Intro to Advanced Text Styling II: Create Captions

by Jeffrey Yozwiak on May 10, 2012

This is the second post in an on-going, multi-part series about Vook’s powerful text styling capabilities. Read Part 1, and make sure to stay tuned into our blog for weekly updates. Last week I showed you how to use quotes and tip boxes. Today’s topic is… Captions Did you know that captions created with Vook always stay on the same page as their images? All you need to do is let Vook know what is a caption and what isn’t. To   Read more…

7 Tips for Writing an International eBook

by Megan Berry on May 8, 2012

It’s widely reported that eBooks are a growing trend. In the United States, 1 of every 4 adults own either an e-reader or a tablet. This goes beyond devices, as readership of eBooks doubled in just six months, according to The Association of American Publishers. While the US may be getting the most industry attention, eBook readership is also on the rise in foreign markets. With this trend, authors are increasing their efforts to reach a global audience. By making   Read more…

Need help building your eBooks?

by Matthew Cavnar on May 7, 2012

Our VookMasters can do the work for you.  Users call Vook “super easy-to-use,” but we get that not everyone’s into DIY publishing. So today we’re launching our VookMasters program. Our VookMasters are eBook experts who will build your eBook, send you review copies, incorporate your feedback, and realize your vision. Last week, a publisher contacted us with ten eBooks he didn’t have the resources to build himself. After we connected him to a VookMaster, he had eBooks to review in a day.   Read more…

Intro to Advanced Text Styling: Tip boxes and Quotes

by Jeffrey Yozwiak on May 3, 2012

Vook has an unparalleled ability to create great-looking eBooks. It’s all thanks to our Style editor—a proprietary tool that empowers you to edit and create a stylesheet without knowing any code. This week and the next, I’m going to show you tips for unlocking the Style editor’s full capabilities for designing text—everything from setting the margins to controlling the spacing between lines. Today, we’re going to focus on tip boxes and block quotes. Tip boxes are like callouts or sidebars inside textbooks: they   Read more…

You Asked. We Listened. New Accounts at Vook starting at $9.99

by Matthew Cavnar on May 1, 2012

We surveyed our users last week—and hundreds of them rushed to tell us what they thought of Vook. A big thanks to all respondents; the winner of the free Professional account is our user Tonya Gupta (congrats Tonya!).   When we reviewed the survey, two comments came up with stunning frequency: 1) Our users love our product. They call it “elegant” “easy to use” “incredibly well designed” and “so simple”. 2) Our users need more flexible pricing. A vast majority of   Read more…

Customize Your eBook for Different Outlets

by Jeffrey Yozwiak on April 27, 2012

The two most popular eBook formats are ePub and KF8. ePub is used by Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Sony, and many other retail channels. KF8 (formerly Mobi), on the other hand, is a proprietary format used only by Amazon. Vook makes it a snap to design eBooks in both ePub and KF8 formats, because you can quickly create an eBook in either format on the Preview page. ePub and KF8, though, support different settings in the Style editor. We’ve outlined them   Read more…

@MikeBloomberg on #NYCFTW

by Matthew Cavnar on April 25, 2012

We’re obviously grateful to Lerer Ventures for investing in Vook — but we personally love the benefits and support they extend to their portfolio companies. They’re often both useful and cool. This Tuesday, they one-upped themselves by gathering members of their start-ups at Citi Field to hear from New York’s Entrepreneur-in-Chief, Mike Bloomberg. We expected a polite overview on innovation, finance and the city’s CTO (to cover the tech angle)—but instead the Mayor delivered an impassioned, metrics driven talk focused   Read more…

eBooks on the Rise [Infographic]

by Megan Berry on April 25, 2012

One in four Americans now owns an e-reader or tablet (Pew Research) and eBook users read 60% more books. That’s a powerful combination that’s changing the publishing industry as we know it. Just how much? See for yourself… Courtesy of: CreditDonkey Have you seen any other great eBook stats lately? Send them our way!

The Rise of Just-In-Time Publishing

by Megan Berry on April 24, 2012

Jason Ashlock, President of Movable Type Management, is trying to perfect “just-in-time publishing.” Movable Type released a book about Linsanity within six days of him becoming a national sensation. Similarly, they quickly put together a book for opening day for the Mets and for the 5th anniversary of the Virginia Tech Massacre. They are developing expertise at working with authors to quickly put together timely and topical eBooks using Vook. We sat down with Jason to discuss how he does this:   Read more…

Using Microsoft Word and Vook to Create Gorgeous eBooks

by Jeffrey Yozwiak on April 23, 2012

With a little bit of smart tagging, Microsoft Word can become a Vook pre-production powerhouse. To create eBooks quickly and easily, use Microsoft Word’s Styles as you’re preparing your manuscript. 1. First, open the Styles Gallery. Usually, it’s in the Microsoft Word “ribbon” at the top of your page. You can also open a small Styles toolbox by going to View > Styles. 2. Then, apply the Title style to your chapter titles. To apply a style, just place your cursor inside   Read more…