What Is Vellum: The Coach's Complete Guide in 2026

A coach in a business mastermind heard the name Vellum mentioned as the tool someone used to format their first book. Later that week she searched for it. Google returned a mix of printing supply stores, craft retailers, and stationery sites, all describing translucent parchment paper. She spent twenty minutes reading about medieval manuscripts before she understood there are two completely different things named vellum, and the software she was looking for is one of them.

That confusion is common. The word vellum has centuries of history as a material term, so search results mix the two. This guide clears up both meanings and then goes deep on the software for coaches who want to know whether it fits their book publishing plan.

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Quick Answer: Vellum is a Mac-only book formatting tool sold as a one-time purchase: $199.99 for ebooks only, $249.99 for ebooks and print. It converts a finished manuscript into polished ebook and print files for Amazon KDP, Apple Books, Kobo, and other retailers. It does not write content, design covers, or run on Windows. Vellum the paper is an entirely different product: a translucent material used in printing, crafts, and stationery.

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Two Things Named Vellum: Clearing Up the Confusion

Before covering the software, it helps to understand why the name creates so much search confusion.

The word vellum predates the software by several thousand years. It comes from the Latin vitulinum, meaning "of a calf." Historically, vellum was a writing surface prepared from the dried and stretched skin of a young calf. Medieval manuscripts, legal documents, and religious texts were recorded on vellum because it lasted longer than papyrus and held ink without bleeding. Many illuminated manuscripts still held in museum collections were written on vellum.

Modern "vellum paper" sold in stationery stores is not made from animal skin. It is a translucent or semi-transparent paper manufactured from processed cellulose fibers, cotton, or synthetic materials that mimic the look and feel of the original. Craft stores, wedding stationery suppliers, and printing services sell this product for a range of contemporary uses.

The book formatting software chose the name Vellum to evoke quality and the tradition of fine bookmaking. The name works well for that purpose, but it creates a naming collision that trips up coaches and consultants searching for the tool each year.

The short version: If you are a coach looking for a tool to format a book for Amazon KDP, you are looking for Vellum the software. If you are planning wedding invitations, a scrapbooking project, or specialty printing, you are looking for vellum the paper. The two share only the name.

What Vellum Paper Is: Materials, Uses, and Properties

Because a significant portion of searches for "what is vellum" are about the paper, this section answers those questions directly. If you are here for the book formatting software, skip ahead to the next section.

What vellum is made of:

Traditional vellum was prepared from calfskin (the name specifically refers to calf; parchment is the broader term for any animal skin prepared as a writing surface). The skin was scraped, stretched on a frame, and dried under tension. The result was thin, smooth, and durable. A single sheet required one young animal.

Modern vellum paper is made from heavily processed cellulose (wood pulp or cotton fibers) rendered translucent through chemical treatment. Some synthetic varieties use polyester or other plastic materials. The manufacturing process produces a surface that resembles the historical material without requiring animal products.

What vellum paper looks like:

Vellum paper has a distinctive semi-transparent quality. Held to light, you can partially see through it. Text or images placed beneath a sheet of vellum appear slightly diffused, which gives overlays a soft, elegant visual effect. The surface is smooth with a slight waxy feel and does not absorb moisture the way standard paper does.

Clear vellum is the most translucent variety, approaching near-transparency. It is used primarily for tracing, design overlays, and layering effects where you want the material underneath to show through almost completely.

What vellum paper is used for:

Stationery and printing: Wedding invitations often include a vellum overlay sheet printed with details, layered over a patterned or colored card underneath. The semi-transparency creates a visual effect that standard opaque paper cannot. Formal event invitations, birth announcements, and holiday cards use the same technique.

Crafts and scrapbooking: Scrapbook makers use vellum for journaling layers, decorative elements, and softening the appearance of underlying photos. The material is lightweight and takes vellum-specific adhesives without bubbling.

Gift wrapping and packaging: Boutique packaging uses vellum bags or wrapping to show the product inside while adding a premium texture. High-end gift wrap applications treat it as a step above tissue paper in visual presentation.

