If you’ve been following me for a while you know I LOVE bringing behind-the-scenes publishing stories to the readers of The Online Writing Club because honestly… you don’t know what you don’t know when you’re starting out.
Especially when you see writers suddenly ending up in The New York Times or The Guardian.
For most of us, publishing feels like one giant mystery:
How do people ACTUALLY get published?
How do they find editors?
What do they even say in those emails?
How many rejections happen first?
How do you know if your story is good enough?
How do writers suddenly end up in The New York Times?
And maybe the biggest question of all:
“Could this ever happen for me too?”
That’s why I loved today’s conversation with podcast guest Tyler Donohue , who I originally found through Substack Notes.
Because Tyler peels back the curtain on ALL of it.
The invisible work to become a published author
One thing we don’t talk about enough inside the Club is… the invisible work.
The unanswered pitches. The emotional messiness. The late nights. The self doubt. The moments where she had absolutely no clue what she was doing.
And Tyler herself said this perfectly on the Online Writing Club Show:
“I love writing these ‘behind the curtain’ pieces about how I got published in the NYT or the Guardian! When I started pitching it felt like such a mystery, so I’m happy to shed a little light! It’s actually really fun for me to peel back the curtain and revisit how I got to publication.”
THIS is exactly why I wanted to bring her story to the Club.
Because I think we need WAY more stories about the process behind the success. Not just the shiny headline or accolades at the end.
As someone who’s worked in journalism and has also been published, you know these things do NOT just happen overnight. We should be SO proud of all the invisible work.
And Tyler’s story begins with her whole life changing.
She left a four year relationship and called off her engagement after realizing her fiancé was involved in what she describes as a “high control group cult-like program.”
“I really blasted myself through a portal leaving that relationship and like so much of my life changed very quickly.”
And suddenly, for the first time, she had something she had not really had before:
Time. Time to think. Time to travel. Time to write. Time to finally build the life she actually wanted.
“This is the singular thing I want to do in my life is like write and tell stories.”
So she sat herself a goal.
A REAL one.
In 2025, Tyler made herself a promise
“In 2025, I am going to get published in The Cut by New York Magazine.”
At that point she had never been published before and she had ZERO insider publishing knowledge.
“So, I started by googling: How do you pitch an editor?”
Honestly, I think so many people are sitting exactly there right now. Wanting to write. Wanting to publish. Wanting to be taken seriously. But having absolutely no clue where to begin.
And Tyler KEPT going anyway.
“I have thrown so much proverbial spaghetti at the wall.”
Then came Tunisia.
The rejected Tunisia story changed everything
She originally pitched a travel story to a smaller publication. But once she actually arrived there and started interviewing people, the story completely changed shape.
A more honest story appeared. A more alive story. The publication rejected it because it no longer matched the original pitch. But Tyler trusted the story she had found. And that changed everything.
Late one night, she found an editor at The New York Times who had served in the Peace Corps in Africa. Tyler had too.
“And I thought, if anyone at the New York Times is going to read my email, it is this guy.”
So she emailed him. And he replied.
A few weeks later, Tyler was standing inside the newsroom of The New York Times.
“There’s the breaking newsroom with all the clocks on the wall. And I was like, this is so crazy.”
And then? After getting published?
She kept pursuing her BIG dream
Because once she stopped treating writing like a fantasy and started treating it like her REAL life, bigger things kept happening.
Writer sends draft → editor edits → writer sends draft→ Over and over and over again
Now she has ALSO been published in The Guardian.
And again, she openly shares what the process ACTUALLY looked like:
“Writer sends draft → editor edits → writer sends draft→ Over and over and over again”
Then came the moment that honestly made me emotional.
Tyler was walking through New York City when the email arrived saying her Guardian story was live.
Later she got home from the gym and hugged her friend Joanna.
“‘I can’t believe it,’ I say. ‘I got published in another international publication.’
She turns around and shakes her head at me,
“Yeah girl, you’re a f*cking writer. This is just the beginning.’”
I mean COME ON. How inspiring is that?
And I think there are so many lessons in Tyler’s story for every writer here.
Tyler’s top 3 tips to get published in The New York Times
1. Do pre-reporting before pitching
This was one of Tyler’s biggest lessons. Don’t just pitch an idea. Talk to people first.
Interview them. Gather real stories and bring substance to the editor.
“If I could give one piece of advice to people who want to do narrative reporting like I did for The Guardian, you must do pre-reporting.”
2. Use your Substack as your portfolio
Tyler literally sent Substack essays to editors when they asked for writing samples.
Your Substack is not just a newsletter. It’s proof. It’s your voice. It’s your body of work
And honestly, her Substack Girl Resting played a MASSIVE role in all of this.
Online Writing Club member and Columbia Business School professor Jeremy Ney is a great example:
Same with running superstar Raziq Rauf:
3. Tell the stories you’re scared to tell
Tyler said:
“I’m very drawn to stories that say the thing out loud that you’re not supposed to say out loud.”
That’s where the best writing often lives.
In telling the truth.
Substack for Beginners Course for FREE as a THANK YOU
🙏🏻🙏🏻Almost 19,000 subscribers and 34,000 readers! Thank you all so much! Thanks so much to Substack.
This summer, I want you to feel the main character energy and power Substack gave me (Top #14 International, non-native, part-time with 2 kids) and gives you, too.
If YOU want to build your own Substack this summer, find your voice, grow your audience, and maybe become the next “f*cking Substack writer” getting published everywhere too…
For the long Memorial Weekend, …
you’ll get 20% off The Online Writing Club
ticket to the Substack for Beginners Course (on-demand) starting on Friday, May 29 with a live session (6 weeks of live sessions included, you can join anytime!)
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Hey you! 💓 Would you mind sharing Tyler’s powerful behind-the-scenes publishing story with your network or with someone who needs to read this today?
And I’d LOVE to hear YOUR story too.
What invisible work are you doing right now?
Which media outlets have you pitched already?
What keeps you stuck at the moment?
What could help unstuck you?
And what’s your writing dream for 2026?
Because I truly believe conversations like these matter.
The more we openly talk about the behind-the-scenes reality of getting published, the less mysterious and intimidating it becomes for everyone else trying to find their way too.
With every like and restack ♻️ you help these ideas travel farther and keep the light on in this beautiful little corner of the internet called The Online Writing Club.
Thanks a million times 💓Kristina
