Honest conversations with working writers about how they make money.
Joined March 2024
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Hermione Hoby has bylines in The New York Times, Harper’s, and Bookforum, along with two acclaimed novels. But when I asked her how much money all that literary prestige brings in, she told me: "Prestige don’t pay! At least not financially."
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Having minimal housing costs is what keeps her from having to run on the freelance treadmill just to cover the bills, and it shows just how much is happening behind the scenes to fund a creative career.
"Financial stability mostly removed some fear from the equation. It let me treat publishing like a long-term creative investment."
Software engineer @Michael_Vadney on how keeping his day job gave his writing room to breathe.
"I spent years cold-pitching with a success rate of maybe 5%. I can’t imagine how many unanswered emails I sent between 2014-2020."
@svershbow on pitching, patience, and landing bylines in Vogue, The Atlantic, and The New York Times:
How does an award-winning freelance journalist turn a specialized beat on psychedelics and drug policy into a £35k–£50k/year living?
@matthabusby breaks down the reality of book advances, funding international reporting trips, and why rate transparency matters for freelancers.
How does a policy wonk, freelancer, and author make money?
In our latest interview, @LeahLibresco breaks down:
* Using a day job for creative freedom
* Low book advances vs. fellowships
* Her "PBS-style" Substack monetization model
Read the interview: howimakemoneywriting.substac…
How does @adam_al_sirgany fund experimental fiction, local community arts, and his role as Poet Laureate?
By ghostwriting medical and real estate narratives.
He breaks down geographic arbitrage, avoiding burnout, and the blueprint for a portfolio writing career.
Read 👇
For 20 years, @mitch_moxley has balanced writing and editing across the industry, filing stories from North Korea and editing for Maxim and Penta.
We discussed the math of book publishing, why editing was a financial turning point, and building a sustainable career.
"Make yourself indispensable by completely owning a beat."
@ddayen, Executive Editor of @TheProspect, breaks down his writing income, the reality of book advances, and how he funded his journalism pivot with a 15-year TV career.
Interview here: howimakemoneywriting.substac…
Most writers fall into the attention trap, chasing viral metrics instead of building actual trust.
In this week's interview, CEO coach @dipietromedia explains why smart media operators are abandoning broad advertising models to build gated communities for their audience.
