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Tortoise Books

@tortoisebooks.bsky.social
177 followers 125 following 160 posts

Your favorite publisher's favorite publisher.

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Tortoise Books @tortoisebooks.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"I came across Jophiel by Gerald Brennan recently..." No you did not. That book does not exist.
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Scary Jerry @jerrybrennan.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
This book came to Tortoise as a paid critique submission...but I liked it so much I couldn't bear the thought of someone else publishing it. We refunded the fee and are launching it this November...and @publisherswkly.bsky.social just gave it a great writeup, so it looks like that was a good call!
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Tortoise Books @tortoisebooks.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Who has two thumbs and just got a @publisherswkly.bsky.social review for his "entertaining" memoir? @nkweidman.bsky.social, that's who! (We are pretty sure he has two thumbs, at least...we saw them recently.) www.publishersweekly.com/9781965199312
publishersweekly.com
Thirty-Six Fighting Holes: Confessions of a Marine Recruiter by Nathan Weidman
Marine Corps veteran Weidman debuts with an entertaining memoir about his three years in “the most hated job in the Marine Corps...
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Michael Warburton @michaelwarburton.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
One of the best job applications ever written came from the hands of Robert Pirosh in 1934. MGM loved it, took him on and he went on to became an Oscar-winning screenwriter.
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Tortoise Books @tortoisebooks.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
THE SMALL PRESS TENT HAS FALLEN. IT IS NOW JUST A TENT. I REPEAT: THE SMALL PRESS TENT HAS FALLEN. IT IS NOW JUST A TENT.
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Scary Jerry @jerrybrennan.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Wore this t-shirt to Lit Fest in part because the weather report was iffy and I figured the rain would kill our sales...and it ended up being our NEW second-best @tortoisebooks.bsky.social sales day ever! HUGE thanks to all who came out!
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Tortoise Books @tortoisebooks.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Super grateful to everyone who came out to Printers Row today...that was our second-best sales day ever!
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Jared Pechaček @vandroidhelsing.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Hi Homer, I recently came across The Iliad and was blown away by its expansiveness, its humanity, and its complex use of . Have you considered new ways to promote your book and expand its reach across various platforms? I would love to connect and hear your ideas. Kind regards, Apollonius
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Tortoise Books @tortoisebooks.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
"Pretty much every novel I’ve written has come out of something I read and I went, man, that’s interesting." Awesome @electricliterature.com interview with Marlon James electricliterature.com/for-marlon-j...
electricliterature.com
For Marlon James, Being Incurious Is a Writer's Biggest Sin - Electric Literature
The Booker Prize-winning author on reading his way through writer's block, and why every sentence has to risk going too far
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Tortoise Books @tortoisebooks.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
10/10, no notes
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Tortoise Books @tortoisebooks.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Folks, we have a limited number of FREE SUBMISSIONS available...check it out! tortoisebooks.com/new-products...
tortoisebooks.com
Regular Submission — Tortoise Books
The regular Tortoise Books manuscript submission process.
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Tortoise Books @tortoisebooks.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
AI? Or the laziest query ever? Discuss.
A very low-effort query letter
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Anne Trubek @atrubek.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Momentarily lifting my no-opinions-vow to say: people should give their books away, in fact, not chide everyone about buying more books to support writers. Giving books away is **more likely to lead to more sales. plus it feels good
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Tortoise Books @tortoisebooks.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Essential reading.
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Tortoise Books @tortoisebooks.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Well worth repeating. Bake more pies.
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Tortoise Books @tortoisebooks.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
"I do lots of heinously bad writing early in the morning but anyone who’s ever been cornered at a party by that guy with 'an amazing idea for a book' knows: You ain’t got shit until it exists." Awesome stuff (as always) from @saralippmann.bsky.social
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Tortoise Books @tortoisebooks.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Now "Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality...Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Tortoise Books @tortoisebooks.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
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Tortoise Books @tortoisebooks.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Folks, our site is revamped, and WE'VE GOT MERCH! Plus if you order today you'll get 10% off ANY order...just use the code LOGOS10 at checkout! tortoisebooks.com/store
tortoisebooks.com
Books — Tortoise Books
Order all titles — great deals on great books!
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Tits McGee @scientits.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
‘Say yes and never do it’ Mel Brooks knew how to deal with the studios
You have some wonderful stories of basically getting away with stuff at the studios.

I’d learned one very simple trick: say yes. Simply say yes. Like Joseph E. Levine, on “The Producers,” said, “The curly-haired guy—he’s funny looking. Fire him.” He wanted me to fire Gene Wilder. And I said, “Yes, he’s gone. I’m firing him.” I never did. But he forgot. After the screening of “Blazing Saddles,” the head of Warner Bros. threw me into the manager’s office, gave me a legal pad and a pencil, and gave me maybe twenty notes. He would have changed “Blazing Saddles” from a daring, funny, crazy picture to a stultified, dull, dusty old Western. He said, “No farting.” I said, “It’s out.”That’s probably the most famous scene in the movie, the campfire scene.

