Atticus Review 2023: The One-stop Shop for Writing and Formatting

Welcome to this comprehensive Atticus review! In this, I will tell you why I believe Atticus is the only program you will ever need for formatting and writing.

That’s right, I believe that Atticus is the best writing software, the one-stop-shop for writers as they are writing, editing, and formatting their books.

Honestly, when I first heard about Atticus, I was a bit skeptical. Could there really be a program that could replace not just Vellum, but Scrivener as well? And then on top of that, add Google Docs-like capability?

Yes, yes it could.

In this review of Atticus, I’ll walk you through exactly how it does all this.

Atticus Review 2023: Is Atticus Any Good?

Yes, Atticus is a tremendous software for authors. It manages to combine the best of all of the other software out there, including Vellum, Scrivener, and even Google Docs.

And while it still has a lot of features yet to come, I can easily say that I am transitioning all my books to this program, and will continue to write, edit, and format with Atticus in the future.

How Much Does Atticus Cost?

Atticus costs $147 for a lifetime account. That’s it. There are no subscription fees, no paid upgrades in the future, what you pay for is what you get.

The best part about this, is that you will get all future updates completely for free if you buy the software today. And there are a lot of really cool features coming, at least according to the Atticus roadmap.

Is There an Atticus Free Download?

No, there is not a free download of Atticus, nor is there a free trial. However, there is a 30-day money-back guarantee, so if you are not satisfied with Atticus for any reason, then you can get your money back. So if you’re willing to shell out the money temporarily, just to try it out, you can do that.

That said, I think you will be pretty satisfied with what they have.

Atticus Coupon Information

I did some research, and it looks like there are no coupons or ways to discount Atticus, at least at this time. Atticus is still a fairly new program, and so I don’t think we can expect a ton of coupons at this point.

What is Atticus & What is Atticus Used For? My Atticus Overview:

In a nutshell, Atticus is a writing and formatting program, with the goal of being the one-stop-shop for authors. Currently, it is primarily a formatting program, but more features are coming that will turn it into a competitor with Scrivener, Google Docs, and a few features that don’t exist in any program ever.

Atticus started out as a major competitor to Vellum, which until then was the only great formatting software for regular fiction and nonfiction books. However, Vellum was only available for Mac users, and you literally had to buy a Macintosh computer in order to run it. Seriously, I know authors that did this.

But not anymore. Now with Atticus, you can run on any program which is one of its best features. (see my comparison of the two programs)

And speaking of features…

Atticus Features List

Here are some of the main features you can find it Atticus:

1. Cross-platform functionality
2. A robust theme generator
3. The print previewer
4. Its word processor
5. Large print options
6. Reusable elements
7. Goal setting
8. Full-bleed images
9. Volumes and Parts
10. Headings
11. Footnotes and Endnotes
12. Integrations

There are a lot more features than this, but these are the ones that get me most excited. Let’s dive into them one by one.

1. It’s Cross-platform!

By far the best feature is that Atticus is available on all platforms, unlike Vellum which is only available for Mac. But Atticus can be used on a Windows machine, a Mac, a Chromebook, or a Linux machine.

And it doesn’t have to be online either. Atticus uses something called a progressive web app (PWA) which allows you to access the program online, but also to access it from your computer offline.

The only time that you will need to be online is when you initially login, and when you choose to export a book.

2. The Theme Generator

The theme generator is another feature that I’m super excited about. Basically, you can create chapter themes that are customized however you like. You can change the font of each element, the size, the positioning, and even images that you’d like to use.

You can even use full-bleed images which extend all the way to the edges of your print book, which gives you some incredibly exciting possibilities with background images for your chapter themes.

You can also customize the fonts of your text, the headers and footers, and even the fonts that you write with. For example, writing in a dyslexic font can help people with dyslexia, or help you catch different errors when you’re editing.

Basically, everything is customizable.

3. The Print Previewer

Vellum has this too, but Atticus has a really cool print previewer that lets you see exactly what each page will look like in its finished, formatted form (say that five times fast).

This is really useful for seeing what your chapter themes look like before having to go through the hassle of exporting your entire book.

4. Its Word Processor

The word processor is the part of the program where you actually write the book. Atticus has a really great word processor, one that works way better than Google Docs or Vellum.

The only writing program I know of that marginally beats it out is Scrivener, but Scrivener has a habit of being way too complicated, and Atticus is just a simple as you need it to be. You can easily drag and drop your chapters and other back/front matter elements to the side, and the actual writing window is pretty customizable.

For example, you can change the font size and font type for the writing window, so you can write with a huge font, or with the font that you enjoy looking at, even if that’s not the font that your book will be formatted in eventually.

5. Large Print Options

A lot of programs will create books with a larger font, but Atticus is the only one I know of that pays strict attention to detail on all of the different requirements for large print books.

This includes things like print size, a sans-serif font, the trim size, margins, etc. Basically, there is a lot more to large print books than just a large font. Atticus helps you create large print books easily and effectively.

6. Reusable Elements

Okay, you guys, this is one of my favorite features on this list. Have you ever created an author bio page, or a “read more from this author” page, then had to copy and paste that page to all of your books? And then, if you had to make changes to that page, you would then have to copy and paste it again into all your books.

