How to Write for a Living

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

  1. 412: Story discovery as the pathway to success (with Michelle Ray)

    2 days ago

    412: Story discovery as the pathway to success (with Michelle Ray)

    Season 4, episode 12 is here! michelle ray spent 15 years teaching abroad in Ecuador, Bahrain, and Dubai before coming back to the States, having a kid, and eventually sitting down to write a memoir. This was a warm, funny, really honest conversation about writing and what stories actually do for us. What we covered - How Michelle stumbled onto Substack just to tick a box for a writing conference and ended up building something she genuinely loves. - The technique she uses to help writers access memories they didn’t know they still had, and why people rarely remember in words. - Why going back to old journals, emails, and documents can unlock parts of a story you thought you’d forgotten completely. - What happened when Michelle found a journal from her first year in Bahrain after 15 years, and why reading it felt like reading someone else’s life. - The vulnerability sweet spot she thinks most writers miss, and why you’re probably sharing less than you think you are. - What her paid Story Discovery sessions actually involve, and why having your key story properly shaped changes everything about how you use it. - Why she thinks finding a writing community matters more than almost anything else if you actually want to finish something. You can find Michelle at states of matter on Substack. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thedavidmcilroy.substack.com/subscribe

    48 min
  2. 411: What happens when you finally stop settling (with Bobby Umar)

    21 Jun

    411: What happens when you finally stop settling (with Bobby Umar)

    Season 4, episode 11 is here! Bobby Umar has done a thousand keynotes across four continents, spoken at TEDx five times, and built half a million followers on Twitter. But it took multiple job redirections before he finally stopped waiting and figured out what he was actually all about. This was a really fun chat! What we covered: - Why Bobby thinks the difference between a personal story and a private story is the most important line any creator needs to understand. - What actually happened when he posted about his body image and binge eating disorder on LinkedIn, the last place anyone expected that kind of honesty. - The three things most people get wrong when they try to land a TEDx talk, and why the idea is usually the biggest problem. - What a TEDx talk actually does for your authority that no other single thing can replicate as quickly. - The red flag Bobby uses to know when someone is ready to pivot out of a job or a business, and why most people ignore it for years. - Why he thinks 90% of business owners are making the same two mistakes with their content right now. - What Bobby 2.0 looks like, and why he’s now working 30 hours a week instead of 60. You can find Bobby on Substack at The 1% Brand Brilliance, where he writes for small business owners. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thedavidmcilroy.substack.com/subscribe

    43 min
  3. 410: Building a bookstore for the little guys (with Fleur Hull)

    14 Jun

    410: Building a bookstore for the little guys (with Fleur Hull)

    Season 4, episode 10 is here! Fleur Hull has spent years working with authors on the hardest part of writing a book (which is everything that happens after you finish it!). She built the Substack Bookstore because she kept watching good books disappear without readers, and she decided to do something about it. This was a really good one. What we covered: - How Fleur went from losing her job during COVID to launching a podcast, writing a bestselling book, and eventually building one of the most distinctive communities on Substack. - Why she believes authors should think about their audience before they write a single word, and why most of them do the complete opposite. - The cover design mistake she sees constantly that immediately signals to readers something they probably didn’t intend to signal. - What actually happens to a book’s visibility on Amazon in the weeks after launch, and why so many authors are caught completely off guard by it. - The surprisingly simple thing most authors neglect on their Amazon page that is costing them readers every single day. - Why she tells authors to delay their launch by at least a month from when they think they’re ready, preferably three. - What she’s building next and why she thinks a much bigger competitor could show up at any moment. ➡️ You can find Fleur at The Substack Bookstore. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thedavidmcilroy.substack.com/subscribe

    54 min
  4. 409: "I've been blessed by Madonna!" (with Karen Salmansohn)

    7 Jun

    409: "I've been blessed by Madonna!" (with Karen Salmansohn)

    Season 4, episode 9 is here! Karen Salmansohn has sold two million books, been blessed by Madonna, and built a career entirely on the principle of doing something a little extra every single time. This one was a lot of fun! What we covered: - Why Karen left a senior VP creative director role in her twenties and what she told her parents when they said she was crazy to do it. - The story of how she got her first novel in front of publishers in a way that got an offer within days of sending it out. - How she walked up to Madonna in a hotel restaurant, got her to read a book title, and turned the whole encounter into a press story. - What her bucket list from hell period actually was and how she turned the worst year of her life into one of her most successful books. - The writing mistake she sees constantly on Substack that she thinks most people assume they’re getting away with. - Why she believes memoir-style headlines consistently outperform advice-style headlines, and how she tested that on her own publication. - The new business she’s just launched and what the top regrets of the dying had to do with building it. You can find Karen at The Stand Up Philosopher: Weighty Musings, Lightly Served on Substack. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thedavidmcilroy.substack.com/subscribe

    44 min
  5. 408: She drew cartoons through medical school - now she has over 90,000 Substack subscribers (with Laurie Marbas)

