Substack Writers Salon

I had the pleasure of hosting Veronica Llorca-Smith for a raw and honest Substack Live conversation about what it really takes to turn creativity into a thriving business. Veronica is a writer, author coach, and public speaker who recently published The Anti-Procrastinator with Penguin Random House. What made this conversation special? We committed from the start to being completely transparent—no...

Most writers never make it past “publish” to a real paycheck. Derek Hughes did just that. Starting from zero and in two years, he built thousands of Substack subscribers, converted 100+ paying readers, and turned templates and tools into a steady income. In this conversation, we unpack the system behind his results: the platform he focused on, the cadence he keeps, and the products that actually s...

Most freelance writers dream of hitting six figures. But what does it take to scale beyond that milestone to seven figures? In a recent live conversation, bestselling author and seven-figure memoir ghostwriter Amy Suto shared the exact strategies that transformed her business, and they might surprise you. The Branding Breakthrough That Changed Everything Amy's most dramatic income jump didn't come...

What does it take to build a writing community with over 6,000 subscribers and that coveted verified checkmark on Substack? I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Jessica Smock , co-editor of Mid Story Magazine and co-founder of the Her Stories Project , to find out exactly how she and her partner built their thriving community for midlife women writers. The Power of Long-Term Community Build...

This post is based on my recent Substack Live conversation with book marketing coach and bestselling author Fleur Hull , who has helped nearly 100 authors successfully launch their books. As authors, we often think the hardest part is writing the book. But as Fleur Hull , a bestselling author with over 25 years of marketing experience, revealed in our live conversation, the real challenge begins a...

In a recent Substack Live session, I had the pleasure of chatting with Talyn Simmonds, a former college teacher turned full-time ghostwriter and content marketing expert. Taylin shared his journey into ghostwriting, strategies for client acquisition, and how to stand out in an increasingly competitive market. Below, I’ve distilled key takeaways from our conversation to help aspiring ghostwriters b...

What Happens When You Serialize a Memoir on Substack? In this powerful conversation, I talk with author and personal brand strategist Anna Vatuone , who took the bold leap of publishing her memoir Lonely Girl chapter-by-chapter on Substack. We dive into: * Why she chose Substack over traditional publishing * How she grew to 350+ paid subscribers * The burnout, the breakthroughs, and the behind-the...