A Giveaway, a Cool Tool for Authors, and What's Next for Publishing Confidential

Who said Summer Hours exist? NOT ME.

It’s 3 PM EST on a Summer Friday in book publishing, and, per usual, I am still working. Summer hours have always been good in theory for me, but not in practice. Things get quiet after 1 PM on Summer Fridays, and I’ve always found it is a great time to catch up on email and administrative work. Speaking of, I finally hired a part-time assistant, and one of her tasks is to keep track of the Publishing Confidential emails I receive. If you write for Substack and would like to be included on a list I’m creating to inform Substackers about new books, please email us at publishingconfidential@gmail.com. Include the name of your newsletter, the number of subscribers, and the types of books that interest you.

There are a few things I'd like to cover today. The first is a terrific new tool that helps authors build websites. Tertulia is not only a solid alternative to other retail sites that sell books, but it also offers websites for authors at a great value ($9.99/month or $97 annually, depending on the plan you choose). Here’s an example of what their author websites look like:

I’ll be the first to admit that graphic design is not my strong suit, so when the Tertulia founders demonstrated how to build a website using their tools, I was impressed by how easy it was. If you’re an author on a budget and have some time to work on a website, this is the way to do it. You can also purchase a membership to the retail portion of Tertulia and receive up to 20% off all books + free shipping. Cool? Cool.

A Cool Giveaway:

A Thank-You to the Writing Community: Win a Free Spot in Dream to Deal: Book Proposal Workshop

Accomplished writers and educators Hannah Howard and Kelsey Shipman are hosting Dream to Deal: Book Proposal Workshop, a live, 9-week summer workshop that helps nonfiction writers turn their ideas into agent-ready book proposals.

As a thank-you to the mentors, friends, and communities that support writers, they’re offering one free spot exclusively to readers of this newsletter ($1500 value).

To enter, fill out this quick form by Thursday, June 12th, at midnight. They’ll draw a name at random and announce the winner on Instagram Live (@hannahmhoward) on Friday, June 13th at 1 pm EST.

Learn more about the workshop here: Dream to Deal.

NEW FEATURES FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS:

Thanks for your patience while I take a short break from Book Therapy Fridays. The plan is to return next Friday, 6/13 (very ominous, I know). Additionally, two new features for paid subscribers are coming to the newsletter next week:

• Inside the Bestseller Lists will be an edition of this newsletter where I break down bestseller lists from The New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly. The core discussion will center on why certain books appear higher or lower on one list but not on another. I’ll also discuss how many copies it takes to reach specific spots on each list and the disparities between them. This newsletter will go out every Monday.

• My Time with Authors will be a bi-weekly edition of this newsletter with stories from my experiences as a book publicist. You’ll read about Prince, NBA Legend Bill Russell, Jenny McCarthy, Al Franken, Joe Pantoliano (Joey Pants), and more. This newsletter will go out every other Saturday.

If you’re not a paid subscriber and want access to these features, upgrade today! Who knows, I might even get brave enough to do some video interviews.

Have a great weekend!