Architectural and technical drawing: Before digital drafting became universal, vellum was a standard material for architectural drawings. Engineers and architects drew on it because it transmitted light for blueprint reproduction machines. Some practitioners still prefer vellum for hand drawings.

Archival documents: Traditional vellum (from animal skin) has been used for formal documents requiring long-term preservation. In the United Kingdom, Acts of Parliament were recorded on vellum as archival copies for centuries. Modern synthetic vellum papers are used in high-durability document printing for similar archival reasons.

Can you print on vellum paper?

Yes, with the right setup. Vellum paper has a low ink absorption rate, which means standard inkjet inks may smear or adhere poorly. Paper labeled "printable vellum" is manufactured to accept ink more reliably. Laser printing on vellum is possible with some products but requires care because the heat from the fuser can warp thin sheets. For consistent results, use paper explicitly rated for your printer type, and follow the manufacturer's weight and coating specifications.

What Vellum the Software Does

Vellum is a book formatting application for Mac, built by a small company called 180g. First released in 2014 and updated continuously since, its core function is formatting: you bring in a finished manuscript, Vellum applies professional typesetting, and you export files ready for commercial sale on Amazon KDP, Apple Books, Kobo, and other publishing platforms.

Formatting sits between "finished manuscript" and "published book." It covers everything that turns your writing into a reading experience: margins sized correctly so text does not vanish into the spine on a printed copy, running headers with your name and chapter title, page numbers that disappear on chapter opener pages, consistent chapter-to-chapter spacing, proper front matter (title page, copyright, dedication, table of contents), back matter (about the author, other books), drop caps at chapter openings, and the fine typographic details that distinguish a professional publication from a word-processed document.

Without a dedicated formatting tool, authors use Microsoft Word, which is capable but requires manual attention to dozens of settings and tends to produce inconsistent output. Professional formatters charge $150 or more per project to handle this work. Vellum automates most of it.

The software accepts Word (.docx) files as input. You import your manuscript, select from a library of professionally designed book styles, make any adjustments, and export. A single export produces all your needed files at once: EPUB 3 for modern ebook retailers, EPUB 2 for compatibility, a Kindle-optimized ebook file for Amazon, and a print PDF formatted to KDP's or IngramSpark's specifications.

What Vellum does not do:

• It does not write content. There is no AI drafting, outline tool, or chapter generation feature.
• It does not design covers. Cover files are a separate workflow and a separate tool.
• It does not run on Windows, Linux, or ChromeOS. Mac only, specifically macOS 13 or newer.
• It does not allow collaboration. One user, one machine, no cloud sharing.
• It does not publish to platforms. You export files and upload them yourself.
• It does not produce workbook-style interactive PDFs with fillable fields or custom table layouts.

Understanding these limits helps coaches evaluate whether Vellum addresses their actual publishing problem.

Why Coaches Look Up Vellum

Coaches who find Vellum usually arrive through one of three routes.

The referral route: Someone in a mastermind, a private community, or a professional network mentions Vellum as the tool they used to produce their book. The coach searches, ideally finds the software page rather than the stationery aisle, and begins evaluating.

The friction route: A coach who has finished a manuscript spends days fighting Microsoft Word over print margins, table of contents behavior, or KDP's file requirements. They search for a better solution and find Vellum mentioned in self-publishing forums and author communities.

The planning route: A coach who is mapping out the self-publishing process before they start writing discovers that formatting is a production step they will eventually need to handle. Vellum appears repeatedly in articles about the indie publishing workflow as a tool for this phase.

In all three cases, the question is the same: is Vellum the right tool for getting my coaching book formatted and published professionally?

The answer depends on the variables covered in the rest of this guide. For coaches on Mac who have a finished manuscript, Vellum is a strong option. For coaches on Windows, or coaches who have not yet written their manuscript, other tools fit the current situation better.

