That's right: all Vault listings will be free of charge through 6/30/10. The reason behind the decision to offer six months of free listings, a $60 value per listing, comes down to raising awareness. While the Vault has already registered such searchers as Sourcebooks, NBC/Vivendi/Universal (TV shows, movies, games), agent Nathan Bransford and publishing think tank Idealog, we recognize that the site needs more time to fully develop and become a trusted resource for its intended audience of authors and searchers alike---but we don't expect authors to finance the effort.

This article provides a good overview of what the Vault is and how it works. You can read the Vault's FAQ here, and its Terms of Use here. You can view a sample, dummy listing here, and see what the publisher/agent/producer search form looks like here. If you decide to register for a free account, you can do that here. After doing so, you will receive an email with full details on how to create your listings and bypass the PayPal payment system when publishing them.

We're also working on expanding the Vault to include authors who have published with a small press but are still seeking representation; there will be announcements both here and on Publetariat when site changes to accomodate such authors are complete.

AUTHORS: the Publetariat Vault is proud to announce a new, free benefit of listing your book in the Vault: free enrollment in the Author Platform/Book Promotion curriculum of Vault University!

Publetariat Vault University provides monthly lessons in self-publishing in print, ebook and podcast formats, author platform and book promotion. Vault lessons in the curriculum of their choice are free of charge for authors who currently have published book listings in the Publetariat Vault, to provide Vault authors with the tools they need to strengthen their books and pump up their author platform and sales. 

Authors who do not wish to list with the Vault can subscribe to a Vault University curriculum for $5 per month. Given that every single lesson is filled with concrete how-to’s authors can immediately put to use to save them hours of time and hundreds or even thousands of dollars, enrollment in Vault U. is an investment that more than pays for itself. See this sample lesson to get a better idea of the quality and depth of information you can expect from Vault U. Also note, there’s no lengthy commitment required, paid enrollment will be on a month-to-month basis and can be cancelled at any time.

All lessons are presented in plain English, with clear, step-by-step directions that don’t assume the reader is a tech whiz. Lessons are also written with the assumption that affordability is a factor for most authors, and strive to give authors the tools and information they need to get top-tier results on a budget. Vault U. offers two curricula: Publishing and Author Platform/Book Promotion. By default, Vault-listed authors are enrolled in the Author Platform/Book Promotion curriculum, but they can ask to be transferred to the Publishing curriculum (at no charge) by sending an email request specifying your Vault username and the title of your Vault-listed book to Vault staff. You'll remain enrolled in Vault U. at no cost so long as you have at least one book listed in the Vault.