For as long as I’ve been writing books, I have believed that most authors’ tools hinder them more than help them. At best, they’re neutral. More specifically, they’re missing out on new technologies, data, and methods that would help them:

• Vastly simplify the research, writing, and publishing processes.
• Reduce the time spent trying to find key files, creating duplicate ones, and working on dated ones.
• Communicate and collaborate better with everyone involved in the publication of a book.
• Quickly organize their content.
• Easily bring new team members up to speed. (If you think that you can produce a professional non-fiction book completely on your own, you’re sadly mistaken.)
• Provide transparency into who was doing what and when.
• Reduce data entry and manual work in general.
• Make fewer mistakes.
• Spend less time and money on their projects.
• Go to market quicker.

At least scribes can take some solace in the fact they’ve got plenty of company. As a general rule, most publishers are in the same boat.

It’s high time for a better mousetrap.

I’m not just shooting from the hip here. I have worked with legacy ones since 2010. Sadly, many are in the Stone Age—and authors often bear the brunt of their gaffes. I’ve even worked with a relatively new hybrid publisher a few years ago that clung to antediluvian tech and processes. (Yes, a little piece of me died inside when I saw how its employees worked.)

Motivations for Starting Racket Publishing

I started this outfit—my second hybrid publisher—a few years back with a single, ambitious goal: To provide a fresh, author-centric, and tech-savvy approach to contemporary non-fiction publishing.

When it comes to author and publisher tools, it’s high time for a better mousetrap. Over the past two years, I’ve been methodically building one and refining it with each Racket title. Now it’s time to share it with the world.

Today marks the launch of RacketHub. It’s a sophisticated, user-friendly, customizable, and comprehensive book management system. I’m talking about a title’s conceptualization, research, writing, editing, design, project management, publishing, and marketing. Think of it as the central nervous system for your book at every stage. And yes, you can use it for as many books as you like.

RacketHub Benefits

RacketHub is a holistic solution for both serious authors and publishers. (No, it’s not cheap, but we’ll return to pricing shortly.) It builds on the tools and methods I’ve used myself and with Racket clients to:

• Manage projects and handle project administration.
• Conceptualize their books.
• Efficiently conduct research.
• Develop reader personas.
• Minimize—and, ideally, eliminate—confusion, lost files, rework, and miscommunication. (Even on small teams, these issues can plague a project.)
• Coordinate with everyone involved in the book project, including designers, indexers, editors, proofreaders, and the like.
• Chat with colleagues and other team members via a simple message board.
• Maximize the chance that your book hits meets its goals.
• And much, much more.

Authors, book coaches, ghostwriters, and publishers who like to fly by the seats of their pants won’t benefit from RacketHub. Ditto for those who are looking to skimp on expenses to put out a passable book.

Technical Underpinnings

I built RacketHub on top of Notion—the flexible, contemporary, sleek, and customizable magnet app that has exploded in popularity and spawned plenty of knockoffs. I’ve been raving about Notion for nearly two years. (In case you’re curious, Notion runs on Amazon Web Services.)

Packed with useful templates, powerful formulas, and rich information, RacketHub is the writing and publishing system I wish I had back when I started writing books in 2008.

RacketHub in Action

Here are a few screenshots (click on each to expand it) and a few videos.

Available Now

Starting today, all Racket clients will begin using RacketHub. Great, but what if you’re working independently or with another publisher?

Good news. You don’t need to work with Racket Publishing to realize the benefits of RacketHub. Today, it’s now available for purchase as follows:

• Single author, unlimited use.
• Ghostwriter/book coach, unlimited use: Typically works with two or three authors per year.
• Small publisher, unlimited use: Typically works with five to ten authors per year.
• Medium publisher, unlimited use: Typically publishes ten to 50 books per year.
• Large publisher, unlimited use: Typically publishes more than 50 books per year.

Each purchase includes four 45-minute onboarding sessions recorded in Zoom. Note that the price does not include a monthly or an annual Notion subscription. (Yes, you’ll need to be on at least the Notion Plus plan to get the most out RacketHub. For more on this subject, see the FAQ on the product page.)

Updated August 14, 2024

RacketHub now includes charts to track task progress, identify issues, and quickly assess project status. Click here to see a few demos.

Want to learn more? Schedule a 15-minute product demo by clicking on the button below.

Props to Luke Flectcher for the logo design.

Buy RacketHub Now

Includes thee hours of recorded Zoom training.