In case anyone else stumbles on this topic and has the same problem, here’s something to check if you’re seeing this behavior in Penbook or other Apple Pencil apps:
Enable Pencil-Only Drawing:
- Open your iPad’s Settings app
- Tap Pencil (left column)
- Turn ON the switch labeled Only Draw with Apple Pencil
- Open Penbook
- Tap
Settings in the topmost menu - Make sure Swipe left/right to turn pages and Swipe up/down to see pages/home are checked
This is an iPad-wide setting that many apps, including Apple Notes and Penbook, rely on to determine how the user wants their Pencil to act.
In Penbook’s case, enabling this switch causes Penbook to interpret all finger input as gestures (turn the page, etc.) while only allowing the Pencil to ink. (This setting should be enabled for other active styluses too, like the Logitech Crayon, Zagg Pro, etc.)
If you have a ‘passive’ stylus – basically, one without a battery – you should leave this setting off, because your iPad can’t tell the difference between a passive stylus and your finger.
If you have the Only Draw with Apple Pencil setting enabled, and this still affects you like @Noel and @Tricreative describe upthread, one thing that can help is giving your Apple Pencil a little wiggle before writing with it. To conserve battery, Apple Pencil will go to sleep very quickly while not in use. A pause while note taking with the Pencil on the table might be long enough for it to doze off. Wiggling it to wake it lets the iPad know that a Pencil is close to the screen at the same time your wrist the screen, improving wrist/palm rejection.