diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 5a0e748..bdb45bf 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,6 +1,15 @@
 # tpxo-tide-prediction - Changelog
 
+## v0.2.5 (2024-01-18)
+
+Fixed issue #8 with `VERSION` file.
+
+## v0.2.4 (2023-01-31)
+
+Fixed issues #1 and #2
+
 ## v0.2.3 (2022-10-17)
+
 Release for Zenodo DOI. 
 No futher code changes.
 
@@ -15,8 +24,8 @@ Minor bugfix.
 ### Changed
 
 - `utils.py`
-   - `subset_region()`:
-      - fix indexing when both minimum and maximum longitude are in between two grid nodes of loaded constituent netCDF files
+     - `subset_region()`:
+          - fix indexing when both minimum and maximum longitude are in between two grid nodes of loaded constituent netCDF files
 
 ## v0.2.1 (2022-06-02)
 
@@ -25,11 +34,11 @@ Minor bugfixes.
 ### Changed
 
 - `predict_tide.py`
-   - `read_parameter_file()`
-      - fix error after parsing single time input from command line
+     - `read_parameter_file()`
+          - fix error after parsing single time input from command line
 - `utils.py`
-   - `subset_region()`:
-      - selecting only single position
+     - `subset_region()`:
+          - selecting only single position
 
 ## v0.2.0 (2022-04-24)
 
@@ -44,16 +53,16 @@ Changed interpolation method from _cubic_ to _linear_ (according to [xarray.Data
 ### Changed
 
 - `predict_tide.py`
-   - changed default interpolation method to *linear*
-   - raise `MemoryError` if interpolated tide array is too huge to allocate
-   - use **only** associated timestamp for tide predition if `mode = 'track'` (more efficient!)
+     - changed default interpolation method to *linear*
+     - raise `MemoryError` if interpolated tide array is too huge to allocate
+     - use **only** associated timestamp for tide predition if `mode = 'track'` (more efficient!)
 - `utils.py`
-   - `subset_region()`:
-      - reworked indexing method
-      - changed default number of nodes to pad subset region from 10 to **3**
-   - `read_h_netCDFs()`:
-      - changed subset selection from _labeled_ (`.sel`) to _integer-based_ (`.isel`)
-      - changed default number of nodes to pad subset region from 10 to **3**
+     - `subset_region()`:
+          - reworked indexing method
+          - changed default number of nodes to pad subset region from 10 to **3**
+     - `read_h_netCDFs()`:
+          - changed subset selection from _labeled_ (`.sel`) to _integer-based_ (`.isel`)
+          - changed default number of nodes to pad subset region from 10 to **3**
 
 ## v0.1.1 (2022-02-27)
 
diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
deleted file mode 100644
index abd4105..0000000
--- a/VERSION
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-0.2.4
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index d79149f..4645ad7 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -2,28 +2,19 @@
 import setuptools
 
 def read(fname, mode='r', encoding='utf-8'):
-    """ Wrapper for open() """
-    return open(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), fname),
-                mode=mode, 
-                encoding=encoding)
+    """Wrap open() function."""
+    return open(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), 'tpxo_tide_prediction', fname), mode=mode, encoding=encoding)
 
-def get_version(fname='VERSION'):
-    """ Retrieve package version from VERSION file """
-    try:
-        with read(fname) as f:
-            version = f.read()
-        return version
-    except FileNotFoundError:
-        raise RuntimeError('Unable to find version string in file "VERSION"')
-
-with read('README.md') as f:
+with open('README.md') as f:
     long_description = f.read()
 
-# print(get_version())
+VERSION = {}
+with read('_version.py') as fp:
+    exec(fp.read(), VERSION)
 
 setuptools.setup(
     name='tpxo-tide-prediction',
-    version=get_version(),
+    version=VERSION['__version__'],
     author='Fynn Warnke',
     author_email='fwrnke@mailbox.org',
     description='Predict tidal elevation based on TPXO9-atlas model',
@@ -55,4 +46,4 @@ def get_version(fname='VERSION'):
         'predict_tide=tpxo_tide_prediction.predict_tide:main',
         ],
     },
-)
\ No newline at end of file
+)
diff --git a/tpxo_tide_prediction/__init__.py b/tpxo_tide_prediction/__init__.py
index e80f999..1a8904d 100644
--- a/tpxo_tide_prediction/__init__.py
+++ b/tpxo_tide_prediction/__init__.py
@@ -1,8 +1,7 @@
 import os  # noqa
+from ._version import __version__  # noqa
 from .predict_tide import (  # noqa
     read_parameter_file,
     tide_predict,
     write_tides
     )
-
-__version__ = open(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), '../VERSION')).read().rstrip('\n')
diff --git a/tpxo_tide_prediction/_version.py b/tpxo_tide_prediction/_version.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..13a85f7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tpxo_tide_prediction/_version.py
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+__version__ = '0.2.5'