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A two-day workshop · Live on Zoom · Book your weekend
Leanpub Book Weekend
Get three months of Ultra Author ($297 value), and win an additional $300 toward a year of Ultra Author when you publish on Sunday. Guaranteed.
Two days live on Zoom with Leanpub's founder. Your book goes public on Saturday and you publish it, in progress, on Sunday. When you do, you win $300 off a year of Ultra Author — it's like getting the entire weekend for free!
Your Book Weekend ticket includes three months of Ultra Author, a $297 value, starting the moment you buy. Publish in-progress on Sunday and win $300 toward a subsequent year of Ultra Author, which is more than your ticket cost. Guaranteed. That's fifteen months of Ultra Author and the Book Weekend for less than what twelve months of Ultra Author costs on its own!
Leanpub Book Weekend 1
Saturday–Sunday, October 17–18, 2026
7:00 am – 2:00 pm Pacific, both days
Leanpub Book Weekend 2
Saturday–Sunday, November 7–8, 2026
7:00 am – 2:00 pm Pacific, both days
Both days, wherever you are
- Pacific
- 7:00 am – 2:00 pm
- Eastern
- 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
- UK
- 3:00 pm – 10:00 pm
- Germany
- 4:00 pm – 11:00 pm
The weekend
Two days. One published book.
Saturday, within the first hour, your book's landing page is public. By lunch, the whole book is outlined. Sunday at 11:00 am Pacific, everyone publishes in-progress together.
What you leave with
Published in-progress on Sunday, and set up for finishing successfully after
Public in an hour
Your book's landing page is live within the first hour on Saturday, with a public commitment to publish on Sunday.
Outlined by lunch
The whole book outlined by lunch on Saturday, with GhostAI set up and your first pages written before the day is done.
Published on Sunday
At 11 am Pacific on Sunday, everyone looks at where their book is, prices it together, and clicks publish.
Three months of Ultra Author
The real membership for three months, starting the moment you buy: ten times Max's AI usage as one pool, Studio, and office hours after every Book Weekend day.
A month on The Shelf
6 Shelf slices, yours the moment you buy: a month for your published book on the Leanpub homepage, whenever you choose.
$300 toward Ultra Author, if you publish
Publish during the weekend and you win $300 of credit toward your first year of Ultra Author, and the black Leanpub T-shirt. Buy the year inside the window and it starts when your three months end.
In the ticket
What your ticket includes
Two days live with Peter Armstrong$997 value
Saturday and Sunday, live on Zoom. Your book's landing page is public in the first hour, the whole book is outlined by lunch on Saturday, and on Sunday everyone prices their book and clicks publish together.
Three months of Ultra Author, starting the moment you buy$297 value
The real membership: ten times Max's AI usage as one pool, all of it available from day one, plus Studio. A 90-day window to get a real draft done, before, during and after your weekend, and it never ends sooner than 31 days after your weekend. It's paid Ultra Author too: go on to Ultra Author monthly before it ends and the ticket counts as your first monthly payment toward the 1:1 calls and the member prices on Publish on Amazon and Leanpub's AI services.
Ultra office hours for those three months$150 a session
Held after every Book Weekend day, at 2:30 pm Pacific, usually two weekends a month: bring your book and your questions and get help live. Your three months are already running, so you're in them as a member.
A month on The Shelf$149 value
6 Shelf slices on your account the moment you buy: a month for one of your published books on the Leanpub homepage, spent whenever you choose — the Sunday publish is the natural first moment. They're on top of the slices Ultra itself grants, and they wait for you as long as you hold an active Ultra or Max membership; your three months are one.
The Sunday Guarantee
Publish your first version on Sunday, or choose either a seat at a subsequent Book Weekend — whichever one fits your calendar — or a full refund. Move your weekend free up to 24 hours before it starts.
Who it's with
Live with the founder of Leanpub
Peter Armstrong founded Leanpub and runs every Book Weekend himself, live on Zoom, both days. Each weekend is capped at 20 authors.
Who it's for
You're an expert with a book that's unfinished or unstarted: a draft, an outline, a folder of notes, or the thing people keep telling you to write. The standard path is GhostAI in the Leanpub browser editor. If you're technical, GhostAI in Claude Code is there too — optional. "In progress" isn't an apology here. It's the point: the book goes public on Saturday, gets its first version on Sunday, and you keep publishing after.
The three months in your ticket
What's in Ultra Author?
Your ticket includes three months of Ultra Author, our top author membership. Here is everything it includes.
Included in Ultra
Ten times the AI usage of Max
Enough for heavy usage of the GhostAI skills and Leanpub's AI Studio, on every term.
Office hours: at least 24 over the next 12 months
After every Book Weekend day, at 2:30 pm Pacific for 60 minutes, with recordings. At least 2 per month. Valued at $3,600 a year.
A priority queue for two Launch videos about your book with Len
Get the first one whenever you're ready, after you've published in-progress. Get the second one when you're at 100%.
A priority queue for an interview on the Leanpub Podcast
Book it for whenever it makes sense for you.