Vellum Features That Matter for Coaching Books

Coaching books in 2026 typically follow one of two structural patterns: the framework book (a central methodology organized into chapters, each covering one step or principle), or the narrative guide (a more conversational book that tells stories and draws lessons). Both are straightforward for Vellum to handle.

Book styles:

Vellum ships with a curated library of professionally designed book styles. You apply a style to the entire book with one click and see an instant full-book preview. The aesthetic options cover a range from minimal and contemporary (clean serif fonts, restrained chapter openers) to warmer and more decorative. For coaching books, minimal contemporary styles tend to read as more authoritative.

Each style applies consistently across every chapter. There is no per-chapter styling. This is intentional: professional books do not mix heading aesthetics between chapters, and Vellum enforces that consistency automatically.

Heading structure:

Coaching books almost always use subheadings. The Vellum 4.0 release in November 2025 expanded heading support from two levels to four organizational heading levels, each styled to coordinate with the selected book style. You can choose which heading levels appear in the table of contents.

For most coaching books, four heading levels is more than sufficient. A typical structure might use chapter titles at the top level, main section heads at the second level, and subsection heads at the third. The fourth level is available for deep-nested content, though the coaching genre rarely needs it.

Table of contents:

Vellum generates the table of contents automatically from your chapter and heading structure. Change a chapter title and the TOC updates. No manual maintenance. Coaches who revise chapter names late in the drafting process (a common occurrence) find this a genuine time saver.

Device preview:

Vellum shows a live preview of your book across multiple device types simultaneously: Kindle Paperwhite, an iOS device, an Android device, and a tablet view. Because ebook rendering varies by device and by the reader's font size setting, seeing multiple views at once helps catch layout problems before you upload.

Print formatting (Vellum Press):

For coaches who want physical copies for speaking engagements, client gifts, or retail placement, Vellum Press adds full print formatting. You select a trim size from 24 options. For most coaching books in the 40,000 to 70,000 word range, 6x9 inches is the standard choice. Vellum calculates appropriate margins, gutter width, and header positioning for your specific page count and trim size selection automatically.

The print PDF exports in PDF/X-1a format, which is what KDP and IngramSpark require. This specification (embedded fonts, correct color profile) trips up many Word users who attempt standard "Save as PDF." Vellum handles it automatically.

ARC generation:

Advanced Reader Copies are pre-release versions of your book for reviewers and early readers. Vellum generates ARC files in EPUB format automatically. This is useful for coaches who run pre-launch review campaigns through platforms like BookFunnel, or who simply want to send readable copies to colleagues before the launch date.

Unlimited projects:

The one-time purchase covers unlimited books. Coaches who publish a main title, a follow-on guide, and annual updated editions all work from the same copy of Vellum with no additional cost. For coaches who plan to build a body of published work over several years, this is where the value math becomes clear.

Accessibility:

Vellum outputs are ACE-approved, meeting accessibility standards for screen readers. This matters for coaching books intended to be available to readers with visual impairments. Vellum handles it automatically without any additional configuration.

What Vellum Costs in 2026 and How the Value Math Works

Vellum offers two tiers, both one-time purchases with no ongoing fees and free lifetime updates:

Vellum Ebooks: $199.99

Covers ebook formatting only. Produces EPUB 3, EPUB 2, and Kindle-optimized files for Amazon. Does not include print PDF export.

Vellum Press: $249.99

Adds print book formatting to everything in the Ebooks tier. Produces print PDFs alongside all ebook formats. For coaching books going to KDP with both digital and physical editions, Vellum Press is the version to buy. The $50 difference between tiers covers the print capability permanently.

Free trial:

Vellum offers a full-featured trial with no time limit. You format your complete book and see every preview before paying a dollar. Trial exports are watermarked and not commercially usable, but the trial removes any ambiguity about what you are purchasing. A coaching book with a complex heading structure can be tested in the trial before any financial commitment.

