Tertulia

What Tertulia does

Tertulia is a New York-based private company that operates a consumer-facing co-op online bookstore and book discovery platform, founded in 2020. The core product aggregates book recommendations and literary commentary from social media, podcasts, and the web into curated editorial reading lists, paired with an e-commerce storefront selling physical books, ebooks, and audiobooks, and an iOS app for discovery and reading tracking. The company runs a co-op membership model at $25 per year (after a 30-day free trial) that grants free shipping, tiered discounts up to 20% off most books, and an equity stake in Tertulia Inc. — with 10% of equity allocated to members who collectively purchase the first $100 million of books, and voting rights on company strategy.

The underlying technology stack centers on an ISBN-driven data model: entering a single ISBN imports a full book record (cover, description, reviews, retailer links), which powers both consumer discovery and the secondary Tertulia for Authors product launched in 2025. Tertulia for Authors is a separate platform that automatically generates professional author websites, blogs, email newsletters, events calendars, and direct ebook/audiobook/print sales infrastructure, integrated with IngramSpark. Revenue is generated from three streams: recurring membership subscriptions, transactional book sales (including gift cards and non-member purchases), and a partnership with the Belletrist book club (founded by Emma Roberts and Karah Preiss) offering a monthly subscription book delivery service.

The customer base is split between avid readers seeking curated discovery beyond bestsellers (primary segment) and authors seeking low-friction website and direct-sales tooling (secondary segment). Distribution is direct-to-consumer via tertulia.com and the iOS app, with shipping currently limited to the contiguous United States. The company has no publicly disclosed venture funding beyond an initial 2020 AlleyCorp-led round, and revenue figures are not publicly available.

Name

Tertulia

Legal name

Tertulia

Website

https://tertulia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tertulia is a New York-based co-op online bookstore and book discovery platform founded in 2020, serving avid readers with curated reading lists and direct book sales via a $25/year membership, and authors via the Tertulia for Authors website and sales platform launched in 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Bookstore

NAICS

Book Retailers and News Dealers (459210), Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAJAJAE

Author Website, Storefront & Direct-to-Reader Commerce (D2C Sales)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Self-Publishing Platforms & Author Services

Keywords

• Online bookstore
• Book discovery platform
• Co-op membership
• Author websites
• Curated reading lists

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Co-op Membership Subscription: Annual membership at $25/year following a 30-day free trial. Members receive unlimited free shipping, 10% off most books (increasing to 20% after spending $150), and 50% off first book. Members also gain co-op ownership stake in Tertulia Inc.
2. Book Sales: Direct sales of physical books, ebooks, and audiobooks through the Tertulia platform. Standard and Priority USPS and UPS Ground shipping options available.
3. Belletrist Book Club Subscription: Monthly or annual subscription partnership with Belletrist book club founded by Emma Roberts and Karah Preiss. Members receive monthly book club picks delivered by mail along with Tertulia member benefits.
4. Tertulia for Authors Platform: All-in-one author platform with Pro tier offering direct ebook, audiobook, and print book sales. Separate product from the consumer bookstore.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Tertulia sells physical books, ebooks, and audiobooks directly to consumers through a co-op online bookstore and book discovery platform that aggregates recommendations from social media, podcasts, and the web. It also offers a separate Tertulia for Authors platform that automates professional author website creation from ISBN input, including blog, email newsletter tools, events calendar, and direct book sales. Customers can join the Tertulia Co-op membership ($25/year) for free shipping, discounts, and co-ownership stakes in the company.

Product overview

Tertulia operates as a dual-product company consisting of (1) the Tertulia consumer bookstore and book discovery app — a co-op model online bookstore offering curated reading lists, personalized recommendations, book purchasing, and membership benefits — and (2) Tertulia for Authors, a separate all-in-one author platform launched in 2025 that automatically builds professional author websites from ISBN input, including blog, email tools, events calendar, and direct book sales capabilities. Additional offerings include gift cards, BookLinks games, and the Belletrist x Tertulia book club partnership.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tertulia for Authors: An all-in-one author platform built specifically for authors to build professional websites, send email newsletters, publish blogs, and sell ebooks, audiobooks, and print books directly.