    31 May

    408: She drew cartoons through medical school - now she has over 90,000 Substack subscribers (with Laurie Marbas)

    Season 4, episode 8 is here! Laurie Marbas, MD, MBA started her Substack on January 6th, 2025. She had three kids in medical school, served in the Air Force, built and sold a telemedicine company, and spent 25 years as a physician before any of that. This conversation went everywhere, and it was brilliant. What we covered: - How Laurie got through medical school with three small children by drawing cartoons, and why she still remembers everything she drew 25 years later. - What lifestyle medicine actually means in practice, and why Laurie thinks putting it at the centre of medical education would change everything. - The story of a patient who reversed type 2 diabetes by walking to the end of her driveway, and what it taught Laurie about where real change actually begins. - Why the biggest psychological mistake people make when trying to improve their health has nothing to do with willpower. - The one question Laurie thinks every Substack writer needs to answer before they write a single word. - How she grew a Facebook page from 9,000 to 83,000 followers in a matter of months and what that did for her Substack subscriber count. - What she thinks is coming next, including three literary agents who have already come knocking. You can find Laurie and the The Habit Healers on Substack. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thedavidmcilroy.substack.com/subscribe

    1hr 9min
  6. 407: He wanted to be an author at eight - now he writes for Penguin (with Kern Carter)

    24 May

    407: He wanted to be an author at eight - now he writes for Penguin (with Kern Carter)

    Season 4, episode 7 is here! Kern Carter knew he wanted to be an author at eight years old. What followed was about as non-linear as it gets: self-published novellas, indie publishers, Penguin, Scholastic, ghostwriting, a short film, school tours, and more books out before the year is done. This one covered a lot of ground. What we discussed: - How Kern deliberately treated becoming an author like a trade profession, and what that mindset meant for the steps he actually took. - Why he self-published his first two books before ever approaching a publisher, and what those books were really for. - The surprising reason it can be easier to sell a $15,000 ghostwriting service than a $30 novel, and what that tells you about how readers actually think. - What Kern learned about book marketing the hard way at his very first launch, and how he changed his approach for every book since. - The moment during a school tour in Manitoba that he says he will never forget for as long as he lives. - Why getting a traditional publishing deal is not what most aspiring authors think it is. - The advice he’d give specifically to first-time authors that he would not give to anyone else. You can find out more about Kern on Substack at Writers Are Superstars and on his website. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thedavidmcilroy.substack.com/subscribe

    42 min
  7. 406: Becoming a world builder (with Nathan Baugh)

    17 May

    406: Becoming a world builder (with Nathan Baugh)

    Season 4, episode 6 is here! Nathan Baugh has wanted to write fantasy his whole life. He just needed a bank account crisis in Spain to finally make him do something about it. These days he has over 100k Substack subscribers, a successful ghostwriting agency, and a novel coming out in a couple of months. We talked about all of it. What we covered: - The moment in Spain when the bank account started going in the wrong direction and writing went from something Nathan loved to something he urgently needed to figure out. - Why fiction writing and newsletter writing share a flaw that almost nobody talks about, and how cutting the beginning of your work tends to fix both. - Nathan’s take on where self-publishing is headed now that anyone can produce eight books a month with an AI tool. - What querying agents actually taught him about his first book that he couldn’t have learned any other way. - The world building advice his editor gave him that sounds almost too simple, but saved him a serious amount of pain. - Why the most attractive ways to make money from writing are often not the fastest, and what he’d tell someone starting from zero right now. - What his close rate on new clients tells him about whether his prices are set correctly. You can find Nathan and his newsletter World Builders on Substack. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thedavidmcilroy.substack.com/subscribe

    46 min
  8. 405: He deleted every social media account and built a thriving community anyway (with Seth Werkheiser)

    10 May

    405: He deleted every social media account and built a thriving community anyway (with Seth Werkheiser)

    Season 4, episode 5 is here! Seth Werkheiser has been on the internet for 25 years. He’s watched the whole thing evolve, from blogging about local bands in Pennsylvania to running email campaigns for record labels to eventually walking away from every major social platform completely. He’s not bitter about it - he’s just found a better way. What we covered: - How Seth went from third generation musician to spending 25 years helping other creative people get their work out into the world. - Why the early Zoom calls he hosted for his subscribers were full of genuine fear, and what that told him about what people actually needed. - The surprisingly simple approach he uses instead of social media to get other people talking about his work and sending him subscribers. - What he thinks happens to all that time and energy you get back when you stop trying to crack the algorithm every day. - Why he believes community has almost nothing to do with the software you choose to host it on. - The one thing he says you should be doing with your old content that almost nobody bothers to do. - Where he wants to take Social Media Escape Club next, and the very specific kind of event he’s planning that you probably won’t see coming. You can find Seth on Substack at SOCIAL MEDIA ESCAPE CLUB. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thedavidmcilroy.substack.com/subscribe

    54 min
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About

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

Information

  • Creator
    David McIlroy
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    76
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © David McIlroy
  • Show Website
    How to Write for a Living

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