A Catalog for Books on Substack? Great Idea!

An interview with Andrea Bartz and Kirthana Ramisetti, plus some publishing "drama."

Hello, and welcome to another edition of Publishing Confidential. I have been MIA on Substack because I’m dealing with some health stuff and am on a light digital detox. I’ve deleted all of my news apps, except for Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and the Substack app. You probably know this already, but doing so has uncluttered my mind and lowered my anxiety. To that end, Book Therapy Fridays will be on hiatus until June 13. Thanks for sticking around.

Two quick publishing stories bubbling up on social media (because no matter what, one of you always tells me what’s up!):

• Cute white Australian ex-Rugby player and former Bachelor Australia contestant gets a book deal because, well, he managed to get the BookTok girlies thirsty (if you don’t know what that means, Google it!). Meet Luke Bateman, aka “lukesreads” on TikTok. He joined the platform on April 22, and his first video received 2 million views, 224,000 likes, 6,000 comments (which are particularly spicy), and 379,000 shares. Luke loves books—specifically, romance, romantasy, and fantasy. He even has a book club on Fable. Someone from S&S Australia witnessed this all unfold and offered Luke a two-book deal. People are mad because Luke did not write a manuscript, query agents, etc. Rather, he sold a concept. Can he write? Who knows! Maybe he’ll have a ghostwriter. Here is what I will say about it: This is not random. The individual is a bona fide celebrity in Australia, has been on Instagram since 2012, and promotes reading. If I were a publisher and saw the attention he’s getting, I’d ask for a meeting. Publishing is a business. Signing him was a business decision. It remains to be seen if his books will sell. In the meantime, let’s all take a breath.

• Fans of romance author Ali Hazelwood are assuming no marketing was done for her new book, Problematic Summer Romance, because—well, I’m not sure why. The conversation is happening on Threads, which, despite my fondness for the platform, has become increasingly toxic when it comes to publishing. One assumption made about the alleged Hazelwood non-marketing campaign was that Berkley, the publisher, downplayed it because of the age difference between the main characters in the book. She’s 23, he’s 38. That’s not…controversial. I dated a 36-year-old divorced guy when I was 24 because guys my age were annoying (Note to my husband, who is 8 months younger than me: LOVE YOU). Anyway, a lot of marketing for books is invisible to the public’s eye, so one shouldn’t assume nothing is being done. Additionally, Ali Hazelwood is wildly popular. I am not worried about her new book.

And now, the main event. When Andrea Bartz and Kirthana Ramisetti told me they had created a catalog of books by authors with Substacks, I was immediately intrigued. As a marketing director, I always loved creating seasonal catalogs. I hate that publishers only produce them digitally because there is something about flipping through pages and reading about what’s being published and when. What Andrea and Kirthana have created is the next best thing. You can check out their Authorstackers Beach Reads 2025 catalog here.

We did a brief Q&A about it. The interview has been lightly edited for clarity:

What inspired you to create the catalog?

Kirthana: I’ve been active on Substack for about two years, first with my account, Free Happiness, and then with Ministry of Pop Culture, a collaboration with other authors. And it’s taught me that Substack is a valuable yet underrated way to reach readers. (For what it’s worth, Kathleen, I wrote about how I learned this from reading Substacks like yours!)

For my third novel, The Other Lata, I wanted to incorporate Substack into my outreach campaign, especially after one of my Substack Notes went a little viral. As you’ve often pointed out, most people in publishing haven't caught on yet that Substack is the best place to reach readers right now. And I thought one way to prove this is to create a Substack push for the summer reading season, since many of the Bookstackers I follow were compiling their summer reading recommendations.

I wanted to team up with another author who also saw the potential in Substack. Andi was the perfect choice, because like me she has a background in journalism, and was therefore used to brainstorming ideas and pitching outlets; her new novel The Last Ferry Out is also an ideal summer read, and her Substack, Get it Write, is very popular with writers and readers alike.

After we chatted and did some brainstorming, Andi hit upon the idea of a curated catalog in which we showcased books by authors who also have Substacks that we could share with Bookstackers. And in doing so, she coined the term “Authorstackers” :)

Andi: Kirthana and I used to work in media—I was a magazine editor, and Kirthana primarily worked for online outlets. We know the power of curating content and sharing information in a concise, attractive, and at-a-glance format. I think we both enjoyed pulling together something "tangible" (big air quotes!) in the digital space.

I love that each page includes the book cover, a description, a buy link, and the author's Substack information. How did you decide whom to approach?

Kirthana: Because there are so many authors with Substacks, Andi smartly pointed out that we should approach authors who had books out in 2025. That made the catalog a more manageable size and easier to pitch to Bookstagrammers with an eye towards summer reading.

