If you’ve spent any time at all around the world of self-publishing, you’ll know that it’s not always easy to know which companies you can trust.
Related: Best Self-Publishing Companies
There are plenty of organizations that have slick marketing and promise far more than they deliver.
But is that the case with Archangel Ink?
We want you to make informed decisions when it comes to how and where to invest your money. That’s why our mission is to help educate authors on the various self-publishing companies and services that are on the market today.
Our reviews are meant to be unbiased, 3rd party reviews, but we will speak up if there is a scam or a clearly better option.
Before you invest any time or money in Archangel Ink, please read on. We’ve carried out thorough and up to date research so you can decide if this is the right option for your book.
Here’s what we’ll cover in this Archangel Ink Review:
- What is Archangel Ink?
- Packages and Pricing
- Should I use Archangel Ink?
- Archangel Ink Review: Pros and Cons
- Other Archangel Ink Reviews
- Alternatives to Archangel Ink
- Final Rating
What is Archangel Ink?
Archangel Ink has been operating since 2008 with the mission to open up the world of top-quality book design and publishing services to indie authors.
Many people wrongly assume that the work of an indie author is of lower quality than a traditional author, and Archangel exists to show that doesn’t have to be the case.
Rob Archangel and Matt Stone are the masterminds behind Archangel Ink. Both men have an excellent track record in the self-publishing community and are great examples of people who walk the walk.
Today, Archangel Ink states that they aim to help people leverage their credibility and expertise into self-publishing success. They aim to do this by offering individual self-publishing services for independent authors as well as combination service packages.
Let’s take a look at the specific services on offer at Archangel Ink and how much authors are required to invest.
Packages and Pricing
If you decide to use Archangel Ink's services, you have the choice of either selecting individual services based on the specific needs of your book project, or opting for a package of bundled services. We'll take a look at both routes.
Archangel Ink – Services
If you want to invest in individual services from Archangel Ink, they currently offer all of the following on an a la carte basis.
Custom Cover Design – $550
Having a professional book cover is one of the most important items on the to-do list of any self-publisher. A low-quality cover massively hurts the credibility of any indie author and hurts their potential book sales significantly.
Archangel Ink offers a custom cover design for $550 at the time of this posting. The examples shown on their website are incredible and look as good as anything you’d find in a bookstore. As well as the cover itself, Archangel provides digital versions and banners that can be used as part of an author’s promotional strategy.
Book Launch Coaching – Price not listed
Launching a book is a real make or break moment during your book marketing phase. Often, especially for new authors, failing to get momentum at the time of launch dooms a book to a lifetime of obscurity.
Archangel Ink offers everything you need for a successful launch, including writing an effective book description, helping you find readers to review your book, and providing all the firsthand knowledge you need to launch books effectively.
Professional-Grade Manuscript Editing – Price not listed
Aside from a bad book cover, one of the other main things that can hurt a book’s credibility is skimping on editing. If you’re looking for support with this part of the self-publishing process, Archangel Ink offers developmental editing, line editing, and copyediting services.
Ghostwriting – Price not listed
Not everyone with a fantastic book idea has enough skill at the craft of writing to write it on their own. If that sounds like you, Archangel Ink offers a ghostwriting service. This is based around recorded interviews with you, the author, to ensure that the ghostwritten book retains the right voice and tone.
Audiobook Production – $0.04 per word, minimum cost $350
Audiobooks are hugely popular, but not every book is suitable for the format. If you’re curious to know if your book is right for audio, Archangel can provide guidance on that subject based on their years of experience. If you both agree an audiobook makes sense, they can help record and produce the audio files needed, at a cost of 4 cents per word.
eBook Formatting – Price not listed
Often authors find the process of book formatting their work for the various book retailer and reader devices to be tedious. To help you produce a professional-looking digital version of your book that is ready for Mobi, Epub, or Digital PDF, Archangel offers formatting as a standalone service.
Proofreading – Price not listed
As writers, it’s very difficult to catch our own mistakes, and even the most advanced software solutions have their limitations. Archangel Ink offers experienced proofreaders to help make sure your book is free of embarrassing mistakes such as typos or tenses used incorrectly.
Print Production – Price not listed
The popularity of print books has defied many industry expectations. Physical copies are still the medium of choice for many readers. If you need help turning your digital copy into a tangible print book, Archangel Ink provides print on demand services.
Archangel Ink Consulting
Even experienced self-publishers know there is a lot to keep track of to see a book move from a conceptual idea to a finished reality. If you need help with any element of self-publishing at all, from basic technical questions through to big picture strategic overviews, Archangel Ink offers consulting services.
Archangel Ink – Packages
If you’re an experienced self-publisher, you might know that you need help in one area in particular, such as getting an attractive book cover.
If you’re new to self-publishing, or would rather pay for the convenience of a service package, Archangel Ink has several options to consider.
At this time, Archangel offers five different bundles of self-publishing services, ranging from $1600 to $20,000 in price.
The pricing is applicable for works of fiction or nonfiction up to 35,000 words in length and featuring a maximum of 20 images. The company can offer tailored pricing if your book is outside of those parameters.
Related: How to Write a Nonfiction Book
Let’s take a look at each of the Archangel Ink publishing services packages, what they contain, and if they might be a good fit for your needs.
Top-Shelf Design Package – $1.6k
A lot of indie authors struggle when it comes to the visual side of their book. Writing might be second nature for many of us, but visual design often isn’t!