The value calculation:

Professional book formatters on Fiverr and comparable platforms typically charge $150 or more for a complete interior formatting job covering ebook and print. Some experienced formatters charge over $300 for complex nonfiction. Vellum Press at $249.99 is roughly equivalent to one professional formatting project, but covers unlimited subsequent projects at no additional cost. The second book breaks even; every book after that is pure savings.

The counterargument: if you are still writing your first book and have not determined whether you will publish more than one, paying $249.99 for a formatting tool before having a manuscript is premature. The right sequence is: finish and edit the manuscript, then evaluate and purchase formatting tools.

Subscription comparison:

Some competing platforms use monthly subscription pricing, typically $10 to $25 per month for all-in-one tools that bundle writing assistance, cover design, and formatting. Over 24 months, a $15 per month subscription totals $360. Vellum Press at $249.99 is less expensive at that rate if you use it continuously. For coaches who prefer lower upfront costs or who want writing assistance bundled into the same monthly payment, subscription-based platforms serve the cash flow preference better.

The PRINT Framework: Five Questions That Clarify Whether Vellum Fits

The decision about whether Vellum is right for your coaching book comes down to five variables. The PRINT Framework makes each one explicit:

P: Platform

Do you own an Apple Mac running macOS 13 Ventura or newer?

If yes, Vellum is technically available to you.

If no, Vellum is not available in any form. The assessment stops here for coaches on Windows, Linux, or Chromebook. The nearest equivalent at a lower price point is Atticus ($147, cross-platform, runs in a browser on any operating system).

R: Ready manuscript

Do you have a completed, drafted, and edited manuscript ready to format?

If yes, you are at the right stage to evaluate and purchase Vellum.

If no, Vellum has nothing to format. The better investment at this stage is a platform that helps you produce the manuscript. Return to the Vellum question once the draft exists. For coaches at the writing stage, the complete guide to AI book writing tools for coaches covers the tools that help at that earlier phase.

I: Investment model

Do you prefer a one-time purchase over a recurring monthly subscription?

If yes, Vellum's pricing model is a match.

If no (you prefer monthly billing, lower upfront cost, or want writing and formatting bundled together), subscription-based platforms that include AI drafting, formatting, and publishing in a single monthly fee may serve your preferences and workflow better.

N: Nonfiction complexity

How complex is your book's structure? Does it require callout boxes (visual breakout panels), true footnotes at the bottom of each page, or multi-column layouts?

If your book is a straightforward single-column nonfiction text with chapter titles and one or two subhead levels, Vellum in 2026 handles it well. The 4.0 update added four heading levels and significantly improved nonfiction support.

If your book requires callout boxes, true footnotes (Vellum converts all footnotes to endnotes), or complex multi-column layouts, Vellum has gaps. Atticus supports callout boxes and true footnotes. For highly designed layouts requiring custom table structures or interactive elements, InDesign or a specialist designer is the appropriate tool.

T: Team structure

Are you the only person who will work in the formatting tool, or do you need multiple people to access the same project?

If you format your own books solo, Vellum's single-user, single-machine design is not a constraint.

If you need a virtual assistant, co-author, or editor to work inside the formatting environment, Vellum has no collaboration capability. A cloud-based tool with multi-user access fits the workflow better.

Reading the PRINT score:

All five match (P=Mac, R=manuscript ready, I=one-time buyer, N=standard nonfiction structure, T=solo): Vellum is a strong fit. Use the free trial to confirm.

P=no (Windows user): Vellum is not available. Atticus is the primary alternative at this price tier.

R=no (no manuscript yet): Do not buy a formatting tool. Finish the manuscript first.

N fails due to callout box or footnote requirements: Atticus handles these features and costs $103 less than Vellum Press.

T fails due to collaboration needs: Look for cloud-based tools with multi-user access.

Vellum vs. Atticus vs. Built&Written for Coaches

The three tools coaches most commonly compare when researching book production in 2026:

Vellum ($249.99 one-time, Mac only)

Best for: Mac-using coaches with a completed manuscript who want the most established, dedicated formatting tool available.

