Part One of Two: Where I Started, What I've Done, What Worked Best & What Didn't Work (& tomorrow, the more philosophical "Eleven Urgent & Possibly Helpful Things I've Learned Along the Way")
This whole piece is a masterclass in “investment without attachment.” Love the idea about letting Margin Notes go. I run Home by Dark. If I ever decide to intro a paid tier I live the idea to paywall-the-exercise-not-the-essay. That really hits at the heart of why I don’t want to charge for the writing. Thank you for writing this so honestly.
Very impressed with your paid ratio. I have more subscribers but vastly fewer paid subscribers. I thought initially that starting a second Substack about writing would help me, but since I can’t seem to separate The Indie Writer from Untrickled — and the two have separate audiences — it hasn’t worked well. I didn’t initially recognize that they’d be treated as one entity. That hurts me. I’d like to keep the two entirely separate and do not understand why Substack won’t allow that.
Im new to this platform and im loving it. Im based is South Africa 🇿🇦 right now im just navigating things… This is a brand new world that I had no idea about!!! So hello to all… Im hoping to connect with all of you soon! 🖤
The stories just keep coming and coming. Tune in over the coming days for these new drops :
All the right players, (vol. 12) - a composite sketch series about a firm I worked at a few years ago. The drama was never-ending. Someone gets fired at the end of each story. Don’t miss a single read, and the first 1-7 volumes are free.
All the right players, (vol. 13) - a composite sketch series about a firm I worked at a few years ago. The drama was never-ending. Someone gets fired at the end of each story. Don’t miss a single read, and the first 1-7 volumes are free.
The lifestyle magazine - an aspiring magazine publisher pulls out all the stops to get the scoop and build her brand.
The tennis ball - a tragic roommate that I had before my marriage. Read about his life and a funny experience or two.
The James River batteau festival - float down the James River with me as I recall a historic boat festival a brother and I enjoyed years ago.
Enjoy the movie - a humorous remembrance about a long-time ticket taker at a movie house in this area.
The singular flight - when a regional manager flew down to this area just for a few hours to meet me for an interview. I got the job.
The front door step - a cautious tale about an epic functioning alcoholic who always made the scene, just barely.
Debbie doll baby - a loving and humorous sketch about one of my sisters who lives in the Nashville, TN area
A southern gentleman - a tribute to a man I knew as an intern back in college, a highly-regarded writer and critic. He was promoted to Heaven recently.
If you want entertaining, short-form writing, stories that you will love, then I’m your guy. My writing is regular, I show up, and I don’t disappoint. I drop several new reads weekly. My styles and stories truly offer something for everyone. From humor, to spooky, to drama, to nostalgia, to series historical fiction, and more…I promise you’ll never be bored. I’d like to invite you to subscribe today. And if you really enjoy my writing, you can enjoy it all for only $50.00 / year with a paid subscription. For the price of about two gas station coffees each month, you can treat yourself to well over 200 hundred short-stories (and counting) that won’t ever leave you. You don’t need to subscribe to hundreds of Substacks that you’ll probably never even read. Subscribe to the ones that truly move you. Read any 3-4 and you’ll be addicted.
What I appreciate in your story is how growth feels like the outcome of depth and consistency, not a viral accident. It reads like proof that tending to your work with care can quietly become a livelihood.
I’m a digital marketing consultant with almost a decade of experience, working mainly with service-based businesses. I help founders get consistent clients by making marketing simple, practical, and human, using AI where it genuinely saves time and removes guesswork.
I also write a weekly newsletter where I break down what’s actually happening in marketing, platforms, and AI, and what to do with it without the fluff.
If you care about clarity, momentum, and marketing that actually feels doable, I hope I’ve found my people here.
This post is longer than some novels I've started and abandoned. The commitment to transparency is admirable, but at some point "how I grew my Substack" becomes "how I wrote a dissertation about growing my Substack." The irony of needing a program manager to help manage your newsletter about writing is peak creator economy—we're all just hiring people to help us be ourselves professionally.
This whole piece is a masterclass in “investment without attachment.” Love the idea about letting Margin Notes go. I run Home by Dark. If I ever decide to intro a paid tier I live the idea to paywall-the-exercise-not-the-essay. That really hits at the heart of why I don’t want to charge for the writing. Thank you for writing this so honestly.
