An open book lies on a reddish-brown wooden table top, with the book open to a Sherlock Holmes mystery, formatted with custom images and text

Format your book quickly and easily

The book formatting software called Vellum is an amazing tool for today's self-publishing world, and it's available to Mac users with access from PC as well.

This step-by-step course helps you transform a bland working file into a gorgeous print book or ebook, ready to be uploaded for publishing.

This course is perfect for you if ...

  • You're new to making your own ebooks and print books and want a solid foundation
  • You're an experienced author who wants to level up your Vellum formatting and customization
  • You want freedom to make changes to your book ANY TIME you want, without delays and extra payments to another formatter
  • You want a no-judgment space with simple but comprehensive lessons and access to a patient, encouraging teacher

Your start to finish Vellum course

A woman with glasses, wearing a dark blue business jacket and white shirt, sits at a table with a note pad and her phone, making notes.

Ready...

Collect all the items and information you need, either your own files or the practice files provided to students.

We view over the shoulder of a person sitting at a wooden table with a coffee mug to their left, their keyboard and mouse in use as they look at a computer screen playing an instructionalvideo.

Set...

Follow guided steps through a full book format project in the Vellum software, both basics and advanced techniques for ebooks and print.


Success!

You'll be so happy with the tools to complete your book text files, or your money back! Just add your cover, upload to retailers, and prepare to hold your own book in your hands.

Meet the instructor:

Jody Skinner


Jody Skinner has helped authors, editors, proofreaders and VAs since 2017, privately and on social media.

With now hundreds of books formatted with Adobe InDesign and Vellum, Jody is opening the doors to what she's learned, breaking down book formats into simple steps and helping people find what works for them AND their project.

Jody's mission is simple: to foster supportive community in the publishing world and to empower every author to create stunning books and experience the joy of holding their work in their hands.

Take the next step toward making your publishing dreams a reality!

A woman wearing blue jeans and a black pullover hoodie sits on a wooden stool in front of a giant newspaper collage. She looks friendly and approachable as she smiles right at the viewer.

Frequently Asked Questions


Is this course suitable for beginners?

Absolutely! This course starts from the basics and includes optional advanced features.

Will I need any special technical skills?

Not at all. If you can use basic word processing software, you're ready for this course.

What if I get stuck or have questions?

Students have access to one another and the instructor through a connected Teachable community as well as Jody's Facebook group.

Is Vellum only for Mac users?

While Vellum is a Mac app, the course covers PC workarounds.

What if this course doesn't work for me?

Write to hello(at)skinnerbooks.com within 30 days of purchase to have your money refunded, no questions asked.

Course price

Curriculum

  Preliminaries and notes
Available in days
days after you enroll
  Module 1: Introductions, interface, and setup
Available in days
days after you enroll
  Module 1 extras
Available in days
days after you enroll
  Module 2: Project files and data setup
Available in days
days after you enroll
  Module 2 extras
Available in days
days after you enroll
  Module 3: Mastering the elements (chapters, title page, front/back matter...)
Available in days
days after you enroll
  Module 3 extras
Available in days
days after you enroll
  Module 4: All about "Styles" and customizing your Vellum template
Available in days
days after you enroll
  Module 4/5: Crossovers — Styles & Text Features
Available in days
days after you enroll
  Module 5: Text Features - fine-tuning your book text
Available in days
days after you enroll
  Module 6:
Available in days
days after you enroll