Substack Writers at Work
Substack Writers at Work Podcast
Succeed on Substack
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Succeed on Substack

Book a 1-to 1!

I will save you from spending years flailing around on Substack, trying to figure out the platform, and not getting any traction.

Book a single meeting:

Book a meeting with Writers at Work with Sarah Fay

Schedule a meeting

Or a discounted 3-meeting package to get $25 off:

Book a discounted 3-meeting package

Substack is the best platform for writers—financially, professionally, and artistically—and the hardest to succeed on. Don’t do it alone.

Photo of Sarah Fay ready to help

This will be the best money you’ve ever spent. I don’t say that lightly. Just ask the writers who’ve met with me. Their Substacks have

  • doubled and tripled in subscribers,

  • seen a sharp increase in revenue,

  • gotten real engagement, and

  • been chosen as Featured Substacks–the pinnacle of quality on the platform.

What will we cover?

The only way to succeed on Substack is to get personalized guidance. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all. What works for one writer won’t work for another.

Each 30-minute Zoom meeting with me is the most efficient and effective way to achieve your goals.

Most people need three or more meetings to achieve what they want from their Substacks and their writing. I say this so you can get the discount.

In three sessions, we will

  • sharpen the value you offer,

  • develop a content calendar, so you can produce your very best work (perhaps to draw agents and editors),

  • develop a paid strategy to increase your subscribers,

  • find simple ways for you to build community to keep subscribers,

  • generate publicity,

  • master the art of the perfect Substack post (write less, go deep, use your voice),

  • design your Substack to reflect you as a writer, and

  • hone your long-term vision.

No tricks. No silly marketing tactics. I share with you the advice the folks at Substack gave me.

Why should I spend the money to work with you?

“More than worth the money.” —Joyce Wycoff, Gratitude Mojo

Client Kate Hill's financial success
Kate Hill's incredible increase in revenue after working with me

You can’t find this level of mentoring, attention, and expertise anywhere else. No one else has the relationship with Substack that I do and specializes in the unique nature of the platform, how it can be used to earn an income, and how it complements traditional publishing and all aspects of a writer’s career.

I share with you my experience as

  • the creator of two bestselling, featured Substack publications;

  • an award-winning author at HarperCollins;

  • a member of Substack’s Product Lab;

  • a freelance writer at The New York Times and elsewhere;

  • a former advisory editor at The Paris Review; and

  • a creative writing professor at Northwestern University.

Who I work with

Ultimately, I love helping anyone who wants to succeed on Substack. 

I’ve helped some of the best writers and most talented people on Substack: the memoirists and creative writers

Jennifer Lauck

and

, the food writer , the incredible journalist , creatives and designers like and , those just starting out, and those that have been on Substack for years.

What Substack writers say about working with me

Kimberly Warner says working with me got her subscribers in 24 hours
David Roberts says working with me increased the quality of his writing
Madeleine Dore says I gave her practical advice from the Substack team
Renee Eli says working with me was "transformative"

» Book a single meeting or a discounted 3-meeting package

Book a meeting with Writers at Work with Sarah Fay

Schedule a meeting

Book a discounted 3-meeting package


A bit more about me

I have many writing and literature degrees and letters after my name—M.F.A., M.A., Ph.D. I’m the author of the journalistic memoir Pathological: The True Story of Six Misdiagnoses (HarperCollins):

I write for many publications, including Oprah Daily, The New York Times, The New Republic, The Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, Time Magazine, and The Paris Review, where I was an advisory editor. I’m the recipient of the Hopwood Award for Literature and grants and fellowships from Yaddo, the Mellon Foundation, and the MacDowell Colony, among others. My essays have been nominated for Pushcart Prizes and chosen as notable mentions in Best American Essays.

I live in Chicago with my two beloved cats, Siddhartha (a.k.a. Mr. Sweets) and Baby Theo. More than anything, I want a t-shirt that says, Ask me about my cats.

Baby Theo and Mr. Sweets hard at work on their new novel.

Book a 3-meeting package for $25 off:

Book a discounted 3-meeting package

Or book a single meeting:

Book a meeting with Writers at Work

Schedule a meeting

Substack Writers at Work
Substack Writers at Work Podcast
The Expert Guide to Substack—get subscribers, earn an income, build the career you want, and produce your best work. ✦ A bestselling, Featured Substack community of 13,000+ members ✦ ✨Top 10 Substacks in literature