Wouldn’t it be nice if there was an easier way to do this?

Well Atticus can create a reusable element, which is a way of creating a set template for something like an author page (but it is not limited to this), then reusing that element over and over again in your books.

The best part is that if you make a change to the reusable element, you have the option of updating it across all books that use that same element. It’s a fantastic feature that I’m surprised Vellum has never developed.

7. Goal Setting

Last, but not least, I want to talk about goal setting. There are a number of great goal-setting programs, but few writing programs actually integrate them into the software. Atticus does this.

Atticus lets you create project goals or habit goals. Project goals allow you to set an estimated word count for your book, outline how many days you’re planning to write, input your deadline, and it will automatically generate the word count that you must hit each day to hit that deadline.

Or, if you prefer habit tracking, you can put in a daily word count goal and it will gamify the process of writing for you. Personally, I can no longer not hit that daily word count goal, because I have to keep my streak alive!

8. Full-Bleed Images

Do you ever feel limited by just inserting images that float in the middle of a page? Well Atticus lets you upload images that will extend all the way to the edges of your pages with full-bleed images.

This means you can have some really cool effects with images in the background of your entire page or spread. It also makes Atticus a great choice for creating visual books like children’s books, cookbooks, or even comics. The possibilities are wide open.

9. Volumes and Parts

One hugely powerful feature that Atticus has over pretty much every other program is the ability to easily create multi-volume books and box sets.

Atticus lets you organize your book into volumes and parts. So if you’re writing an epic fantasy series, you can have Volume 1 be the first book, then have Part 1, Part 2, etc within that book. Or if you’re creating a box set, you can have each book be its own volume.

This saves a ton of time compared to having to manually create each separate file for every volume and part. Atticus handles it seamlessly.

10. Headings

Here’s something you may not know – most ebook creation software out there doesn’t let you have a full range of heading sizes. Heading one and two is usually it.

But Atticus breaks that mold by giving you heading levels 1 through 6, just like Word. This adds flexibility in structuring your book’s content and is especially useful for nonfiction books.

Vellum doesn’t offer multiple heading sizes, so this is a big advantage over it. Unless you want to get into complicated Adobe InDesign, Atticus is the only intuitive option for full headings.

11. Effortless Footnotes and Endnotes

As any nonfiction author knows, footnotes and endnotes can be a huge pain to implement correctly in your books. You practically need a desktop publishing degree to figure them out in complex programs like Word or InDesign.

But Atticus makes adding footnotes and endnotes simple. The interface allows you to easily insert notes and have them automatically numbered and formatted for both digital and print books. No more headaches trying to get your notes to display right!

Atticus removes the technical hassle from footnotes and endnotes so you can focus on writing great content instead of formatting.

12. Integrations

To round things out, Atticus has some really useful integrations with other author tools:

• Book Brush integration lets you easily find premade book covers and interior images that are the perfect size for your projects.
• ProWritingAid integration means you can run your manuscript through a grammar and style check seamlessly within Atticus.

Having these partnerships saves you time hopping between programs and streamlines your entire book creation process.

Atticus Pros and Cons

There are a number of Atticus pros and cons that I thought I would sum up here:

Atticus Advantages

Here are the things I like most about Atticus:

• Cross-platform compatibility
• It’s a great formatting platform
• It has large print options
• It has reusable elements
• It’s much cheaper than Vellum
• I can use it on all my devices
• Easy footnotes!
• Volumes and parts

Atticus Disadvantages

While Atticus has a lot going for it, it’s not a perfect program (yet), and there are honestly a few things I would like to see:

• No collaboration tool yet (coming soon)

Atticus Praise (from real Atticus customer reviews)

“Once upon a time, Luke Skywalker was just a farmer. Humble beginnings. Full of dreams. Then Frodo got called to carry the One Ring. Now Atticus rises, inviting authors to create and publish better-crafted books.” – Jeremy Bursey

“Atticus is definitely the writing app to watch. It makes beautiful ebooks possible for everyone, and it’s an innovative breath of fresh air.” – Michael La Ronn

“After using Atticus to publish two books I realized how laborious my previous setup was. Atticus replaced all of the software packages I was using. With Atticus I can now write, format and export from one system.” – Robb Wallace

“My questions were answered promptly, factually, in great detail and in a friendly and encouraging manner. I find Atticus itself very appealing due to the intuitive way it works and the choices it gives.” – Kay Von Randow

“Atticus is easy to use and gives me so much time back by simplifying the formatting process for each new project. The team is super responsive for suggestions and troubleshooting and I’m really impressed with the end product.” – Bee Murray

Review of Atticus’s Support

Atticus gets its support from the same team that does Publisher Rocket, and if you know Publisher Rocket, you know that they have an amazing support team.

I had one tiny issue when I was working on a book in Atticus, and I contacted their support, and the issue was literally fixed within a few hours because they got back to me so fast.

Is Atticus Worth it? My Conclusion

I can say with all my heart that yes, Atticus is worth it. Atticus is shaping up to be the single best writing software for authors. Period.

Not only is it a great formatting software, but it encourages you to write with its goalsetting features, and provides a lot more than just formatting.

In short, I highly recommend you check it out.

Get Atticus Today!