Andi also created the Canva graphics that made it easy for authors to share their book info in the catalog. (Btw, highly recommend authors learn how to use Canva!)

Andi: I started with a Canva template (it was actually for a recipe booklet!) and created pages where authors could, using the Share link, plug in their own information and cover image. We had to do some formatting afterward, but it was a community effort, which kept it low-lift for us.

Kirthana: We both approached the authors we know or are aware of that had books out this year and have active Substacks (meaning they post at least once a month). And luckily, this turned into 20 books to share, which, as Andi noted, was a great, round number for a catalog of this kind.

Andi: We wanted to make it clear that this resource isn’t an exhaustive list of Authorstackers with 2025 release dates—we couldn’t possibly catch them all. However, we realized that nothing like it existed, and there was an opportunity to make life easier for Bookstackers everywhere.

How do you envision authors using the catalog?

Kirthana: We actually shared this guide specifically with Bookstackers as a resource for them as they plan their books coverage, and let them know that every author included in the guide is open to doing interviews, Substack Lives, and other ways to connect with their readerships.

We hope that authors, whether they are part of this catalog or not, can consider discoverability within the Substack community and how they can connect with those who would be interested in their work.

Are you marketing the catalog? If so, how? You don't have to spill all your secrets!

Kirthana: We created the catalog with the goal of sending it to interested Bookstackers we read and subscribe to, as well as some other Substacks that offer book coverage.

We’ve received a really positive response so far, including having it shared by as seen on. The fact that several Bookstackers inquired about sharing it publicly led us to create a public version of the catalog, excluding the authors’ contact information.

Both of you knew I would respond to the idea of a catalog, which shows me that you know my audience and are familiar with my content. What would you consider the best practices for authors and publicists to approach Substack writers?

Kirthana: I think that’s exactly it: It’s good practice to be familiar with the Substacks you’d like to approach, and what value you can add when you reach out to pitch them.

Andi: Yes! Kirthana and I took the time to think through how we could make this catalog maximally useful to Bookstackers—anticipating their questions, workshopping our outreach emails, and so on. If you lead with “Here’s what you can do for me…” (in this case: Give us free coverage! Write about our books!), you won’t get far. We wanted the message to be: “We’d love to make your life easier.”

Do you plan on doing more catalogs like this?

Kirthana: We haven’t discussed it yet! However, I imagine we’d be open to it, especially when considering the holidays and gift guides. There’s a lot of potential in doing one focused on pop culture books. After reading this dispiriting Substack post about how publishing deals are trending away from diverse authors, I’d love to do a catalog specifically highlighting POC and queer authors.

About Kirthana and Andrea:

Kirthana Ramisetti is the author of The Other Lata, Advika and the Hollywood Wives, and Dava Shastri’s Last Day, a Good Morning America Book Club selection optioned by HBO Max. Her novels have received acclaim from TIME, PEOPLE, Cosmopolitan, The Washington Post, Buzzfeed, The Associated Press, and more. Besides co-founding the Ministry of Pop Culture newsletter, her writing has appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Elle, and Salon. She lives in New York City.

Andrea Bartz is the New York Times bestselling author of the Reese’s Book Club pick We Were Never Here, The Spare Room, The Herd, The Lost Night, and The Last Ferry Out (which hits shelves May 20). Her books have been optioned for the screen and praised by NPR, Cosmopolitan, The Washington Post, PEOPLE, and more. She runs the writing-focused newsletter Get It Write, and her writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Marie Claire, Vogue, and many other outlets. She lives in Brooklyn and the Hudson Valley.

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What I’m Watching: If you’ve been reading this newsletter long enough, you know my TV-watching partner is my 17-year-old daughter. We binged Overcompensating on Prime, which we loved. (Note: I am very liberal with TV and movie content. If you aren’t, this is not a show to watch with your teen.)

Last night, we started watching Sirens on Netflix. It is peculiar, so I am here for it. Also, if I haven’t already said so, we adored Forever on Netflix. It’s so good.

What I’m Reading: Better: A Memoir About Wanting to Die by Arianna Rebolini is one of the most relatable books I have ever read about depression and suicide. I knew who Rebolini was because she used to head up book coverage at Buzzfeed. When you work in book publishing (especially in publicity) or journalism, your self-worth tends to be tied to your job. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and more often than not, a failure. I’m picky about mental health memoirs, and this book deserves to be widely read. Rebolini is brave for being so honest, and smartly looks for what might have gone wrong in the lives of some famous writers who took their own lives. Were there signs? Could they have gotten better? Can we get better? I sure hope so.

What I’m Listening to: My current theme song is Anxiety by Doechii.

Where you can find me next: I’m attending Publisher Weekly’s US Book Show on Tuesday, June 3, in NYC. I’m covering it as media, so if you see me, come say hi.