Quick answer Checked 1 October 2026. Atticus costs $147 once (about £111) and is software you drive yourself: you write or import your book, choose from 17+ chapter themes and over 1,500 fonts, and export the files. Book Studio costs £29.99 a book including VAT: you upload the Word file you wrote your book in, it makes the paperback, Kindle ebook and covers, shows them beside your Word file, and checks every page against your file and Amazon’s print rules before you pay. Buy Atticus if you will publish several books and want design freedom or a place to write. Use Book Studio if you have one finished Word file and want proof it came through intact.
I run publishing.co.uk, and the Book Studio is ours, so weigh everything here knowing that. I earn nothing from Atticus and there is no affiliate link on this page. Where I describe Atticus I quote its own website and help centre, and where its pages are silent I say so rather than guess.
The verdict, by the kind of author you are
| You are… | Choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Publishing one finished book from a Word file | Book Studio | £29.99 for that book, and you only pay when you take the files. Atticus is $147 whether you publish one book or ten. |
| Planning four or more books | Atticus | Four books in the studio cost £119.96. Atticus is $147 once, about £111, however many books you make. |
| Wanting to design every detail | Atticus | Atticus lists over 1,500 fonts, 17+ chapter themes and a custom theme builder. The studio has 19 fonts plus your own, and 6 looks. |
| Still writing the book | Atticus | It is a writing app as well as a formatter. The studio starts from a finished Word file. |
| Worried something went missing on the way from Word | Book Studio | It checks every paragraph and every bold and italic against your own Word file. Atticus’s help pages point you to Amazon’s previewer to check the result yourself. |
| Needing covers as well as the inside of the book | Book Studio | It makes the paperback, hardcover and Kindle covers. Atticus’s pages do not say it makes covers. |
What each one costs
| Atticus | Book Studio | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $147 | £29.99 a book, including VAT |
| Paid how | Once: “One time payment (No monthly fees. Forever.)” | Once per book, when you take your files |
| Before you pay | 30-day money-back guarantee, “no questions asked” | Free to upload, check and change; no card needed |
| Promise | 30 days to ask for your money back | “Amazon-ready or your money back”, plus a 30-day money-back guarantee |
| Currency | US dollars (“All prices in USD”); your card converts it | Pounds, VAT included |
| Source, 1 Oct 2026 | atticus.io | studio.publishing.co.uk |
At the European Central Bank’s reference rate for 30 September 2026 ($1 = £0.75265), $147 is about £110.64. Your card company will use its own rate. So the cost crosses over at the fourth book: three studio books cost £89.97, four cost £119.96.
What each one does, from their own pages
Book Studio’s side-by-side screen, with the Word file on the left and the finished paperback on the right. Our own sample book, captured 24 September 2026.
| Atticus | Book Studio | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on | Any computer with a browser: “Windows Mac Linux Chrome book”, and it works offline | Any web browser |
| Starts from | Writing in Atticus, or importing a .docx | The Word file you wrote your book in |
| Makes | EPUB, PDF and DOCX; paperback and hardcover interiors; large print | Paperback PDF and Kindle ebook, and paperback, hardcover and Kindle covers (the paperback file is also the hardcover’s inside) |
| Covers | Not stated; its help pages send you to your publisher for spine sizes | Yes, fitted to your page count |
| Page sizes | “some of the most common trim sizes”; no custom sizes | 16 Amazon sizes |
| Fonts | Over 1,500 | 19 |
| Your own font | No: “Atticus does not allow authors to import fonts” | Yes |
| Looks | 17+ chapter themes and a custom theme builder | 6 one-click looks, or set the typeface, text size, chapter openings and colours yourself |
| Preview | A live preview as you change the formatting | The finished pages, side by side with your Word file |
| Change the words | In the editor | “Edit any word”, then the pages are set again |
| Versions | “Version Control: Coming Soon”; you can download backup snapshots | Every version kept; every change can be undone |
| Checks the finished book | Not stated; its help recommends Amazon’s KDP print previewer | Every word, every bold and italic, and Amazon’s print rules, measured on the pages |
| Working with others | Co-writer, editor and beta reader roles; each person needs their own Atticus account | A private link where readers comment on the pages, no account needed |
| Ask for a change in plain words | “Right now, Atticus doesn’t have AI or Chat GPT features integrated.” | Yes: type what you want, such as “make the chapter titles bigger” |
Where Atticus wins
- Design range. Over 1,500 fonts, 17+ chapter themes and a theme builder, against the studio’s 19 fonts and 6 looks. If you already know exactly how your book should look, Atticus gives you more to work with.