Very impressed with your paid ratio. I have more subscribers but vastly fewer paid subscribers. I thought initially that starting a second Substack about writing would help me, but since I can’t seem to separate The Indie Writer from Untrickled — and the two have separate audiences — it hasn’t worked well. I didn’t initially recognize that they’d be treated as one entity. That hurts me. I’d like to keep the two entirely separate and do not understand why Substack won’t allow that.
This is Amazing journey Jeannine, Proof that consistent execution over time can create extraordinary results. Really inspiring to see.
Really interesting (and helpful) to read about your story. Thanks for sharing!
Im new to this platform and im loving it. Im based is South Africa 🇿🇦 right now im just navigating things… This is a brand new world that I had no idea about!!! So hello to all… Im hoping to connect with all of you soon! 🖤
The stories just keep coming and coming. Tune in over the coming days for these new drops :
All the right players, (vol. 12) - a composite sketch series about a firm I worked at a few years ago. The drama was never-ending. Someone gets fired at the end of each story. Don’t miss a single read, and the first 1-7 volumes are free.
All the right players, (vol. 13) - a composite sketch series about a firm I worked at a few years ago. The drama was never-ending. Someone gets fired at the end of each story. Don’t miss a single read, and the first 1-7 volumes are free.
The lifestyle magazine - an aspiring magazine publisher pulls out all the stops to get the scoop and build her brand.
The tennis ball - a tragic roommate that I had before my marriage. Read about his life and a funny experience or two.
The James River batteau festival - float down the James River with me as I recall a historic boat festival a brother and I enjoyed years ago.
Enjoy the movie - a humorous remembrance about a long-time ticket taker at a movie house in this area.
The singular flight - when a regional manager flew down to this area just for a few hours to meet me for an interview. I got the job.
The front door step - a cautious tale about an epic functioning alcoholic who always made the scene, just barely.
Debbie doll baby - a loving and humorous sketch about one of my sisters who lives in the Nashville, TN area
A southern gentleman - a tribute to a man I knew as an intern back in college, a highly-regarded writer and critic. He was promoted to Heaven recently.
If you want entertaining, short-form writing, stories that you will love, then I’m your guy. My writing is regular, I show up, and I don’t disappoint. I drop several new reads weekly. My styles and stories truly offer something for everyone. From humor, to spooky, to drama, to nostalgia, to series historical fiction, and more…I promise you’ll never be bored. I’d like to invite you to subscribe today. And if you really enjoy my writing, you can enjoy it all for only $50.00 / year with a paid subscription. For the price of about two gas station coffees each month, you can treat yourself to well over 200 hundred short-stories (and counting) that won’t ever leave you. You don’t need to subscribe to hundreds of Substacks that you’ll probably never even read. Subscribe to the ones that truly move you. Read any 3-4 and you’ll be addicted.
Come along.
@the smell of smoke
just subscribed!!
What I appreciate in your story is how growth feels like the outcome of depth and consistency, not a viral accident. It reads like proof that tending to your work with care can quietly become a livelihood.
Hi everyone reading this,
I’m a digital marketing consultant with almost a decade of experience, working mainly with service-based businesses. I help founders get consistent clients by making marketing simple, practical, and human, using AI where it genuinely saves time and removes guesswork.
I also write a weekly newsletter where I break down what’s actually happening in marketing, platforms, and AI, and what to do with it without the fluff.
If you care about clarity, momentum, and marketing that actually feels doable, I hope I’ve found my people here.
I am so looking forward to reading this / three days in and to be honest it feels like I need some guidance - thanks for this
I hope you will check out my history newsletter. It is free and the link is below https://makinghistorycomealive.substack.com/
https://substack.com/@abeeha16/note/c-158744940
This post is longer than some novels I've started and abandoned. The commitment to transparency is admirable, but at some point "how I grew my Substack" becomes "how I wrote a dissertation about growing my Substack." The irony of needing a program manager to help manage your newsletter about writing is peak creator economy—we're all just hiring people to help us be ourselves professionally.
I find it especially helpful how successful creators share their experiences - this is how you motivate those of us who are new to this endeavor.
Ouellette! Ole!^^
https://weeklybusinessstory.substack.com/p/she-got-100-rejections-then-built