While typing this, I’m drinking my chai latte ☕and watching my hubby, Patrick, raking up those yellow, brown, and bright red fall leaves in our garden.🍂
As we settle into our fall routines, listening to podcasts while watching the colorful leaves fall is on my list right after sloooooowing down.
If this resonates with you, grab your favorite beverage and listen to this week’s interview with the wonderful
.She’s not only a bestselling author of ten books and a journalist, but she's also mastered the art of getting her previously on Substack published stories featured in major newspapers like The Telegraph and The iPaper.
For her, this is ‘free money.’
“It was already written. I did it for my paid subscribers and the iPaper asked me if they could use it. It required no effort from me. And so, in my mind, that's free money.
Anna added:
“I think everybody should be paid for their words. I always expect to be paid for my words. I've been paid for my words since I was 18. I'm now 48.
So, yeah, I think that everybody should be asking, well, what's the fee?
An assumption that you will be paid.”
Anna found it hard to make ends meet with a single income household
Anna started her Substack WHITE INK (An exclusive creative writing community blending feminist thinking with writing craft (memoir, non-fiction, and fiction) and personal essays.) back in September 2021.
“It was at a moment when I was going through a difficult time in my career, finding it increasingly hard to make ends meet as a single income (parent) household"
Fast forward to today, she’s a Substack bestseller earning more than $10,000 ARR with her newsletter.
I found Anna via Substack Notes and just needed to introduce you to her. Tribe member
is already a fan. She used to be a journalist and is now thinking about pitching her Substack and Medium stories to the media to reach a wider audience.In this episode, Anna spills the tea on what it takes to go from writing your thoughts on Substack to seeing your work in print.
In today’s episode, she’ll teach you:
What it takes and how it feels to go from writing your thoughts on Substack to seeing your work in print.
How much money you can earn when you get published in print
The free content dilemma and why Anna is offering paid posts only
What the pinnacle of success on Substack, being a featured publication, actually means (and how you can become a featured pub, too) - Anna got featured three times within 6 months!
Insider secrets on catching the eyes of editors
Why it’s essential to link to your Substack newsletter if you get featured by the media
Grab your favorite (spicy) beverage and dive into the conversation on Substack, or watch our interview on YouTube.
TABLE of CONTENTS
01:11 Getting Featured in Newspapers with Your Substack Story
02:55 Getting Paid by Newspapers While Also Getting Paid on Substack
03:56 Making "Free Money"
04:37 How to Get Featured on Substack
09:28 Anna's Paywall Philosophy for Substack
17:00 Tips for Smallstackers?
30:15 How to Grow Your Substack Newsletter
36:50 Personal Questions for Anna Wharton
👑Hugry for more? Meet Anna Wharton in our WOW-worthy LIVE Workshop for Writers👑
I want you to learn from the best. Anna Wharton is a true expert. I bet you have many Qs. Anna will answer them in our 60-minute rockstar session.
Bring your spicy latte and writing dreams, and join us!
Upgrade to get the invite and join us inside.
You’ll also get access to ALL replays from our 25+ workshops this year! So join us on the other side.
🍂Binge-listen this fall to “The Online Writing Club” podcast🍂
🎙️#7 - 10x Your Medium Views Now | Learn New Boost Publications and Hacks From Robin Wilding
🎙️#6 - 7 Headline Hacks That Will Make You More Money Than 97% Of Writers | Learn From Derek Hughes
🎙️#5 - How to Get Published in The Huffington Post in 2024 | Learn From Ashley Broadwater
🎙️#4 - 7 Mental Models To Make $1 Million As A Writer | Learn From Michael Simmons
🎙️#3 - From Beginner to First Book Deal | How Evelyn Skye Became a 6-Figure NYT Bestselling Author
🎙️#2 - 100K/Year Without Social Media | Writer Tom Kuegler Shares His Eye-Opening Journey
🎙️#1 - From Medium Post to Bestselling Book | Interview with Debut Author Michael Thompson
🍵Feeling the autumn vibes?
Ready to slow down and embrace the cozy season? It's time for some spiced treats, a good book, and a podcast.
As Cal Newport says in his book Slow Productivity,
This seasonal approach to work, in which you vary the intensity and focus of your efforts throughout the year… feels natural.
Enjoy a slow fall,
PS Psst! Have you heard about my Substack Kickstarter Bootcamp with
? Check it out now.PPS Now is the best time to join our Online Writer’s Club membership by becoming a paid subscriber, sharing your writing dreams with us, and reaching your goals. NEW! This fall, I’ll offer LIVE Q&A sessions (thanks for the nudge
) as an add-on to community, courses (Substack and Medium School), workshops and 1:1 sessions. Just hang out with me and our writer’s group, drink your spicy latte, and enjoy yourself.PPPS Sooooooooo cute! Here are Anna’s dog Tilki and her seven puppies
@KristinaGod, thank you for the excellent interview with Anna Wharton. She was such an inspiration. She’s a better writer than I am. However, I have been invited to hear thousands of people's lives. I know more about them than their families do. Anna has given me things about.
Yes please
I love that reverse approach! Back then a print article was made available online as a side effect - here is goes the other way around!
Hi Gunnar, exactly this!
Live this new way of starting online and then getting your stories into print 📰
How's your Substack and LinkedIn flywheel going?
Going slowly but steadily - writing two books at the same time. Just posted a new longer article celebrating 8 years in Sydney today!
Very Enjoyable to listen to the career of Anna Warton. She is so humble and lovely. It reinforces for me to write what one knows. and have a feel for. It so interesting that she struggled to put up the paywall. She is so experienced yet so humble.
Hey Karen, Thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed hearing Anna’s story. She really is such a humble, inspiring presence, and her journey reinforces that core idea of writing authentically and from experience.
Her hesitancy around the paywall, despite all her expertise, just shows how down-to-earth she is. Glad she's now going with her paywall strategy and putting everything behind the paywall.
I'm also thinking about making more for paid members, like you.
It’s amazing to see that even seasoned writers sometimes struggle. Especially as a single mom, she had to take care of her finances. if you don't get paid for your writing, it's a hobby - except you have some type of monetization (courses, coachings etc.) Happy to help you with monetizing YOUR unique skills and knowledge.
Thanks for listening. I sent you a DM!
Thank you so much Kristina
Hi Karen, WONDERFUL! Just saw you became a founding member. Lots of hugs and love!
Now you're not just a member but a founding member, a VIPer.
Thanks for your trust, my friend!
I am enjoying all the goodies you have to offer. I knew from the beginning i wanted to work with you. I am just worried you did not get paid because of the fraud on my card. Please let me know and I will put another card in. Thank you so much Kristina you are a joyl
Lovely conversation, thank you for sharing all these great interviews with us. What an amazing feat being a featured publication three times! I also liked hearing that you don't necessarily need to do video, live and chat threads to be successful on here ❤️
Hi Sophie, Hope all is well!
Thank you so much! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the conversation. Being featured three times is definitely a highlight, and it’s great to know that success here can come in so many forms, without needing to dive into video or live sessions, you're right. I could inspire her to start her first Live. As far as I know, it went well. I bet she'll reply to the comments and will let you know. My live still doesn't work. I wanted it to do WITH someone but I can't invite anyone because I don't have an iPhone (using Google).
I’m glad to hear her approach resonates with you! Thanks again for watching and supporting! ❤️
I feel like you'll be fine doing a live all on your own, just bring your confetti and it'll be a party 😂🎉
Haha. Robin Wilding will see my budget for confetti 🎊 and decorations first 😂😂
You might me right about the live.
I'll try it next week ❤️
Happy Sunday, Sophie.