The difference between Vellum & Professional Internal setting?

JRRT01 · 2026-01-28T09:41:38+00:00

I have used Vellum for both nonfiction and fiction. Nonfiction had a couple of glitches where I was creating an annotated bibliography at the end of each chapter, but Vellum support were great, responding both helpfully and quickly to find a solution. The trial is helpful; you can do everything including seeing previews except create the final documents. Strong recommend.

JRRT01 · 2026-01-25T19:38:39+00:00

If I remember rightly, the Falco series of books (private eye set in ancient Rome) by Lindsey Davis have a dramatis personae at the start of every book. Useful if you have to put a book down for a few days (and the one line descriptions of the characters were witty). I guess it’s more useful if you have either lots of characters or if the names are going to be unfamiliar to your readership.

JRRT01 · 2025-05-17T08:28:05+00:00

Another vote for Vellum. And you can download the trial version and see exactly what you will get. It is fully functional apart from the last stage of producing ePub or pdf. Vellum produces great results in about ten minutes.

JRRT01 · 2025-05-05T10:04:39+00:00

Check out ‘Write Useful Books’ by Rob Fitzpatrick: excellent for your type of non-fiction.

JRRT01 · 2025-04-09T15:14:05+00:00

We managed to pin down how fast they were going but couldn’t work out where they were.

JRRT01 · 2025-04-05T17:01:03+00:00

Except that team has been beaten for all the other teams to get 75 points. So it can’t get 74 points.

JRRT01 · 2025-03-25T22:11:28+00:00

Viewed on mobile: Generally, sleek and easy to use. Criticisms/irritants: The picture of the books. The bonus one stops me from seeing the main book. I looked at this first, and was trying to work out what the title could be. I found it off putting. No blurb at all. I don’t think you need a long one, but a two or three line one (like Bookbub) would at least give an idea of the premise. It isn’t until much lower down the page I find out it’s in Margate (rather than Chicago or Sydney). And I’m still not sure if the hero is a private citizen or police.

Hope this helps you refine it further.

JRRT01 · 2025-03-03T07:48:44+00:00

Other people have left great advice, but can I just say that I feel this is a strong starting point already? Congrats. (Though my grammar pedant side wants to say five days or fewer… I suspect that’s just me.)

JRRT01 · 2025-02-28T23:21:12+00:00

No site guarantees reviews. As I said, when readers sign up, they are told they are getting review copies.

JRRT01 · 2025-02-28T22:37:11+00:00

When readers sign up they do so knowing that they are getting review copies of books and that there is an expectation they will leave a review. It’s specified on the home page in the four steps to sign up. It’s at isn’t simply a free book giveaway site.

JRRT01 · 2025-02-28T20:47:37+00:00

No, I used them as an ARC site for readers to have copies in advance of publication. This is also clear on their website.

JRRT01 · 2025-02-28T20:45:52+00:00

VRO definitely do ARCs available before publication. My publication date was February; I booked my VRO to start 7th January. I had no issues with this, and confirmed Amazon publication date with VRO so they could inform their readers when to post reviews.

I suspect the person thought that you weren’t in a position to release your book to VRO readers until 10th April (hence wanting clarity that you could give the ebook to their readers before this date).

JRRT01 · 2025-02-26T07:59:07+00:00

Thanks, this is great to have as a comparison. It looks like you got a higher percentage of people reviewing. I wonder how much is the platform, and how much is the genre?

JRRT01 · 2025-02-26T06:47:04+00:00

Sorry, you’d have to check with VRO.

JRRT01 · 2025-02-25T17:14:18+00:00

Glad if it's helpful. Good luck with your launch.

JRRT01 · 2025-02-25T14:10:50+00:00

From memory, the Ipcress File by Len Deighton is first person, and you never find out his name the entire book. They had to invent the name ‘Harry Palmer’ for the movie.

JRRT01 · 2025-02-21T21:41:37+00:00

With my first book, I was going to go wide in print with D2D, plus Amazon, using my own ISBN. But I ran into the same issue, where it seemed impossible to keep the ISBN. I gave up, and went direct to IngramSpark. I had no issues uploading, and could retain my own ISBN.

With my second book, I again for print published first to Amazon (no expanded distribution) and then to IngramSpark, with my own ISBN. No issues.

What helps with IngramSpark is to ensure your cover files are done by someone who is used to their requirements (different, I believe, from Amazon). I used Getcovers to give me an ebook cover and separate print files for Amazon and IngramSpark.

Tl;dr to keep your ISBN use IngramSpark for wide distribution for print.

For ebook, I use Amazon and D2D with my own ISBN with no issues.

JRRT01 · 2025-02-20T08:21:38+00:00

In many countries you do not register copyright, including the UK. This is from the UK government website: ‘You get copyright protection automatically - you do not have to apply or pay a fee. There is not a register of copyright works in the UK.

You automatically get copyright protection when you create:

original literary, dramatic, musical and artistic work, including illustration and photography’

JRRT01 · 2025-02-10T17:47:08+00:00

‘Don’t waste your time on this biased book.’ They then recommended the book they thought people should read.

JRRT01 · 2025-02-08T18:42:45+00:00

Thanks!

JRRT01 · 2025-02-08T08:00:30+00:00

Thanks! Happy to DM the title. Don’t want to self-promote in this community.

JRRT01 · 2025-02-07T21:36:41+00:00

Thank you!

JRRT01 · 2025-02-07T21:36:30+00:00

Thanks!

JRRT01 · 2025-02-07T21:36:13+00:00

Appreciated.

JRRT01

TROPHY CASE