Established in 2015, The Hot Sheet is an email newsletter sent every 2 weeks to paid subscribers. It is primarily read by professional authors, but it’s also followed by people from across the book publishing industry, including literary agents, editors, marketers, and service providers.
People read Hot Sheet to stay up to date on market trends and to understand business issues that affect them. We take a “no drama, no hype” stance: rather than inflame emotions, we hope to offer a nuanced understanding of what can be complex problems, without right or wrong answers or solutions.
Every issue of Hot Sheet includes three original stories; Hot Sheet welcomes pitches from outside contributors for these items. (Hot Shots, Trailblazes, Links of Interest, and the closing image are always written by editor Jane Friedman.) Most stories are a minimum of 800 words; on average, they run between 1,000 and 2,000 words.
The readership of Hot Sheet is advanced; they don’t subscribe to get 101 articles on how to self-publish or how to find an agent or how to query a publisher. Rather, they look for insight and analysis of thorny challenges, like how changes at Barnes & Noble and Amazon might affect book sales and marketing; or how AI might affect authors and the larger publishing industry.
Types of stories we’re interested in include (but are not limited to):
- Demonstrable trends in what publishers are buying or what agents are looking for
- Coverage of new or innovative ways of publishing (e.g., subscription and serialization platforms like Substack or Ream, imprints like Bloom Books that pick up self-published authors and distribute them to print retail outlets)
- Emerging best practices or new trends affecting book marketing and promotion, like BookTok
- How authors are using new tools or platforms to increase earnings or sell books
- Reviews or coverage of new software or services for writers (this must include actual testing of the software or service)
- Write-ups of industry panels or conference sessions that focus on a specific aspect of the publishing business (e.g., the growth of subscription services)
We are not interested in:
- Craft and technique pieces
- Personal essays, opinion pieces, or columns
- Interviews or profiles of specific individuals, unless there is a timely and important angle
- Coverage of book launches or book awards, unless it sheds light on an important and demonstrable trend
- Anything that might look like a promotional piece in support of a specific author, publisher, or book
All of our material is edited, fact-checked, and proofread before being published.
Are you a good fit for The Hot Sheet?
Contributors to Hot Sheet should have some familiarity with conversations in the book publishing industry and/or concerns of authors. For example, if you know that audiobooks are the biggest growth area right now for the industry, or that Bookshop has not only been successful in helping independent bookstores survive the pandemic but also criticized by that same community, then you’re probably a good fit.
Payment, terms and rights
- While we are happy to look at and consider finished pieces, we typically make assignments and issue a simple, one-page contract.
- We pay a flat fee for pieces upon acceptance, starting at $500. Fees are determined by the nature of the assignment, the experience of the writer, anticipated length, and the amount of original reporting involved. We pay a kill fee of 25 percent.
- All material must be previously unpublished unless a special exception is granted. The Hot Sheet requires exclusivity for one month; thereafter, perpetual, nonexclusive rights are required to keep the material available to readers as part of our digital archive.
How to pitch us
First, if you have not read Hot Sheet before, it’s essential to look at a few issues before pitching. Write us and ask for links.
Send your pitch via email to editor@hotsheetpub.com. Put “Query” or “Pitch” in the subject line. Be sure to include the following information in your email (no attachments, please).
- Anticipated article length
- How soon you could complete the piece
- Who you intend to interview, if anyone
- Links to your website and recent clips if you have them; if you have no clips, describe your experience or credentials to write on the topic
Thanks so much for your interest in writing for us.