Lacuna is a book formatter you install on Windows, macOS or Linux. You import a .docx, style the book in its editor, and export an EPUB and a print-ready PDF. It works offline, and the manuscript stays on your computer.
How it is sold
Lacuna is free to use with every feature, and a licence unlocks the export. The licence is a one-time payment for a number of computers: $149 for one, $239 for two and $339 for three.
Its refund policy says that all sales are final. A refund is given only if the software does not work for you within 14 days of purchase and the fault cannot be fixed.
Lacuna does not make covers. Its own answer is that the cover is designed separately and uploaded beside the interior.
What Torcul does differently
- Nothing to install. It runs in a browser, so any computer will do. The manuscript is uploaded, and it is deleted with everything made from it six hours later.
- A licence for a book, not a computer. Its key opens that book in any browser. A second book needs its own licence, and Pricing gives the price.
- A refund for any reason. A payment is refunded in full within 14 days, until you download the files. The terms give the details.
- The cover too. If you want one, Torcul makes the full cover, set in type or around your own front picture. It is sized from the finished interior, because the spine width follows the page count.
- Checked files. The print files are checked against KDP's published requirements, and layout faults are counted in the finished PDF. The EPUB is validated with EPUBCheck, and anything that cannot be checked is reported as unchecked.
Torcul also does less. It has three interior designs and no editor, so there are no callout boxes, chat bubbles or images placed by hand. It sets the manuscript you give it.
Moving a book over
Start from the .docx you imported into Lacuna. If you changed the text in Lacuna, export a .docx from it first.
You can see how Torcul reads that file in your browser, without uploading anything.