I know. He said, “You can’t punch a horse.” I said, “You’ll never see it again.” I kept saying, “You’re absolutely right. It’s out!” Then, when he left, I crumpled up all his notes, and I tossed it in the wastepaper basket. And John Calley, who was running [production at] Warner Bros. at the time, said, “Good filing.” That was the end of it. You say yes, and you never do it.

That’s great advice for life.

It is. Don’t fight them. Don’t waste your time struggling with them and trying to make sense to them. They’ll never understand.
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Tortoise Books @tortoisebooks.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
We are at #alaac getting ready to sign copies of the hilarious new memoir from Nathan Weidman! It's in the Ingram Library Services area from 10:00 to 10:30...be there!
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Tortoise Books @tortoisebooks.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Can't believe we missed this one... theonion.com/author-wishe...
theonion.com
Author Wishes She Hadn't Blown Personal Tragedy On First Book
SANTA FE, NM–Author Jessica Kingley expressed regret Monday that she had "pretty much used up all the hardship" from her early life in her recent first novel Bitter Root, leaving her nothing to write ...
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kelsey irene @holographic.pink · 18/06/2026
sorry like america sucks and all that but i just saw a youtube short about a japanese guy on twitter finding out about free chips and salsa at mexican places and i might cry
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Kevin Wardrop @kevinwardrop.nitemayr.com · 18/06/2026
Thanks Hillary! You're going to depress the vote by being the poster woman for "The Dems are okay with the Genocide" You absolute fucking plonk
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Tortoise Books @tortoisebooks.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
All right, folks...logo reveal time! The old one has served us well these past 14 years, but we needed to rejigger it a little. (Plus @jerrybrennan.bsky.social finally realized we didn't need to write "Tortoise" and "Book" on the tortoise and the book.) Voila!
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Ben Collins @bencollins.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
It’s been five years since Alex Jones lost InfoWars to the Sandy Hook families. As the verdict came down, he asked: “Do these people actually believe they’re getting any money?” He hasn't paid them a penny. Well, The Onion is going pay them anyway. The new InfoWars begins July 2nd at 8 p.m. ET.
ms.now
The Onion says it won’t wait for the courts, will launch Infowars to pay Sandy Hook families
The Onion’s staff is tired of waiting for the courts to settle its pending takeover of Alex Jones’ brand, so the new Infowars will launch next month.
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Eize Basa @eizebasa.baby · 18/06/2026
Expect a wave of commentary framing this as the next step in Hollywood's creatively bankrupt hunt for pre-vetted, audience-tested IP, but don't let this discourse distract you from the fact that in 1998 The Undertaker threw Mankind off Hell In A Cell and plummeted 16 ft through an announcer's table.
'Backrooms' Sends Hollywood Running To Reddit For New Ideas
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Steve Himmer @shimmer.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Esteemed colleagues, I move that we adjourn this committee meeting on the grounds I am only a few pages away from a complete novel draft and nothing we do here will be more interesting to me than that.
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Tortoise Books @tortoisebooks.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
"This is not a straightforward mob saga. Told in first person by the title character, it is more a blood-spattered, dystopian fairy tale about a guy with a “divine talent” that is harnessed for evil ends by a psychopathic crime boss." Awesome Newcity review of JGP! lit.newcity.com/2026/06/04/f...
lit.newcity.com
“Frank Buck: Chicago Hitman” Shows There’s No Retiring From Some Jobs
Rather than a straightforward mob saga, this is a blood-spattered, dystopian fairy tale about a guy with a “divine talent” that is harnessed for evil ends by a psychopathic crime boss.
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Tortoise Books @tortoisebooks.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
The order code promo has closed...please stop calling. (Well, there weren't a LOT of callers. But you get the idea.)
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Lincoln Michel @thelincoln.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
“The only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself” — William Faulkner
Cover of CYOA book titled "YOU ARE A MONSTER" with a teen seeing himself as a hairy beast in a mirror.
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sara lippmann @saralippmann.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
🖤💗🖤💗
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Tortoise Books @tortoisebooks.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Spartan mothers used to tell their sons before battle to "Come back with your shield or on it," and that's how @jerrybrennan.bsky.social is feeling about the books he bought for Joe Peterson's book launch.
A big honkin' box of an amazing book called Frank Buck.
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Tortoise Books @tortoisebooks.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Look it's early but @jerrybrennan.bsky.social is preparing ARCs and an order for mailing so if you want to buy something you can get a lil discount...$5 off if you type ONEMOREORDER at checkout at www.tortoisebooks.com. (This promo code will self-destruct, probably later today.)
tortoisebooks.com
Tortoise Books | Chicago Independent Publisher