The case for Vellum: it has the longest track record in the indie author community, consistently polished output quality, and print PDFs that formatting service reviewers and print-on-demand services recognize as reliable. The 4.0 update made it meaningfully stronger for nonfiction authors by adding multi-level heading support. For a Mac-based coach who has their manuscript ready and plans to publish multiple titles, Vellum Press at $249.99 delivers clear long-term value.

The case against: Mac-only (rules out Windows users entirely), no AI writing assistance, no cover design, no collaboration, and Atticus has narrowed the feature gap at a lower price.

Atticus ($147 one-time, any platform)

Best for: Coaches on Windows who need a professional formatting tool, and Mac coaches who need features Vellum does not have.

Atticus runs in a browser on any operating system. For coaches on Windows, it is the primary professional formatting alternative. Its feature set includes callout boxes (visual breakout panels for pulling key points from body text), true footnotes (not converted to endnotes), over 1,500 font options, 17 or more themes, a built-in writing environment with word count tracking, cloud storage with automatic backups, and collaboration capability for multiple users.

At $103 less than Vellum Press, it covers more nonfiction-specific features at a lower price. The coaching genre, which often relies on callout boxes and structured frameworks, maps well to Atticus's nonfiction-oriented toolset. The full comparison of formatting tools for coaches on KDP covers Atticus alongside the other leading options.

Built&Written ($15 per month, any platform)

Best for: Coaches who have not yet written their book and want AI assistance to produce, format, and publish it through a single platform.

Built&Written is a different category of tool. Where Vellum and Atticus both assume you bring a finished manuscript, Built&Written helps you produce the manuscript using AI that adapts to your voice. It uses a technology called Voice DNA to generate and expand content that reads like your writing rather than generic AI output. The platform covers the full production cycle from drafted content through formatted, Amazon KDP-ready files.

The comparison with Vellum is based on workflow stage rather than a direct feature-by-feature overlap. If you have a finished manuscript and are on a Mac, Vellum is the purpose-built formatter. If you are still writing, or have not yet started, Built&Written addresses your current problem first.

At $15 per month, it is a subscription rather than a one-time purchase. For coaches who prefer lower monthly costs and want cover design, AI writing, and formatting in a single platform, that bundling has clear appeal. For coaches who simply need to format a manuscript they have already written, paying for writing features they do not need is inefficient.

For coaches deciding where to start the book publishing process, the guide to self-publishing a coaching book on Amazon KDP maps the full workflow and shows where each tool type fits in the sequence.

Getting Started: Your First Vellum Session

If you have a Mac and a completed manuscript, here is a realistic picture of what the first session looks like. This is not a step-by-step tutorial but a preview of the experience so you know what to expect before committing to the software.

Download and install: Vellum is available directly from vellum.pub. No account creation is required for the trial. Download, install, and launch.

Start a new project: Vellum asks for your book title and author name, then prompts you to import your manuscript. Select your Word file. Import takes a few seconds for most book-length documents. After import, your chapters appear in a left sidebar.

Check your chapter structure: If your Word document used proper heading styles (Heading 1 for chapter titles, Heading 2 for section heads), Vellum reads them correctly and creates the appropriate structure automatically. If you used bold text or manual formatting instead of Word heading styles, you may need to assign chapter breaks manually. This takes a few minutes on a first book and teaches you to structure Word documents correctly for faster imports later.

Choose a book style: Open the Style panel and browse the available options. Click one to see an instant full-book preview. For coaching books, the cleaner, more modern styles tend to work better than the ornate, fiction-oriented themes. The preview updates in real time so you can cycle through options without committing.

Set up front and back matter: Add your title page, copyright page, and dedication in the front matter section. Add an About the Author page in the back matter. Vellum generates the table of contents automatically from your chapter structure; you do not write it manually.

Configure print settings (Vellum Press): If you are creating a print edition, set your trim size. For a coaching book in the 40,000 to 70,000 word range, 6x9 inches is the standard choice for KDP. Vellum adjusts margins and gutter settings for your page count automatically.

