In 2019, Jane Friedman was honored by Digital Book World as Publishing Commentator of the Year for her work on The Hot Sheet.
The Hot Sheet is a partner member of the Alliance of Independent Authors, meaning we are recognized as a trusted resource for authors.
We offer Authors Guild members a subscription discount—and Hot Sheet subscribers receive a discount on Authors Guild membership.
Meet the Publisher
Jane speaks at, attends, and reports on industry events.
- Since 2004, Jane has attended major book industry shows every year, including BookExpo America, Digital Book World, London Book Fair, and more.
- Jane has spoken at hundreds of writing conferences, and hears the advice and perspectives offered by agents, editors, and professional authors.
- Because of her long history in the industry, Jane has a deep network of contacts, whom she can call on for insight and information.
Jane reads all the news so you don’t have to.
- Jane reads several dozen writing and publishing industry newsletters, and sifts through the most important news items on your behalf.
- Jane subscribes to paid news sources that would cost you hundreds of dollars to receive, and cherry-picks what’s relevant for you to know.
- Jane keeps up with the most important and discussed blogs in the author community, and understands the biases and agendas of them all.
Jane has devoted her career to helping writers.
- Jane is the former publisher of Writer’s Digest and was one of the founding community members of Digital Book World. She now serves as a columnist for Publishers Weekly and is a full-time writer.
- Jane is not employed by any publisher or corporation. When a potential conflict of interest arises in any reporting for The Hot Sheet, it is clearly disclosed.
“I’m really enjoying The Hot Sheet. It’s written specifically to an author audience, which is wholly original among publishing industry newsletter services. By placing issues that impact authors into timely context, it offers what amounts to next-step advice—exactly what writers need these days.”
“The Hot Sheet is The Economist of publishing but a lot easier to read.”
—Michael Larsen, author coach and longtime literary agent
The Hot Sheet gave us the right tip at the right time.
I conduct historical research for authors and one of my clients has a lot of great story ideas, but her German publisher Random House can only publish one of her novels per year. Reading about the latest US publishing opportunities in The Hot Sheet, I sensed an opening and wrote a book pitch in English for my client. We got her literary agent on board, sent the pitch, and she got a deal right away: Her next novel will be published in the USA—a dream come true for any German author.
She shared a few of her other ideas and her new US publisher gave her 2 additional publishing contracts for 2017. They didn’t even want to see a sample text! And I’ll be conducting research for all 3 novels.
Thanks to Jane, Porter and The Hot Sheet, I knew exactly what to pitch, when, and to whom; the right tip at the right time.
—Dr. Barbara Ellermeier, historical advisor for authors, publishers and literary agents
Is there a community or comment area?
No, and it’s not an oversight.
The goal is to save your time and deliver information, not open up another water cooler. There are many other places to discuss the news.
Will your frequency ever change?
A new issue releases every other Wednesday. The Hot Sheet will never dip below this frequency. In exceptional cases, you may receive additional special issues, for stories that merit the extra coverage.
Why is it called The Hot Sheet?
In Jane’s earliest publishing days, her employer circulated a weekly “hot sheet” to keep people informed. (These were the days before email!)
The Hot Sheet focuses on developments that have the potential to make a difference to you as an author, with an explanation of why we think you should know.
“Full of publishing nitty-gritty and sharp analysis, The Hot Sheet fills a glaring gap for authors. I read every issue.”
—Donald Maass, Donald Maass Literary Agency
“Authors: You’ll love the publishing industry news in Hot Sheet (even if no hype or drama).”
“I was directed to a news feature about Aer.io and Ingram Content Group by The Hot Sheet. Holy distribution, Batman—this opens up a vast opportunity to authors! I’m making my IngramSpark editions as we speak.”
“I love The Hot Sheet! It’s up there with Publishers Lunch as my go-to for industry information. It’s witty, approachable, and informative. Highly recommended.”
“I have to be one of the hardest sells on the planet. It’s not that I’m cheap—I’m a former INC. 500 entrepreneur and MBA professor, and the way I’m able to make a living writing fiction full time is with an extreme bootstrapping mentality. My monthly expenses are virtually zero, which is why it took me a few months of thinking from every angle before I made a decision to pay for your newsletter so I would keep receiving it. For me to add even one penny to my monthly expenses, the product or service I’m paying for has to offer extreme, over-the-top value and not be available from any other source. (That’s exactly what I offer my fiction readers and why I’m able to make a living doing it.) Staying on top of the publishing industry, and particularly indie publishing, is something I must do, and to be able to do it for five dollars a month is truly a bargain.”