FAQs & Membership
Tessera Creatives
Frequently Asked
Questions
Tessera Creatives’ freelancers offer technical expertise, cultural competence, and lived experiences that help publishers and authors create stories for a global audience. Our members work with a wide array of authors and publishers, including Penguin Random House, Sourcebooks, Hachette, Macmillan, HarperCollins, Zando, Entangled, and many others.
Through our paid membership, Tessera Creatives supports editors, writers, and publishing creatives of the global majority by providing them with directory listing profiles and access to a growing library of industry focused resources and courses. People of the Global Majority (PoGM) constitute approximately 85 percent of the global population and include, but are not limited to, Black, Indigenous, Brown, LatinX, Pacific Islanders, Native Hawaiians, Inuit communities, Arabs, Western Asians, and people whose heritage can be traced back to the nations of the Global South.
If you are a member of one of these communities, offer freelance services to the publishing industry, and have experience working with authors or publishers, you are encouraged to apply for membership to Tessera Creatives.
To learn more about the term People of the Global Majority (PoGM), please visit Britt Hawthorne’s site here.
Tessera Creatives is a directory service that provides a platform for authors and publishers to connect with skilled, culturally competent freelance creatives who provide services for the publishing industry. Tessera freelancers have experience working with traditional and indie publishers, authors, and companies both in the United States and abroad.
Easily find freelancers for your project by either typing search terms in any of the site’s search bars or using the filter bar categories to select a list of available services. The Tessera Creatives directory is free to search, and membership is not required for those seeking services.
Tessera Creatives currently lists freelance editors and writers, but the site will be expanding in the future to include a wide range of publishing service professionals including illustrators, book formatters and designers, web designers, and more.
When you join Tessera Creatives, you’ll be tapping into a network built on years of valued relationships with authors, businesses, and publishing industry professionals who rely on Tessera as their go-to source for freelance service providers. Tessera freelancers work with an array of publishers including Penguin Random House, Sourcebooks, Hachette, HarperCollins Publishers, Zando, Entangled, and many more.
Tessera Creatives currently offers paid annual memberships at two tiers. All membership levels include directory listing profiles, free webinars and workshops featuring authors and publishing professionals, and access to a growing template and resource library. Scroll to the bottom of this page to explore additional membership benefits and fees.
Tessera Editorial is a membership community for People of the Global Majority. Anyone who is a member of this group and who provides professional services for the publishing industry can apply to join.
In the top menu bar, select Become a Member, choose your membership tier, pay online, and complete your profile. We currently only accept PayPal payments. Once you’re approved, your profile will go live, and authors and publishing professionals will be able to find you on the site.
Tessera Creatives is a directory service that provides a platform for authors and publishers to connect with freelance creatives. The freelancers listed in this directory operate independently and are not employees, agents, or representatives of Tessera Creatives. While we strive to maintain accurate and up-to-date profiles, Tessera Creatives does not vet or endorse the freelancers listed and makes no guarantees regarding the quality, reliability, or suitability of their work. It is the sole responsibility of authors and publishers to evaluate freelancers based on their profiles, references, and work samples before engaging their services. Tessera Creatives does not vet potential clients, authors, or publishers. It is the freelancer’s responsibility to vet anyone contacting them seeking services. Click here for more information on Tessera’s Terms of Service.
*Editors and writers who went through the Tessera Editorial Training program and were a part of its pool of editors and writers are indicated by the Tessera Editorial Alum banner in their member profiles.
**Members who have verified experience working with traditional publishers across multiple projects will have a blue checkmark visible in their profiles.
Membership
Tessera Creatives is temporarily closed to new members.
Tier 1
- Freelancer name, title, and a brief description (up to 120 words)
- Display of contact information (phone/website link) and dedicated contact form
- List up to 5 services (e.g., "Proofreading" and "Fiction Editing")
- List up to 3 genres
- Profile photo or logo upload (include size limit)
- Access to free webinars and workshops hosted by industry professionals
- Welcome packet with basic freelancer templates
Tier 2
- All Basic Listing features
- Expanded description (up to 250 words)
- List up to 10 services
- List up to 6 genres
- Include up to 4 portfolio samples/testimonials
- Access to expanded template library
- 20% discount on fee-based webinars and workshops