Your video and your support email handled first
Ultra Author members go to the front of Len's queue for their two Launch videos and their podcast interview, and to the front of the line at vip@leanpub.com.
Member prices on Leanpub's services, double Max's
40% off every Leanpub service and 20% off GlobalAuthor, double what a Max Author member gets: Publish on Amazon is $899 instead of $1,499, from the day your membership starts.
Four 30-minute 1:1 calls a year
With Peter or Len: one for each quarter you've paid for, all four at once on the annual term. Valued at $1,200 a year.
Bingeable AI UsageQuarterly and annual only
Your AI usage a month at a time, and your next month whenever you want it: click Binge and it's yours, all quarter or all year.
Also included in Ultra
- Two months on The Shelf a year, the bookshelf on the Leanpub homepage
- VIP author support by email, at vip@leanpub.com
- AI Support: instant suggestions when your book or course has generation failures
- GitHub and Dropbox sync, so you can write on your own computer
- Google Analytics, InDesign export and the Leanpub API
- Unlimited previews and publishes (Mini has 20 a month)
- Custom themes for your books
- Print-ready PDF export
- Up to 100 books and courses (Free has three books and one course)
- Our Minimal, Visual and Source editors, and Upload Mode
- The same royalty rate as every Leanpub author membership
- Coupons, bundles, tracks and all our other marketing features
- Support through the Author Forum or by email
The win
Publish on Sunday and win $300 toward Ultra Author, more than your ticket cost.
The win is for publishing. Publish a version of a book you own during your weekend, from the start of Saturday's session to 11:59 pm Pacific on Sunday, with the book's landing page public at the deadline. A new version of a book you already have out counts.
$300 toward Ultra Author
Credit toward the first year of a paid Ultra Author membership, good until 2 pm Pacific on Wednesday, October 21, 72 hours after your weekend ends. Buy the year inside that window and it starts when your three months end; wait, and it's the standard price. It is credit toward a membership, never cash.
The black Leanpub T-shirt
Earned by publishing. Give us your address and size when you book and, once you've published, we mail you the black Leanpub T-shirt: a Bella + Canvas tee with the logo discharge-printed into the fabric, so it's part of the shirt rather than sitting on top of it. Shipping is on us.
The win: $300 of credit and the $35 shirt, $335 in all, against a $297 ticket.
The year is where the book gets finished: the next draft, the second book, the course, Publish on Amazon at the member price, and office hours every Book Weekend. Your three months are the start of it; the $300 is the way in.
Ultra Author is $99 a month or $997 a year: ten times Max's AI usage, plus live help with your book. Publish on Sunday and $300 comes off your first year, and the year starts when your three months end.
- $997 a year becomes $697 for your first year.
- $269 a quarter becomes $194 for your first four payments.
- $99 a month becomes $74 for your first 12 payments.
Book your weekend
Pick your weekend
One payment of $297. Your seat is held the moment you pay, and your three months of Ultra Author start right then.
Saturday–Sunday, October 17–18, 2026
7:00 am – 2:00 pm Pacific, both days
$297 USD
Enter your email to get started
Already have a Leanpub account?
The Sunday Guarantee: publish your first version on Sunday, or choose a seat at a subsequent Book Weekend or a full refund. Move your weekend free up to 24 hours before it starts.
Zoom link will be emailed to you before the weekend, and will be added to your Leanpub library in the events page.
The Sunday Guarantee
Published in-progress on Sunday. Guaranteed.
Here's the deal. You book your weekend. On Saturday your unpublished book landing page goes public. On Sunday at 11 am Pacific you publish your first in-progress version, together with everyone in the room. And if you don't publish on Sunday — for any reason at all — you choose what happens next.
1
Publish on Sunday
The whole room clicks publish together at 11 am Pacific. Your book is live, in progress, with a real landing page and a real price.
2
Or take a subsequent weekend
Didn't publish? Pick a seat at any subsequent Book Weekend with seats — whichever one fits your calendar, not just the next one. (Can't make your weekend at all? Move it, free, up to 24 hours before it starts.)
3
Or take a full refund
Or ask for a full refund instead. Your call. We have a 100% satisfaction guarantee, which we call The Leanpub 60 Day 100% Happiness Guarantee: within 60 days of purchase you can get a 100% refund on any Leanpub purchase, in two clicks.
We can make this promise because the weekend is built to get you there: public in an hour, outlined by lunch, published on Sunday. The guarantee is what it costs us if it doesn't.
After Sunday
What happens after Sunday
On Sunday you're a published author with a book in progress and three months of Ultra Author already running: a 90-day window to get a real draft done, with ten times Max's AI usage and office hours after every Book Weekend day, usually two weekends a month. Book Weekend authors stay on for that day's Ultra Author office hours at 2:30 pm Pacific; with the months in your ticket, you're there as a member. Keeping Ultra Author is how you keep writing, finish and launch.
See Ultra AuthorFrequently asked questions
FAQs
What if I don't publish on Sunday?
That's the Sunday Guarantee: publish your first version on Sunday, or choose either a seat at a subsequent Book Weekend — whichever one fits your calendar — or a full refund. You choose from your Book Weekend page.
What counts as publishing?