The cheapest package from Archangel Ink offers:
- Digital formatting and book design
- Book cover bundle
- Project coordinator
If you have a written manuscript you're happy with, but need some help packaging it attractively and effectively, this might be the package for you.
The Book Launch Bundle – $3.8k
Understanding everything needed for a successful book launch can be very challenging, let alone executing it all!
However, the importance of a book launch cannot be overlooked, as it’s the most important time to build momentum and trigger the power of sales algorithms such as Amazon’s.
If you need help getting your book out into the world, Archangel Ink offers:
- Lead capture/book sales page
- Book cover bundle
- Personal book launch strategist and self-publishing consultant
- Project coordinator
- SEO copywriting
This is a good option if you have money to invest and feel launching your book is not something you want to attempt on your own.
The Polished Professional – $5.5k
This service package addresses two of the major problems indie authors face – having a properly-edited book, and an attractive book cover that can convert into sales.
- Full professional editing, up to 4 rounds
- Digital formatting and book design
- Proofreading
- Lead Capture/Book sales page
- Book cover bundle
- ISBN
- Project Coordinator
Although this package is a significant investment, it will ensure you have a finished book product that ensures you come across as a respectable author.
Launch Like A Boss – $7.5k
This package is one of the most comprehensive on offer. It would take any indie author from the position of having a rough book draft to that of having a professionally edited book that looks great visually and is ready to launch.
- Full professional editing, up to 4 rounds
- Digital formatting and book design
- Proofreading
- Lead Capture/Book sales page
- Book cover bundle
- ISBN
- Personal book launch strategist and self-publishing consultant
- Project coordinator
- SEO copywriting
Although the investment in this package is significant, it does handle almost everything most new authors struggle with. The inclusion of lead capture and SEO copywriting services helps to ensure that your book is just the start of your success.
The Executive – $20k
If you have a serious amount of money to invest in your book, this package covers everything you could want.
It’s important to note that this option includes Archangel Ink’s ghostwriting services, so if you already have a written book, this isn’t the right option for you.
The Executive package covers everything from fundamentals such as editing through to advanced add-ons like audiobook creation.
- Full professional editing, up to 4 rounds
- Digital formatting and book design
- Proofreading
- Lead Capture/Book sales page
- Book cover bundle
- ISBN
- Personal book launch strategist and self-publishing consultant
- Project coordinator
- SEO copywriting
- Ghostwriting
- Audiobook production
If you lack the inclination or time to write your book yourself, but have a great idea and money to invest in making it happen, The Executive package from Archangel Ink is a great way to make your vision a reality.
Should I use Archangel Ink?
Of course, knowing what a company like Archangel Ink offers and how much it costs is only part of the process. It’s also essential to consider if the services and pricing are a good fit for your individual needs as an author.
So, is Archangel Ink right for you?
We think Archangel Ink could be a great fit for you as an author if you already have a solid idea for a book, perhaps even a draft, but need some polish and advice to get it out into the world.
Also, to use Archangel Ink, you need to have some money ready to invest. Although the services on offer represent value for money, they might not be the right choice if you’re on a very limited budget.
Ultimately, we feel that Archangel Ink would be a good investment for the majority of indie authors. As far as author service companies go, they are one of the most reputable in the entire industry.
Archangel Ink Review: Pros and Cons
Choosing which self-publishing company is right for you can be a mammoth task.
To help you evaluate what’s on offer at Archangel Ink, we offer this summary of the pros and cons of choosing them.
Pros
- Reputable. A lot of self-publishing service companies have poor reputations. That isn’t the case with Archangel Ink. They have a great reputation and are vouched for by many top indie authors.
- Customizable. Archangel Ink doesn't force you into paying for services you don't need. You can dip in and out and only choose the publishing services that you need to experience success an an indie author.
- Quality. The quality of services provided by Archangel Ink is superb. Check out their example book covers to get a feel for the type of quality you can expect.
- Experienced. The names behind Archangel Ink have a wealth of self-publishing experience. The consultation and advice they provide can, therefore, be used safe in the knowledge it's based on what works.
Cons
- Requires investment. A lot of newcomer authors simply don’t have the money to invest in a top-quality service provider like Archangel Ink.
Other Archangel Ink Reviews
So what are other people saying about Archangel Ink?
When it comes to looking out for the interests of indie authors, few companies are as reliable as Self Publishing Advice from Alli, and they have awarded an Archangel Ink review as the highest possible rating of excellent.
Over on Facebook, Archangel Ink has achieved a five out of five review score.
You can see that Rob Archangel also shares his knowledge through books on Goodreads, although these are currently unrated.
Alternatives to Archangel Ink
So if you’re considering Archangel Ink, what alternatives should you also look at?
When it comes to a self-publishing services company similar to Archangel Ink, they are genuinely one of the best options out there. You can check out some other self-publishing companies here, but for the purpose of this Archangel Ink review, it is a highly-rated company.
Aside from similar companies, learning to go the full DIY route is another alternative to Archangel Ink.
Learning as much about self-publishing as possible is always a smart investment of your time, and our partners at Self Publishing School are there to help. They provide author education programs specifically for those looking to self-publish and/or start a book business.
If you choose to invest in a Self Publishing School paid program, you have the option to choose one with promises on the results you’ll achieve.
Final Rating
Although there's an investment required to access their services, you can invest with peace of mind you are getting quality in return.
Do you have experience with Archangel Ink? Do you think there’s a better alternative out there? If so, feel free to drop a comment and let other self-published authors know all about it!
