Today’s dispatch is late as I have been chasing my tail trying to get caught up on all the things. How about you? Keeping cool? Staying hydrated? The weather report calls for a 35% chance of lightning at my house today around 6 p.m., so if you need me, I will be hiding under my bed with at least two of my three cats. #astraphobia

Cover Reveal: Stella Ryman and the Search for Thelma Hu

First up: We officially revealed the cover for Stella Ryman and the Search for Thelma Hu by the inimitable Mel Anastasiou, and we’re still basking in the glow of the vintage mystery-meets-quirky-charm energy. If you’ve followed Stella’s adventures in the first two books, you know she’s not your average senior citizen — and this third instalment might be her most daring yet. A true testament to the impregnable bonds of friendship!

If you aren’t subscribed to our PulpFemme newsletter yet (um, hello! Remedy that posthaste. You can find it here.), then you missed my love-fest over Stella Ryman last week, but here’s the 411 without me getting too mushy: I LOVE STELLA. Mel Anastasiou’s writing is smart and clever and funny and heart-rending. Stella is so much more than an old lady who misses her handbag, a retired schoolteacher in a ‘down-at-the-heels’ care home, awaiting the afterlife alongside her fellow housemates. These books are the kind that after you read one, you want to talk about it with someone else just so you can laugh again about all the inside jokes.

Catch up with the series before the October release of Book 3 >>

Interested in reading STELLA 3 before the rest of the world? We would love to send you an advance reader copy (ARC) if you’re interested in joining our review/street team to spread the word far and wide about Stella Ryman and the Search for Thelma Hu.

JOIN THE STELLA ARC TEAM HERE

Barhopping for Astronauts

Speaking of ARCs, we’re still recruiting early readers for Barhopping for Astronauts by Leo X. Robertson — a wild, mind-bending ride through speculative fiction that defies easy categorization (and that’s just the way we like it). If you enjoy short stories that push boundaries and ask weird, wonderful questions about identity, technology, and space pubs (yes, really), you’ll want in on this one. We would love to have you aboard!

JOIN THE BARHOPPING ARC TEAM HERE

And if you want to PREORDER one or both of our upcoming fall titles (you want to preorder both, I can tell), that would be uh-maaaazing. If you’re not familiar with how preorders work, they are VERY helpful for publishers and authors from both a publicity/marketing and financial standpoint. I know a lot of folks in publishing don’t like to talk about money, but the REALITY is: We can’t publish books or pay authors if people don’t BUY books and tell their friends to buy books too. Here’s a fun graphic to explain why preorders are so important:

Other news from the Pulp Femme desk

In other celebratory news: It’s our founding editor Jen’s birthday this week! Drop her a note or tag us online with your favourite bookish GIFs or birthday wishes. You know we love a good party — especially when it involves books and cake. Also she’s really into horses and swords. And swords on horseback. (I’m going to live with her when the apocalypse happens.)

Behind the scenes, our submissions inbox has been on fire. 🔥 We’re deep into reading season, and let’s just say the future of Pulp Lit Press and Pulp Femme is looking pret-ty awesome. Stay tuned for acquisition announcements in the coming weeks — I can hardly contain my excitement. And YES, if you have a book you think would be a good fit for one of our imprints, send it in! Read everything you need to know here: https://pulpliterature.com/novel-acquisitions/

And finally, a quick thank you: I (Jenn with 2 Ns) had the pleasure of presenting READY, SET, SUBMIT! for the Federation of BC Writers on Friday, July 19, and the feedback has been both kind and constructive. Every time I step into the teaching space, I learn something new — about the industry, about other writers, and about how we can all lift each other up in this often-challenging, crazy-making creative life. 

Until next week, stay weird, read boldly, and don’t forget to sign up for those ARCs if you haven’t yet. Just like I harp in pretty much every workshop and webinar I teach, publishing is a business. Even if capitalism kinda sucks, it’s how we keep the lights on. Good books in exchange for dollars means more books in the production pipeline and more author dreams achieved and more stories told and on and on and on times infinity. ♾️ Help me build the novel branch of Pulp Lit Press into a real contender.

Buy books.

Give books as presents.

Tell your friends to buy books.

Shop at indie bookstores.

Read whatever the hell makes you happy.

Support word artists.

Boom. Done.