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Artwork for How to Write for a Living

How to Write for a Living

David McIlroy
Substack
Writing
Substack Growth Sessions
Personal Branding
Youtube
Monetization
Personal Brand
Write Build Scale
Storytelling
Newsletter
Sendowl
Audience Growth
Solopreneur
Public Speaking
Income Generation
Live Video
Personal Brand Development
Capitalism
Trust
Story Discovery

Writers should get paid for doing what they love. Let's talk about how to make that happen. thedavidmcilroy.substack.com

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes80Founded2 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
How ToBusinessEducationEntrepreneurship

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Artwork for How to Write for a Living

Latest Episodes

Season 4, episode 16 is here!

Louise Buckley Literary Agent has worked just about every side of books, from the shop floor at Waterstones to commercial fiction editor at Macmillan to literary agent. She’s on a mission to demystify an industry that c... more

Season 4, episode 15 is here!

Shea Serrano taught middle school in Houston for nine years before freelancing turned into New York Times bestsellers, TV shows, and a Substack pulling in serious numbers.

Along the way he built his own fake publishing... more

Season 4, episode 14 is here!

Karin Gillespie got her first book published by Simon & Schuster in 2004, and has spent the two decades since working across traditional publishing, small presses, and self-publishing. She’s studied publishing deals obs... more

Season 4, episode 13 is here!

Vic Holtreman started Screen Rant in the early 2000s as a hobby because he liked complaining about Hollywood.

Twelve years later he sold it with 15 million monthly visitors. Now he writes for men trying to rebuild thei... more

Key Facts

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Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

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Recent Guests

Shea Serrano
Writer and editor, author of Hip Hop and Other Things and The Rap Year Book
Self / Halfway Books
Episode: 415: Scrubs, self-publishing, and making the coolest thing possible (with Shea Serrano)
Karin Gillespie
Author and publishing expert discussing publishing deals, query letters, and author strategy
Episode: 414: How to pitch your novel in 2026 (with Karin Gillespie)
Vic Holtreman
Founder/author with experience running entertainment sites and author of The Last 10 Pounds
Substack publication The Redeemed Second Half; author
Episode: 413: He built a movie site to 15 million visitors a month. Then he sold it and started over (with Vic Holtreman)
Michelle Ray
Writer and writing coach on Substack; creator of Story Discovery
Substack / Story Space
Episode: 412: Story discovery as the pathway to success (with Michelle Ray)
Bobby Umar
Motivational speaker, personal branding expert, TEDx coach and author
Self-employed / TEDx coach
Episode: 411: What happens when you finally stop settling (with Bobby Umar)
Fleur Hull
Founder of The Substack Bookstore and indie author marketing specialist
Substack Bookstore
Episode: 410: Building a bookstore for the little guys (with Fleur Hull)
Karen Salmansohn
Bestselling author and behavioral change expert
Episode: 409: "I've been blessed by Madonna!" (with Karen Salmansohn)
Laurie Marbas
Family medicine physician and lifestyle medicine advocate, Substack creator
Substack publications (The Habit Healers, Healing Mindset/Habit Healers)
Episode: 408: She drew cartoons through medical school - now she has over 90,000 Substack subscribers (with Laurie Marbas)
Kern Carter
Author and creator of Writers Are Superstars on Substack
Author / Publisher (Canada)
Episode: 407: He wanted to be an author at eight - now he writes for Penguin (with Kern Carter)

Host

David McIlroy
Host and interviewer; operates Substack and related publishing ventures.

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 10 ratings
  • I Love David’s Work

    I discovered David is on Substack and started listening to his podcast. He offers tons of practical ideas and inspiration for writers.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Wakingupwell
    United Statesa year ago
  • Great Start David!

    I follow David on Substack and am very excited to see he’s started a podcast so I can listen while I take my morning bike ride.

    David provides actionable information on how to “write for a living” particularly on Substack where I have just started my new fiction series.

    I enjoy hearing what David has to say and will learn from him each week, here in his podcast and on Substack.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Tucsonpots
    United States2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Host delivers actionable guidance; great for writers starting Substack newsletters.
Practical ideas and inspiration for writers, especially around Substack growth.
Candid discussions on building communities beyond social media make the content feel usable.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#232
United States/Education/How To
Apple Podcasts
#218
Australia/Education/How To
Apple Podcasts
#68
Finland/Education/How To
Apple Podcasts
#87
New Zealand/Education/How To
Apple Podcasts
#137
South Korea/Education/How To
Apple Podcasts
#152
Norway/Education/How To

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

414: How to pitch your novel in 2026 (with Karin Gillespie)
Q: What is your golden nugget of advice for writers navigating querying and publishing?
Focus on a compelling concept and a propulsive plot first; while sentence-level craft matters, it is secondary to structure and a strong central idea in today's market.
414: How to pitch your novel in 2026 (with Karin Gillespie)
Q: What makes a strong query letter in 2026 and how should authors approach sending queries?
Get a professional review, craft a precise one-sentence pitch that includes character desire, inciting incident, obstacles, and stakes, and include necessary metadata like word count and genre; avoid extraneous bio details.
414: How to pitch your novel in 2026 (with Karin Gillespie)
Q: How should authors build connections with readers before a book launches?
Authors should leverage a year-plus lead time, choose and grow a comfortable social platform, engage with substacks, and create an author community to attract publisher support.
414: How to pitch your novel in 2026 (with Karin Gillespie)
Q: Tell us who you are and how you got to where you are today.
The guest describes a 20+ year publishing journey, publishing nine books with various models, an MFA, teaching writing, and starting a Substack to discuss publishing patterns and trends.
413: He built a movie site to 15 million visitors a month. Then he sold it and started over (with Vic Holtreman)
Q: What would you say to a man listening who struggles with being vulnerable?
Start by finding someone you trust, share something small, and test the reaction; vulnerability should come from a position of strength and purpose, not as a crutch or complaint.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About How to Write for a Living

What is How to Write for a Living about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show centers on turning writing into a sustainable, paid career, with deep dives into Substack, newsletters, publishing, and creator-driven monetization. Episodes frequently cover building audiences, authentic storytelling, and practical systems for long-term growth—often through collaborations, live formats, or community-building. A standout theme is treating writing as a profession with repeatable workflows, from craft to marketing, while exploring monetization strategies beyond traditional publishing. The format leans entrepreneurial and hands-on, making it helpful for writers seeking actionable steps and for brands or sponsors looking to reach creator-minded audiences.

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How many listeners does How to Write for a Living get?

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How many subscribers and views does How to Write for a Living have?

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Which podcasts are similar to How to Write for a Living?

These podcasts share a similar audience with How to Write for a Living:

1. The Write and Wrong Podcast | Writing Tips, Book Publishing and Literary Agents
2. Read the Acknowledgments
3. Eat Blog Talk

How many episodes of How to Write for a Living are there?

How to Write for a Living launched 2 years ago and published 80 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

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What guests have appeared on How to Write for a Living?

Recent guests on How to Write for a Living include:

1. Shea Serrano
2. Karin Gillespie
3. Vic Holtreman
4. Michelle Ray
5. Bobby Umar
6. Fleur Hull
7. Karen Salmansohn
8. Laurie Marbas

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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