A Vellum alternative that runs in any browser, not just on a Mac
Vellum makes gorgeous books, but it is a macOS-only application. Fairy Godmother does the same job, beautiful typesetting with store-ready EPUB and print-ready PDF export, entirely in your web browser. Windows, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS, even a tablet.
Free to format and preview your whole book. £149 one time to export, no subscription.
The problem with Vellum: it needs a Mac
Vellum has earned its reputation. Its themed styles, drop caps and clean exports set the standard for indie book formatting. But it is built exclusively for macOS. If you write on a Windows PC, a Linux machine or a Chromebook, you cannot run it at all. The usual workarounds, renting a cloud Mac by the hour or borrowing a friend's MacBook every time you fix a typo, add cost and friction to a job you may need to repeat with every new edition and every new book.
Fairy Godmother, by Ever After Press, was built to remove that barrier. It is a full book formatting studio that runs at fairy.everafterpress.co.uk in any modern browser. There is nothing to download and no operating system requirement. If your machine can open a web page, it can format your book.
Vellum vs Fairy Godmother at a glance
| Vellum | Fairy Godmother | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | macOS only | Any modern browser: Windows, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS, tablets |
| Install | Desktop app download | Nothing to install |
| Price (at time of writing) | US$199.99 ebooks, US$249.99 with print | £149 one time, ebook and print included |
| Free trial | Free to format and preview, pay to export | Free to format and preview, pay to export |
| Ebook output | EPUB for major stores | EPUB 3 with Kindle (KDP), Apple Books, Kobo, Nook and generic presets |
| Print output | Print PDF (Vellum Press tier) | Print-ready PDF with running heads, page numbers, trim sizes, plus a full cover wrap (back, spine, front) |
| Import | Word documents | Word, PDF (auto-cleaned), EPUB, HTML, Markdown |
| Styles | Named book styles | 14 hand-tuned themes, five chapter-heading styles, drop caps, ornamental scene breaks |
| Where your work lives | Local Mac files | Local-first in your browser, optional sign-in to sync across devices |
Prices are as listed by each product at the time of writing; check vellum.pub for their current pricing.
What Fairy Godmother actually gives you
The workflow will feel familiar if you have watched a Vellum demo. Import your manuscript (a Word document is the common route, but PDF, EPUB, HTML and Markdown all work, and PDFs are automatically de-hyphenated and stripped of stray page numbers and running heads). Fairy Godmother splits it into chapters for you. Then pick one of 14 themes, each a coherent pairing of fonts, ornaments and chapter-heading treatment, and watch the live preview update across Kindle, iPad, phone and print layouts as you type.
Front and back matter build themselves from your book details: title page, copyright page, dedication, table of contents, also-by and about-the-author pages. When the book looks right, export a valid EPUB 3 with a preset for your store, and a print-ready PDF with running heads, page numbers and your trim size. Fairy Godmother will even generate a complete print cover wrap, back cover, spine and front cover, sized to your page count, which Vellum does not attempt.
An honest comparison
Where does Vellum still win? It is a mature, polished native app with years of refinement, and if you already own a Mac and have already paid for Vellum, there is no pressing reason to switch. Vellum also offers some specialised output options that a newer tool has not matched feature-for-feature.
Where Fairy Godmother wins: it runs on the computer you already own, whatever that is. It costs less than Vellum Press while including both ebook and print output in one payment. It imports more formats. And because the studio is free until you export, you can take your actual finished manuscript all the way to a fully previewed book before spending a penny, so you know exactly what you are buying.
Frequently asked questions
Does Vellum work on Windows?
No. Vellum is a macOS application and does not run on Windows, Linux or Chromebooks; Windows users typically resort to renting a cloud Mac. Fairy Godmother does the same job, book formatting with EPUB and print-ready PDF export, in any modern browser, so it works on Windows, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS and tablets with nothing to install.
How much does Vellum cost compared to Fairy Godmother?
At the time of writing Vellum costs US$199.99 for ebook output or US$249.99 for ebook plus print (Vellum Press). Fairy Godmother is £149 as a single one-time payment and that includes both EPUB and print-ready PDF export. Both tools let you format and preview your whole book for free before paying; you only pay to export.
Can Fairy Godmother produce print-ready PDFs like Vellum Press?
Yes. Fairy Godmother exports a print-ready PDF with running heads, page numbers, drop caps, ornamental scene breaks and your chosen trim size, plus a full print cover wrap (back cover, spine and front cover) sized to your page count. Print output is included in the single £149 unlock rather than being a higher pricing tier.
Does Fairy Godmother export EPUBs that work on Kindle, Apple Books and Kobo?
Yes. Fairy Godmother exports valid EPUB 3 files with presets tuned for Kindle (KDP), Apple Books, Kobo and Nook, as well as a generic EPUB for any other store or direct sales. You upload the exported file to each store yourself, exactly as you would with a Vellum export.
Do I need to install anything to use Fairy Godmother?
No. Fairy Godmother runs entirely in the browser at fairy.everafterpress.co.uk. There is no download, no installer and no minimum operating system version. Your work is stored locally in your browser first, and you can sign in to sync your books across devices.
Is Fairy Godmother free to try before buying?
Yes. You can import your manuscript, format the whole book, try all 14 themes and preview every page on Kindle, phone, tablet and print layouts for free. The one-time £149 payment is only needed when you want to export the finished EPUB or PDF, and there is no subscription.
Format your book on the computer you already own
Import your manuscript and see it fully typeset in minutes. Free until you export.
Also comparing tools? Read our honest Atticus alternative comparison, or start from the basics with how to format a book online free and make an EPUB in your browser.