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. 2d ago

    501: He thought his first online payment was spam (with Virgil Brewster)

    ➡️ NEW FREE TRAINING: Are you failing, or are you just early? New free 38-minute training on the six signals that show you the difference. Comes with a downloadable scorecard so you finish with a concrete number, not just a feeling. Watch it here. Season 5, episode 1 is here! Virgil Brewster blows up launches for a living. He built a course business to seven figures with two partners, sold it, drifted into semi-retirement, and then got pulled back in when people kept asking him for help. He is easily the most energetic guest I’ve had on, and this one flew by. What we covered: - The story of Virgil’s very first online payment, back when he ran a boutique personal training business in Ibiza, and why he was convinced it had to be a scam. - What that first dollar does to your brain chemistry, and the two-second window of pure magic before your head starts chasing the next one. - How he balances raw ambition with being content where he is, including the millionaire at an event who taught him more than he expected. - His honest answer on avoiding burnout, from doing one task a day to the slightly terrifying activity he uses to quiet his mind. - Why he puts 5 to 10 percent of his income into learning, and the decade of trying to DIY it all before that penny dropped. - The two mistakes he sees people make with every launch, and why charging money for something half-built is the smartest thing you can do. - His glass-half-full take on where the creator economy is heading, and the one-liner he left us with that’s worth writing on your wall. Go and subscribe to Virgil’s publication, The Launch Room, and follow along with what he’s building. 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

    501: He thought his first online payment was spam (with Virgil Brewster)

  2. Sep 24

    You're not bad at it - you just haven’t done enough of it yet.

    ➡️ NEW FREE TRAINING: Are you failing, or are you just early? New free 38-minute training on the six signals that show you the difference. Comes with a downloadable scorecard so you finish with a concrete number, not just a feeling. Watch it here. The Season 4 finale is here! No guest this time. Just me and a shorter solo episode to close out season four. I answered some listener questions about podcasting and going live, gave a behind-the-scenes look at where the podcast is at, and walked through the changes coming next season. I even discovered a feature live on air that I had no idea existed… What I covered: - Where my podcast actually stands after two years, including the download count Substack quietly lopped over 20,000 off overnight. - Why my episode numbers look like I’ve recorded 421 of these when the real figure is nowhere near that. - The biggest change for season five, and why the recordings are opening up to everyone instead of just paid members. - The new perk paid members get, which means your question gets asked even if you can’t make the live. - My honest answers to listener questions on echo, cheap mics, and recording outdoors without it sounding like a wind tunnel. - Why I still find solo lives hard even now, and the simple fix that takes the pressure right off. - The evergreen traffic source I keep banging on about, and the feature I only realised existed halfway through this very episode. Season five kicks off next week with a cracking guest lined up. If you’re a paid member, keep an eye out for the prompt to send questions in advance, and if you fancy pitching yourself or someone else as a guest, my inbox is open. 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

  3. Sep 20

    421: A troll told her to quit - her reply brought in 190 subscribers (with Yuvika Iyer)

    ➡️ NEW FREE TRAINING: Are you failing, or are you just early? New free 38-minute training on the six signals that show you the difference. Comes with a downloadable scorecard so you finish with a concrete number, not just a feeling. Watch it here. Season 4, episode 21 is here! Yuvika Iyer joined Substack four months ago with no niche, no plan, and a background in recruitment she wanted to leave behind. She’s now closing in on 700 subscribers, has sold a product she built almost by accident, and did her very first live for this conversation (and she was brilliant!). What we covered: - The simple 30-minute daily routine Yuvika credits for most of her growth, and why she supported other writers long before anyone was reading her. - What happened when a writer with more subscribers sent her a cruel DM, and how the note she wrote in response turned everything around. - The small analytics frustration she grumbled about that became a product, with 16 sales in the first 24 hours despite never having sold anything online before. - Why she brought a coffee shop mindset to the platform, and what showing up at the same time every day actually does for you. - Her take on positioning, and the one thing most creators skip that keeps them stuck writing to nobody. - Where she goes to find out what readers really struggle with, and why she does it by hand instead of handing it to AI. - Her golden nugget on why done beats perfect every time, and the modest revenue goal she’s quietly chasing by December. Go and subscribe to Yuvika’s publication, The Quiet Creator, send her a DM, and check out her Gumroad tool while you’re at it. 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

    421: A troll told her to quit - her reply brought in 190 subscribers (with Yuvika Iyer)

  4. Sep 13

    420: The ladder was against the wrong building (with Ryan Maxwell)

    ➡️ Are you failing, or are you just early? New free 38-minute training on the six signals that show you the difference. Comes with a downloadable scorecard so you finish with a concrete number, not just a feeling. Join here. Season 4, episode 20 is here! Ryan Maxwell and I have been having deep conversations for the best part of a year now, so it was about time we did one on the record. Ryan writes Chasing Maximus, and his whole journey is about working out how you became who you are and what comes next. He built everything he thought he was supposed to want, watched it start to crumble, and has spent years since then digging into why. This was an honest, thoughtful conversation (as it always is with Ryan). What we covered: - The realisation midway through his corporate career that changed the whole direction of his life. - What Ryan calls his two-by-four moments, and how to spot the warning signs long before life knocks you flat. - Why the pressure he felt for years was never actually coming from where he thought it was. - The difference between fitting in and belonging, and why sanding down your edges attracts the wrong people. - What it really takes to tell someone a hard truth without crushing them, and why nice is not the same as kind. - The line Ryan draws on how much of himself to share, summed up in one phrase about scars and open wounds. - His golden nugget on why we mistake our adaptations for our personality, and the software update most of us never install. Go and subscribe to Ryan’s publication, Chasing Maximus, and if you ever get the chance to have a proper conversation with him, take it. 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