Preview and refine: Use the device preview panel to check ebook rendering across multiple device types. Check the print preview for any formatting details you want to adjust.

Export: Click Export, choose your output types, and Vellum creates a folder with all your files. The full first session from import to export typically takes two to four hours for a coach using Vellum for the first time. Subsequent books take considerably less time as the process becomes familiar.

What Changed in Vellum in Late 2025 and 2026

If you read an older review of Vellum and found it lacking for nonfiction, the current version is a meaningfully different product on the points that matter most for coaching books.

Vellum 4.0 (November 2025) was the most significant release in several years. The main change was expanded heading support: from two levels to four organizational heading levels. Each level coordinates with the selected book style. A new Heading Preset Settings panel gives authors control over spacing, scaling, alignment, and chapter number formatting. Before this release, Vellum's nonfiction support was a consistent source of criticism from business book authors who needed more than two heading levels to structure their content properly. The 4.0 update addresses this directly.

Vellum 4.1 (March 2026) extended heading controls further based on post-4.0 user feedback. It also improved Word import handling to reduce manual cleanup after bringing in a manuscript from Word or Google Docs (which requires exporting to Word first). A word count graph tool was also added.

Vellum 4.0.3 (February 2026) addressed a KDP print requirement. Amazon flagged the Lucida Grande font as prohibited for KDP print submissions. Vellum 4.0.3 removed it from print output. Coaches using Vellum for KDP print who have not updated to at least version 4.0.3 should install the update before exporting print files. The update is available through Vellum's built-in update mechanism at no cost.

What has not changed: Vellum remains Mac-only. The company has not announced any plans for a Windows or web-based version. Coaches on Windows should plan for Atticus or another cross-platform tool as their long-term formatting path.

The practical implication: Vellum in 2026 is a stronger nonfiction tool than it was in 2024. The four-level heading support and improved Word import address the most common pre-4.0 complaints from business and coaching book authors. If you evaluated Vellum before the 4.0 release and ruled it out for heading structure reasons, the current version is worth a second look on that specific question.

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Key Takeaway: Vellum is purpose-built for one task: taking a finished manuscript on a Mac and turning it into polished, retailer-ready files. The one-time price and unlimited book capacity make the value math work for coaches who publish multiple titles. For coaches still writing, or anyone on Windows, a different tool fits better at the current stage.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is vellum paper?

Vellum paper is a translucent or semi-transparent paper used in printing, stationery, crafts, and architectural drawing. Modern vellum paper is manufactured from heavily processed cellulose fibers (wood pulp or cotton), not from animal skin. It has a smooth, slightly waxy surface and allows light to pass through partially, giving it a distinctive appearance when layered over other materials. The name comes from the original vellum material, which was prepared from calfskin in medieval times.

What is vellum made of?

Traditional vellum was made from the dried and stretched skin of a young calf. The word comes from the Latin vitulinum, meaning "of a calf." Modern vellum paper is manufactured from processed wood pulp, cotton fibers, or synthetic materials treated to produce a translucent, smooth-surfaced sheet that resembles the historical material without requiring animal products.

What is clear vellum?

Clear vellum is the most translucent variety of vellum paper, approaching near-transparency. It is used for tracing, design overlays, and layered print effects where you want to see through the sheet to an image or design underneath. In crafts and stationery, clear vellum creates soft overlay effects without fully obscuring the material below.

What is vellum paper used for?

Modern vellum paper is used for wedding and event stationery overlays, scrapbooking and craft projects, gift wrapping and boutique packaging, architectural and engineering drawings, and specialty printing applications where the translucent quality adds a visual effect. In formal contexts, high-durability vellum papers are used for archival documents requiring long-term preservation.

Is Vellum book software available for Windows?