A successful publish of a book you own, made during your weekend: from the start of Saturday's session to 11:59 pm Pacific on Sunday, with the book's landing page public at the deadline. Most people publish together at 11 am Pacific on Sunday, but any publish inside the weekend counts. A new version of a book you already have out counts too, and there is no minimum length. Every ticket holder for that weekend is eligible.
What is the $300 credit, and when does it expire?
Publish during your weekend and you win $300 of credit toward the first year of a paid Ultra Author membership. It comes off the annual price once, or is spread over your first four quarterly payments or your first 12 monthly payments. It is issued after your weekend's deadline passes, and it is yours if you start your membership within 72 hours of your weekend ending, by 2 pm Pacific on the Wednesday after it. The three months of Ultra Author in your ticket come first: the paid year starts when they end, whichever term you choose. After your first year, your membership goes back to its usual price, and we'll email you before it does.
Is the credit cash?
No. It is credit toward an Ultra Author membership. It can't be paid out, and it can't be used on anything else.
What happens to the credit if I refund my ticket?
Refunding the ticket cancels a credit you haven't used. A credit you've already spent on an Ultra Author membership is left alone.
How do I get the shirt?
Publish during your weekend. When you book, put your shipping address and size (S, M, L or XL) in the box on the order form, and after the weekend we mail the black Leanpub T-shirt to everyone who published. It's a Bella + Canvas tee with the logo discharge-printed into the fabric, and shipping is on us. No address, no shirt, and your booking goes through either way.
When do my three months of Ultra Author start, and when do they end?
They start the moment you buy, with the whole term's AI usage available that day, so you can set up GhostAI and Studio and start your outline before Saturday. They run for three months, and never end sooner than 31 days after your weekend ends — a weekend booked far ahead is still covered. When they end, they end: nothing renews and nothing is charged. If you were on another Leanpub membership when you booked, your account goes back to it by itself.
What is the month on The Shelf, and when can I use it?
Your ticket puts 6 Shelf slices on your account the moment you buy, and six slices are a month for one of your books on the Leanpub homepage. Spend them whenever you choose from your author balance page — the Sunday publish is the natural first moment. Two standing rules: the book has to be published, and you need an active Ultra or Max membership at the time; your ticket's three months are one, and the slices wait for you if you come back to Ultra later. They're on top of the slices Ultra itself grants, never netted against them.
I'm already a Leanpub member. What happens to my membership?
Nothing is taken away. Your plan and its billing carry on, and you have Ultra Author on top for the three months. If you're already paying for Ultra Author, the ticket's three months are added to your membership instead: your next renewal moves back three months, and nothing is charged until then.
I have a Books Die Alone Pro Ticket. Does it count?
Yes. The $79 you paid for the Pro Ticket comes off the Book Weekend ticket automatically when you're signed in. This ticket's own three months of Ultra Author start the moment you buy, whether or not the Pro Ticket's month is still running.
Do I need a finished draft?
No. Book Weekend is for a book that's unfinished or unstarted: a draft, an outline, a folder of notes, or the thing people keep telling you to write. The book goes public on Saturday, gets its first version on Sunday, and you keep publishing after.
What are the hours, and where does it happen?
Live on Zoom, 7 am to 2 pm Pacific on both days. The Zoom link is emailed to you before the weekend and added to the events page in your Leanpub library. Ultra Author's office hours follow each Book Weekend day at 2:30 pm Pacific, usually two weekends a month, and with the three months in your ticket you're in them as a member.
Can I move my weekend?
Yes. Your Book Weekend page lets you switch to any other Book Weekend with seats, free, up to 24 hours before yours starts — and we email you a week out to ask whether the date still works. After that, if you want to reschedule, contact hello@leanpub.com and let us know what happened: we're a bootstrapped startup with limited event spots, so we'd really like to avoid late cancellations.
Published by Sunday.
Pick a weekend and book it. Your seat is held the moment you pay.
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The Leanpub 60 Day 100% Happiness Guarantee
Within 60 days of purchase you can get a 100% refund on any Leanpub purchase, in two clicks.
See full terms...
Earn $8 on a $10 Purchase, and $16 on a $20 Purchase
We pay 80% royalties on purchases of $7.99 or more, and 80% royalties minus a 50 cent flat fee on purchases between $0.99 and $7.98. You earn $8 on a $10 sale, and $16 on a $20 sale. So, if we sell 5000 non-refunded copies of your book for $20, you'll earn $80,000.
(Yes, some authors have already earned much more than that on Leanpub.)
In fact, authors have earned over $15 million writing, publishing and selling on Leanpub.
Learn more about writing on Leanpub
Write and Publish on Leanpub
You can use Leanpub to easily write, publish and sell in-progress and completed ebooks and online courses!
Leanpub is a powerful platform for serious authors, combining a simple, elegant writing and publishing workflow with a store focused on selling in-progress ebooks.
Leanpub is a magical typewriter for authors: just write in plain text, and to publish your ebook, just click a button. (Or, if you are producing your ebook your own way, you can even upload your own PDF and/or EPUB files and then publish with one click!) It really is that easy.