellar products and needed frequent troubleshooting.

Something had to change. My clients deserved better. So did I.

Vellum software: friend or foe?

After multiple people said, “Just try Vellum,” I bought 30 hours worth of time on MacinCloud, a server platform that provides remote access to a physical Mac from different kinds of devices. I downloaded MacinCloud, connected Dropbox … and nearly gave up.

I struggled with the Vellum software interface.

MacinCloud wasn’t hard, but it was different (and users MUST remember to sign out!).

And though I had used a Mac before, there were a lot of small things that took me far too long to figure out. So I let my paid server hours just sit there and went back to options I already knew.

But the other converters kept frustrating me. Draft2Digital was the best free converter I tried, but it still wasn’t as dependable as I wanted.

Back to the {MacinCloud} drawing board

I still had prepaid server hours to use, and all the Vellum software features are free to try, other than book generating, so I took a deep breath and decided I should give Vellum a fair shot instead of trying to justify “why not Vellum.”

I took a more in-depth look at the access points and tried them all. Users have the option to download a .zip file with different sized access windows that will open like a standalone app, which works well for some screen resolutions. The server can also be accessed through your PC’s internet browser at macincloud.com. Since my laptop at the time had a 4K monitor, the browser option worked the best for me.

I took a few notes on the things I kept messing up, since the navigation is unique. There’s a full collection of help items at help.vellum.pub, but switching browser tabs isn’t my favorite thing to do. Biggest takeaway: There’s no “choose this option” button when you’re checking out styles; the options just stay on whichever item you leave at the front of the “carousel.”

I found it helpful to take notes on what options I liked, and I also created a tracker spreadsheet with a combination of drop-down menus and fillable blanks to make it easier all around (grab your copy at that link, if you want one).

But, man, despite the Vellum help page, I really wanted a book. There wasn’t one when I started hunting, and the one that was published was not updated regularly. So, two years and hundreds of files later, I wrote the book I wish I’d had – now in its 2nd edition! – and made notes (for other PC people like me!).

Anyway, after this second go, I was pleased with how things went and I was confident that, yes, Vellum was a HUGE improvement over the cheap methods I had been using. So I took the plunge and bought a license, which, at present, are $199 USD for ebooks only, $249 for ebooks and print. (My affiliate link is SkinnerBooks.com/vellum, in case you’d like to purchase that route; otherwise just go straight to Vellum.pub to purchase.)

What clients say about Vellum formatting

I’ve had multiple clients sing the praises of Vellum books when they get their files back. “Wow, I love my custom scene break to match my cover!” “This is the prettiest ebook I’ve ever had on my phone — wow.”

For those of us who read ebooks extensively, it’s sad to say that we’ve come to expect glitchy fonts, or strange spacing, or some other hiccup in the reading experience. Vellum gives my clients and me the reassurance that our readers won’t have those complaints.

Does it sound worth it to you?

There are a number of converts to Vellum, both Mac users and PC natives, despite the price investment. We PC users count the cost even more than Mac users, though, since there IS extra expense for us. For some, the pennies add up too much and it’s a solid no.

For others of us, the Vellum software is worth the investment of money and time (read: learning curve!). Only you can make that call.

I can’t guarantee that Vellum is a perfect fit for your document. I can’t guarantee soaring sales numbers. But I can testify that my trials and errors with Vellum ended in victory for myself and for my clients. We have the opportunity to enrich our readers’ experiences drastically if we make the investment in both time and money. And, after all, that’s who we are really here for, isn’t it? To enrich the lives of our readers?

So, what are your thoughts? Is there something holding you back that I haven’t addressed? Or are you ready to take the plunge with me for the sake of creating beautiful books? Let’s connect on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok.

Next post: How to try Vellum for 99 cents