Products and services

• Tertulia Online Bookstore and Book Discovery App A co-op online bookstore and book discovery app that serves up book recommendations and book talk from across social media, podcasts, and the web, with seamless book purchasing. Customers can become co-owners by joining the Tertulia Co-op.
• Tertulia Co-op Membership An annual membership program ($25/year after a 30-day free trial) providing free shipping, up to 20% off most books, 50% off first book, and co-ownership stake in Tertulia Inc. Members can participate in company strategic initiatives and votes.
• Tertulia for Authors An all-in-one author platform launched in 2025. Authors enter one book's ISBN and Tertulia automatically builds a professional author website importing books, covers, descriptions, reviews, and retailer links, with a built-in blog, email newsletter tools, events calendar, and direct sales capabilities for ebooks, audiobooks, and print books.
• Tertulia Gift Cards Digital gift cards available in denominations of $25, $50, $100, or custom amounts, deliverable via email or as printable cards.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IngramSparkcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025Tertulia for Authors has a strategic partnership with IngramSpark, an indie author platform. This integration enables authors to build professional websites and sell books directly through Tertulia's platform.
• BelletristcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTertulia has partnered with Belletrist, a book club founded by actress Emma Roberts and Karah Preiss. Belletrist x Tertulia members receive the same discounts and privileges as regular Tertulia members, plus monthly book club picks delivered by mail. This partnership expands Tertulia's reach to celebrity-endorsed book club audiences.
• Jane FriedmanminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPublishing expert Jane Friedman has recommended Tertulia for Authors as a platform for authors seeking to strengthen their online presence.
• Dale RobertsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPublishing expert Dale Roberts has recommended Tertulia for Authors as a platform for authors seeking professional website and sales capabilities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Goodreads: Amazon-owned book discovery, recommendation, and tracking platform. Largest incumbent in the social-reading / book-discovery category where Tertulia's discovery engine competes.
• Squarespace: Dominant website-building platform widely used by authors for personal sites and direct sales. Overlaps with the Tertulia for Authors value proposition of drag-free, professional author websites plus commerce.
• Scribd: Subscription-based e-book, audiobook, and document service. Comparable on subscription-bundled reading access and broad catalog economics overlapping with Tertulia's membership value proposition.
• Amazon Books: Dominant online book retailer with unmatched catalog, pricing, and fulfillment. The structural incumbent Tertulia competes against on price, selection, and shipping speed in physical and digital books.

Emerging players

• BookBub: E-book deal and discovery platform serving both readers (curated daily deals) and authors (promotion tools). Adjacent competitor in the curated-discovery-for-readers plus author-tools space Tertulia occupies.
• StoryGraph: Independent, indie-built reading-tracker and recommendation app emphasizing diverse and curated discovery. Closely comparable to Tertulia's discovery and reading-tracking features for power readers.
• Reedsy: Marketplace and toolset for indie authors including editing, design, and discovery. Direct overlap with Tertulia for Authors on author-services tooling and with Tertulia's discovery of indie titles.

Direct peers

• Libro.fm: Online audiobook retailer that shares revenue with independent bookstores. Comparable D2C model with author/indie-aligned economics and a curated catalog approach similar to Tertulia's.
• Book of the Month: Subscription-based book club delivering curated monthly picks to members. Directly comparable to Tertulia's membership tier and Belletrist x Tertulia partnership on subscription mechanics and curated-discovery positioning.
• Bookshop.org: Mission-driven online bookstore that routes a share of profits to independent bookstores. Closely comparable to Tertulia as a D2C alternative to Amazon with a curated-discovery and values-led positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/JoinTertulia
• Facebookfacebook.com/JoinTertulia
• Instagraminstagram.com/jointertulia
• TikToktiktok.com/@tertulia_books
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jointertulia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tertulia