- Writing and formatting in one place. You can write the book in Atticus. The studio starts once the writing is done.
- Many books. One payment covers every book you make. From the fourth book on, Atticus costs less than the studio.
- Hardcover interiors and large print. Atticus’s help says it formats interiors “for both ePub and print, including both paperback and hardcover”, and its site ticks large print. The studio makes a hardcover cover, and you use the same inside file for the hardcover.
- Teams. Co-writer, editor and beta reader roles with comments and tracked changes, if everyone has an Atticus account.
Where Book Studio wins
The check page for the same sample book: your words, your bold and italic, the layout against your Word file, and Amazon’s print rules with each measurement. Captured 1 October 2026.
- Nothing to learn. You upload the file you already have. Atticus is software you set up and drive yourself.
- Your Word file beside your book. The studio shows your own file and the finished pages side by side, so you can see the book matches what you wrote.
- Proof before you pay. Every paragraph and every bold and italic is checked against your Word file, and every page is measured against Amazon’s print rules with a safety margin. Atticus’s help sends you to Amazon’s previewer to look for problems yourself.
- Italics that survive. If your Word file uses the “Emphasis” style for italics, Atticus’s own tutorial says that “when I import this into Atticus, it will not bring the italics with it” (atticus.io, updated 27 Feb 2024). The studio checks every italic against your file.
- Every version kept. Atticus lists version control as “Coming Soon”. In the studio every change can be undone.
- Covers and your own font. The studio makes the covers and lets you use your own font. Atticus’s pages do not say it makes covers, and its help says you cannot import fonts.
- A guarantee about Amazon. “Amazon-ready or your money back”. Atticus’s guarantee is a 30-day refund.
What I could not verify
- How many trim sizes Atticus offers. Its help says “some of the most common trim sizes” without a number.
- Whether you can change words directly in Atticus’s preview, rather than in its editor. Its pages do not say.
- Whether a UK buyer pays VAT on top of $147. The checkout said “All prices in USD” and showed US tax by default.
Before you choose
- Count your books. One or two finished books: the studio costs less. Four or more: Atticus does.
- Check your Word file’s italics. If you used Word’s Emphasis style anywhere, test a chapter in whichever tool you pick.
- Try before you pay. Atticus gives you 30 days to ask for your money back. The studio is free until you take your files, so you can see your whole book first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Atticus worth it for one book?
For one book, Atticus costs $147, about £111. Book Studio costs £29.99 for that book, including the covers, and checks it against your Word file before you pay. Atticus starts to cost less than the studio from your fourth book.
Does Atticus make book covers?
Atticus’s own pages do not say it makes covers. For spine width, its help tells you to take your trim size and page count to your publisher. Book Studio makes the paperback, hardcover and Kindle covers to fit your page count.
Can I use my own font in Atticus?
No. Its help centre says “Atticus does not allow authors to import fonts into our platform.” Atticus offers over 1,500 fonts instead. Book Studio has 19 fonts and lets you add your own.
Does Atticus check my book for Amazon?
Atticus colour-codes trim sizes by publisher, and its help recommends checking your PDF with Amazon’s KDP print previewer. Its pages do not describe a check of the finished book against your original file. Book Studio checks every word, bold and italic against your Word file, and measures every page against Amazon’s print rules.
Is Book Studio a subscription?
No. It is £29.99 including VAT, paid once per book, when you take your files. Uploading, checking and changing the book are free.