No. Vellum the book formatting software requires a Mac running macOS 13 or newer. There is no Windows version, no web-based version, and no workaround that makes it run on non-Apple hardware. Coaches on Windows should look at Atticus, which runs in a browser on any operating system and handles both ebook and print formatting at $147 as a one-time purchase.

What does Vellum book software cost in 2026?

Vellum Ebooks is $199.99 for ebook formatting only. Vellum Press is $249.99 for ebooks and print. Both are one-time purchases with no ongoing subscription fees and free lifetime updates. Vellum offers a full-featured trial that lets you format your complete book and review every preview before purchasing. Trial exports are watermarked but the complete product is fully accessible before payment.

Does Vellum help with writing or AI content generation?

No. Vellum is a formatting tool for manuscripts that are already written and edited. It has no AI features, no drafting mode, and no content suggestions. If you need help writing your book, you need a different platform upstream of Vellum. Vellum enters your workflow after the manuscript is complete.

Does Vellum work with Amazon KDP?

Yes. Vellum exports print PDFs in PDF/X-1a format that meets KDP's print interior requirements, and its ebook exports are compatible with KDP's Kindle format specifications. The February 2026 update (version 4.0.3) removed a font that Amazon had flagged as prohibited for KDP print submissions. Current versions of Vellum are KDP-compliant.

What file formats does Vellum accept as input?

Vellum accepts Word (.docx) files. If you write in Google Docs, export your document to Word format before importing into Vellum. If you write in Scrivener, export to Word from Scrivener first. Vellum does not accept plain text, RTF, or PDF files as input.

Can Vellum format a coaching workbook?

Vellum formats text-based books with chapter structure, headings, and standard body text. It does not produce fillable PDF fields, custom table layouts for exercises, or interactive worksheet elements. If your workbook is a text-based guide with questions written as paragraphs, Vellum can format it. If your workbook requires designed form layouts, custom table structures, or interactive elements, a layout tool or specialist designer is more appropriate.

How many books can I format with Vellum?

Unlimited. The one-time purchase covers unlimited projects with no per-book fees. Coaches who publish updated editions of existing titles, release companion guides, or build a library of titles over years pay nothing additional.

What is the difference between a business book and a coaching book, and does the distinction affect which formatting tool I need?

For formatting purposes, there is no meaningful distinction. Both are nonfiction texts with chapter structures and subheadings. The formatting tool question is the same: do you have a Mac, a finished manuscript, and a preference for a one-time purchase? If yes, Vellum fits. If you are still figuring out whether writing a book makes sense for your business at all, the guide to what a business book is and whether you need one covers the strategic question before you get to tool selection.

What is the difference between Vellum and Built&Written?

They solve problems at different workflow stages. Vellum formats a manuscript you have already written. Built&Written helps you produce the manuscript using AI assistance, then handles formatting and KDP-ready output from a single platform. If you have a completed manuscript and are on a Mac, Vellum is the purpose-built formatting choice. If you are still in the writing phase, or want a single platform from concept to published file, Built&Written is the more comprehensive starting point. See the comparison of AI book writing tools for coaches for a side-by-side breakdown.

Does Vellum include cover design?

No. Vellum handles interior formatting only. You need a separate cover file for KDP publishing. Cover design options for coaches include hiring a designer, using KDP's Cover Creator tool (free, basic quality), or using a platform that includes cover generation as part of its feature set.

What happens when Amazon or Apple Books changes their file format requirements?

Vellum updates its export engine when platform requirements change. Those updates are free for all existing customers. This has happened multiple times since Vellum launched, including the February 2026 update that addressed a KDP font requirement. Coaches who published with Vellum and return to release a revised edition years later are working with current, compliant export files.

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Sources & References

• Vellum official site and pricing
• Vellum buy page (tier comparison)
• Atticus features and pricing
• Amazon KDP: Format Your Paperback
• Amazon KDP: Paperback Royalty
• Kindlepreneur: Atticus vs Vellum comparison
• 180g (Vellum's parent company)
• Reedsy Book Editor (free alternative)
• Built&Written (AI-first alternative)