Vellum Formatting · Self-Help
Professional Vellum Formatting for Self-Help Books
Self-help books need clean, readable layouts with well-structured chapters, callout boxes, and action steps. Professional Vellum formatting from $75.
Self-help and non-fiction readers buy books to use them — not just read them. Formatting that gets in the way of actionable content is a liability.
What Non-Fiction Formatting Requires
Self-help books have formatting requirements that differ from fiction:
Hierarchy clarity: Readers scan non-fiction. Your H1/H2/H3 hierarchy needs to be immediately readable. Vellum’s clean heading styles make chapter structure scannable without being distracting.
List formatting: Non-fiction relies heavily on bullet points and numbered lists. Vellum renders these cleanly across all e-readers, with proper indentation and spacing.
Front matter professionalism: For non-fiction, front matter signals authority. A clean title page, copyright page, table of contents, and introduction set the professional tone before the reader reaches your content.
Back matter: Self-help readers want resources. We format your recommended reading list, bibliography, index (where applicable), and author bio section cleanly.
What We Submit From
We accept:
- Microsoft Word (.docx) — preferred
- Google Docs (exported to .docx)
- Scrivener exports (compiled to .docx)
Submit with clean heading styles applied. If your document uses manual formatting (bold text instead of heading styles), we charge a small cleanup fee — contact us first.
The Non-Fiction Pricing Advantage
Self-help books tend to run shorter than fiction (30K–70K words vs. 80K+ for fantasy). This keeps costs at the lower end of our pricing — typically $75 for standard manuscripts. Complex layouts with many tables, callout boxes, or multi-level structures may be $100.
The formatting service pays for itself in professional presentation. Non-fiction buyers judge books by their tables of contents and chapter formatting before purchasing.
What Self-Help Readers Expect
- ✓ Clean, readable chapter structure with clear visual hierarchy
- ✓ Action steps and exercises formatted distinctly from body text
- ✓ Callout boxes or sidebars for key takeaways (where supported by ePub format)
- ✓ Numbered or bulleted lists that render correctly across all e-readers
- ✓ A professional front matter that establishes authority before page one
- ✓ Back matter with recommended resources, references, and author credentials
Pricing for Self-Help Books
$75
Vellum Format
ePub + PDF · 3–5 days
$150
Global Launch Setup
Format + publish · 5–7 days
$200
Bundle
Best value · ~20% off
Note: Most self-help books fall in the 40K–70K word range, priced at $75. Books with complex layouts (callout boxes, worksheets, multi-level lists) may be $100.
Word count range for Self-Help: 30,000–80,000 words
Self-Help Formatting FAQ
Can Vellum handle callout boxes and sidebars in self-help books?
Vellum has limited support for complex callout boxes — ePub format itself has constraints here. We work within what Vellum supports: clean visual separation using borders, background styling, and indentation. For heavily designed non-fiction with complex infographic-style layouts, we'll advise on what's achievable in ePub vs. what's better done in print-only format.
My self-help book has worksheets and exercises. How do these format?
Worksheets in ePub are tricky because readers can't fill them in digitally on most e-readers. We format exercise sections as clearly demarcated content with appropriate spacing. For fill-in exercises, we typically recommend a companion PDF (which we also produce) for use separately.
Do you format self-help books with a lot of bullet points and numbered lists?
Yes. Vellum handles lists cleanly. We ensure consistent indentation, spacing, and list styling throughout your manuscript. Multi-level lists (nested bullets) are handled correctly across all major e-readers.
I'm a first-time non-fiction author. What's the most common formatting mistake?
Submitting a Word document with inconsistent heading styles. Before sending your manuscript, make sure all your chapter titles use the same Word heading level (Heading 1), all subheadings use Heading 2, and your body text is Normal style throughout. This makes the conversion clean and accurate.
Other Genres We Format
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50% upfront · Balance on delivery · Files yours, no lock-in