    420: The ladder was against the wrong building (with Ryan Maxwell)

  5. Aug 30

    419: She built a 32,000-subscriber Substack in under four months (with Dr. Taylor Francois)

    Season 4, episode 19 is here! Dr. Taylor Francois trained as a lawyer, passed the California Bar, and then spent years building companies and teaching people how to actually use social media. She landed on Substack less than four months ago and has already crossed 32,000 subscribers. Behind the numbers is a story about burnout, a wake-up call she never saw coming, and a completely different way of working. This was a brilliant one. What we covered: - How Dr. Taylor grew to 32,000 subscribers in under four months, and the one thing she brought from every other platform that made it happen so fast. - Why honing in on your zone of genius beats stacking up offers, and the reason spreading yourself thin is what keeps you stuck at the same revenue ceiling. - The simple exercise she gives anyone trying to work out who they should actually be selling to. - Her take on going all in on one platform versus being everywhere, and the 30-day test she swears by. - The four-day weekend she guards fiercely, and the daily routine that starts at 5am for one very specific reason. - Why she cut her output right down and started growing faster than ever, plus the signal that tells her burnout is creeping back in. - The lunch that never happened, and the last thing a mentor said to her that made her burn down her whole business model and start again. Go and subscribe to Dr. Taylor’s publication, Solo Millions, where she writes about building a big business on your own terms without the burnout. 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

    419: She built a 32,000-subscriber Substack in under four months (with Dr. Taylor Francois)

  6. Aug 23

    418: She deleted a 6,000-member community on purpose - here's why (with Suzanne Taylor-King)

    Season 4, episode 18 is here! Suzanne Taylor-King Suzanne Taylor-King has started six companies, had two exits, and racked up many years of hard-won lessons along the way. These days, she’s less interested in growth for its own sake and more interested in building a business that hands you your life back. This was a cracking conversation, full of advice that runs against the grain of almost everything else out there. What we covered: - The paper round scheme Suzanne ran at 12 that got her in trouble with her parents, and the lesson about leverage she has never forgotten since. - Why she quit a safe career at 23, drove across the country with no phone and a paper map, and accidentally found her way into business. - The two mistakes she sees new entrepreneurs make again and again, and the question about money she asks that tends to stop people in their tracks. - What happened when she hit her big income goal in three years, and why it nearly cost her everything that mattered. - Why she now deletes things off her calendar without mercy, including a community bringing in real monthly money, and the counterintuitive idea behind it. - How she thinks about the people around her in circles of ten, a hundred, and beyond, and where she would start if she had to build it all again today. - The coaching scandal she’s watched unfold that tells you exactly where the industry is heading, and what people actually want to pay for now. You can find Suzanne at The Idea Lab. 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

    418: She deleted a 6,000-member community on purpose - here's why (with Suzanne Taylor-King)

  7. Aug 16

    417: Running a seven-figure agency with an army of one (with Anjeanette Carter)

    Season 4, episode 17 is here! Anjeanette Carter is a seven-figure copywriter and agency owner who now spends her time helping other writers land real, well-paid work. She runs a Substack about making money as a writer and a twice-weekly job board that weeds out the scams most people fall for. This chat was full of practical, no-nonsense advice. What we covered: Why Anjeanette took a $60 job after she was already earning multiple six figures, and what she calls the sweat equity that makes it worth it. The messy behind the scenes of her job board, and why she had to take back a task she thought she could easily hand off. What actually makes a writing job a scam, and the thing LinkedIn does that quietly sends you straight toward them. Why personal stories matter more in 2026 than they did two years ago, and what changed to make that true. How she went from managing seven writers to letting them all go, and the one pairing she says makes a writer unstoppable now. The small thing almost nobody does when they send a connection request that gets hers read every single time. The one word she says separates the writers who make it from the ones who quit, and the daily streak she uses to prove she lives by it. You can find Anjeanette on Substack here. 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

    417: Running a seven-figure agency with an army of one (with Anjeanette Carter)

  8. Aug 9

    416: An honest look at what literary agents actually want (with Louise Buckley)

    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 can feel like a locked room, and she was refreshingly honest about how the whole thing actually works. If you’re interested in pursuing the traditional publishing route, this one’s for you. What we covered: - Why Louise says being an author is harder than being an agent, and the reason your manuscript sits at the very bottom of her pile for reasons that have nothing to do with quality. - The first question she asks about every single submission, and why a book that’s merely good is no longer good enough to make it through. - What she really thinks when authors haven’t heard back in three months, and the story everyone tells online that quietly warps your expectations. - The query letter red flags that get an immediate no, including one well-meaning move authors make to stand out that backfires completely. - Whether you actually need a social media following to get a fiction deal, and how the answer changes the moment you cross into nonfiction. - The uncomfortable shift happening inside publishers right now that means editors can love your book and still not be able to buy it. - Her single golden nugget of advice for anyone hoping to land an agent, which comes down to one thing you should be able to do before you send a word. You can find Louise’s publication here. 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

    416: An honest look at what literary agents actually want (with Louise Buckley)
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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
    87
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © David McIlroy
  • Show Website
    How to Write for a Living

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