Welcome to Tortoise Books, a small independent publisher based in Chicago, IL and specializing in literary fiction and memoirs. Shop the latest titles, submit a manuscript, or learn more about us.
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Tortoise Books @tortoisebooks.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
Old friends and new...we're getting ready for the FRANK BUCK launch party! Bill Hillmann's reading, and we'll have amazing spring titles by Becky Wills and @saralippmann ...and of course our main event, Joe Peterson! Jimmy's Woodlawn Tap, 1172 E 55th St in Chicago, Sat. June 6th from 3-5...be there!
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Beth Castrodale @bethcastrodale.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
THE DARK WILL END THE DARK: The surreal stories in this spellbinding collection bring the all-too-real vulnerabilities that we all live with into sharper relief. Check out the Small Press Picks review at smallpresspicks.com/the-dark-wil.... @tortoisebooks.bsky.social #bookreview #shortstories
smallpresspicks.com
The Dark Will End the Dark - Small Press Picks
A couple of years ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing Darrin Doyle about his spellbinding horror novella, Let Gravity Seize the Dead. When I learned that Doyle’s highly praised story collection, T...
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Tortoise Books @tortoisebooks.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Essential reading from @rebeccamakkai.bsky.social. Spoiler alert: while it is far from the only factor at play, there is a LOT of randomness in prize judging. (Just like in publishing!)
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Eize Basa @eizebasa.baby · 01/06/2026
When the post is one character too long and you have to get rid of the Oxford comma…
Wesley Snipes crying and pointing a gun
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Tortoise Books @tortoisebooks.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
I can't believe destroying Lamborghinis is not a good business model.
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Tortoise Books @tortoisebooks.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
Old friends and new...we're getting ready for the FRANK BUCK launch party! Bill Hillmann's reading, and we'll have amazing spring titles by Becky Wills and @saralippmann ...and of course our main event, Joe Peterson! Jimmy's Woodlawn Tap, 1172 E 55th St in Chicago, Sat. June 6th from 3-5...be there!
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Adam Kovac @boondock60mm.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Happy (book) birthday, Champ! The second edition of THE SURGE was published a year ago today from the fabulous @tortoisebooks.bsky.social. I'm truly grateful for all the readers who've given my debut novel a place on their shelves. tortoisebooks.com/store/thesurge bookshop.org/p/books/the-...
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sara lippmann @saralippmann.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀 @epiphanylit.bsky.social (open till June 15th!)
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Storiad @storiad.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
@tortoisebooks.bsky.social Just got Joe's latest. Diving right on in!!
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Diane Josefowicz @dianejosefowicz.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
EPIC book mail from @archipelagobooks.bsky.social, @wakefieldpress.bsky.social, @tortoisebooks.bsky.social, @dalkeyarchive.bsky.social, @simonandschuster.bsky.social, and Nightboat Books! #bookmail #books #bookworm #summerreading
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David Hollingsworth 🏳️‍🌈 @daveyh39.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
“Confidence is 10 percent hard work and 90 percent delusion. Just thinking foolishly that you will be able to do what you want to do”. - Tina Fey Happy Birthday to the brilliant and effortlessly talented Emmy-winning & Grammy/Tony-nominated actress, comedian, producer, and writer.
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Tortoise Books @tortoisebooks.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
"It’s funny because sensitivity is such a strength as a writer, but you really need to steel yourself to publish." - @rachellayown.bsky.social. Great little interview!
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Tortoise Books @tortoisebooks.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Look, even the pope loves a good book. Now if we could only get him into Chicago indies... www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news...
vaticannews.va
Pope Leo: Literature must be a 'school of fraternity and peace' - Vatican News
Pope Leo XIV sends a message to the Turin International Book Fair, taking place this week in the northern Italian city, reiterating that literature ...
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Kari Nguyen @knguyenwrites.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Outstanding interview here with @saralippmann.bsky.social and @tortoisebooks.bsky.social on the publication of HIDDEN RIVER. A gift. "Lippmann situates this private violation within a broader cultural moment that commodified girlhood and framed sexual initiation as inevitable..."
zonamotel.substack.com
CONVERSATION: Sara Lippmann on HIDDEN RIVER — Plus Jerry Brennan on Tortoise Books
A Deliberate Story. A Steady Press: Yvonne Conza talks to Sara Lippmann about her new book, HIDDEN RIVER, out from Tortoise Books, and Jerry Brennan, Tortoise's editor.
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Rae Radford @raeradford.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
True. #WritingCommunity
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sara lippmann @saralippmann.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Tomorrow night!
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