Victoria Wood on Turning Bookstagram Into a Business

Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein on Physics and the Questions That Make Us Human

A weekly newsletter by a publishing professional with a decade of experience. This is for writers seeking publishing tools, readers looking for great recs, and humans who love to journal, observe, and reflect. My first attempt at using Substack’s Recording Studio was with Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein [https://chanda.science/], author of The Disordered Cosmos [https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/chanda-prescod-weinstein/the-disordered-cosmos/9781541724709/?lens=bold-type-books] and The Edge of Space-Time [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/746817/the-edge-of-space-time-by-chanda-prescod-weinstein/]. I have had the privilege of collaborating with Chanda on the publication of Space-Time and have been feeling so proud to be a part of such important work [https://thewritespxt.substack.com/p/work-lately-00]. In this conversation, I dive right into as many questions as I can get out, staying mindful that I should not keep her for more than an hour. Afterwards, I was still left riddled with many more questions, wishing I had picked this one over that one; wishing I had asked it in this way over that way; hoping I made use of the space-time she shared with me. As always, Chanda was patient with my ignorance and made sure the science she cares so deeply about was accessible for my muggle brain (and maybe yours). What questions would you ask a theoretical physicist? If you enjoyed this, listen to these Ways You Can Support My Work * Visit my Stan Store [https://stan.store/thewritespxt] and buy one of the workbooks or other resources I have available. * Subscribe to my newsletter [https://thewritespxt.substack.com/]. * Share this newsletter with someone you think would enjoy reading it. * Send an email to youarrived@thewritespxt.com if you believe your work is aligned with The Write Spxt for a feature. * If you can’t afford to become a paid monthly/yearly subscriber, but would like to leave a one-time tip, please click the below button! You can find me here, too: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thewritespxt/] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/thewritespxt/] The Write Spxt is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Current associate director of marketing at Pantheon and Doubleday Books, imprints at Penguin Random House. Get full access to The Write Spxt at thewritespxt.substack.com/subscribe [https://thewritespxt.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Joel Uili on Creativity, Calling and the Courage to Begin

A weekly newsletter by a publishing professional with a decade of experience. This is for writers seeking publishing tools, readers looking for great recs, and humans who love to journal, observe, and reflect. For as long as I can remember, I have been navigating this life through a creative perspective. Choices were made based on feeling and instinct, what was in my gut, rather than on probability or math. This, naturally, drove my father crazy. Someone from a third-world country views creative pursuits as risky, fragile things. “Their is no guarantee,” he’d tell me. “Become a doctor!” Despite his efforts, I ignored him. I went to college for communications, knowing that I wanted to always be as close to storytelling as I could. When I graduated and was bringing a sad salary as an administrative assistant from a technical college, he shook his head. I always knew, however, the technical college was just a stepping stone. A way to make money while I figured out an exit strategy. It would take me about two and half years to get out, making my way to New York to pursue books. I’ve now been in books long enough to sometimes scratch my head and wonder, should I have just become a doctor? According to Joel Uili [https://substack.com/profile/186869597-joel-uili], the founder of The Career Archetypes [https://archeronline.substack.com/], I did exactly what I was supposed to do. I followed the yellow brick road, the path less travelled, fueled by passion and purpose. If you’re anything like me, then you have spent your life chasing a vision only you can see. And you have probably also spent a substantial amount of time doubting yourself, wondering whether you’re doing the right thing or whether you should simply become a doctor. After you listen, I’m curious of the questions and revelations that land for you. Please, leave a comment and share. In this chat, we dive into… * what it actually means to have a calling * why so many people feel disconnected from their work * how creativity, instinct and self-knowledge can guide you toward a more meaningful life If you enjoyed this, listen to these Ways You Can Support My Work * Visit my Stan Store [https://stan.store/thewritespxt] and buy one of the workbooks or other resources I have available. * Subscribe to my newsletter [https://thewritespxt.substack.com/]. * Share this newsletter with someone you think would enjoy reading it. * Send an email to youarrived@thewritespxt.com if you believe your work is aligned with The Write Spxt for a feature. * If you can’t afford to become a paid monthly/yearly subscriber, but would like to leave a one-time tip, please click the below button! You can find me here, too: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thewritespxt/] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/thewritespxt/] The Write Spxt is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Current associate director of marketing at Pantheon and Doubleday Books, imprints at Penguin Random House. Get full access to The Write Spxt at thewritespxt.substack.com/subscribe [https://thewritespxt.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Kristy Woodson Harvey on Writing, Readers and the Power of Showing Up

A weekly newsletter by a publishing professional with a decade of experience. This is for writers seeking publishing tools, readers looking for great recs, and humans who love to journal, observe, and reflect. I sat down with Kristy Woodson Harvey [https://www.kristywoodsonharvey.com/], a New York Times bestselling author I’ve pointed to for years when people ask me what it takes to build a career as an author. Not only is she versatile in her skills, but she is also a great collaborator with her publisher. This means that she is not solely dependent on what the publisher can do for her, but rather alongisde her. Kristy didn’t come from a single viral moment or a lucky break. She built her readership the long way, through relationships, consistency and a genuine understanding of the people on the other side of her books. She treats every book like its own ecosystem that isn’t just something to write and release, but something to nurture, connect and grow over time. And after 13 books, what becomes clear is this: there is no secret formula just a willingness to keep showing up. In this conversation, we dive into… * why chasing trends will always leave you behind * how to build a readership through community, not virality * what authors get wrong about bookstores, libraries, and local support If you enjoyed this, listen to these Ways You Can Support My Work * Visit my Stan Store [https://stan.store/thewritespxt] and buy one of the workbooks or other resources I have available. * Subscribe to my newsletter [https://thewritespxt.substack.com/]. * Share this newsletter with someone you think would enjoy reading it. * Send an email to youarrived@thewritespxt.com if you believe your work is aligned with The Write Spxt for a feature. * If you can’t afford to become a paid monthly/yearly subscriber, but would like to leave a one-time tip, please click the below button! You can find me here, too: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thewritespxt/] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/thewritespxt/] The Write Spxt is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Current associate director of marketing at Pantheon and Doubleday Books, imprints at Penguin Random House. Get full access to The Write Spxt at thewritespxt.substack.com/subscribe [https://thewritespxt.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Victoria Wood on Turning Bookstagram Into a Business

A weekly newsletter by a publishing professional with a decade of experience. This is for writers seeking publishing tools, readers looking for great recs, and humans who love to journal, observe, and reflect. I sought Victoria Wood out because I really enjoyed the aesthetic of her Instagram feed and the variety of information she shared. If you take a look, you will notice that Victoria shares short book reviews using the carousel feature [https://www.instagram.com/p/DWcJbnFD1GB/?img_index=3], she invites her community in by letting them see her engaging hobbies [https://www.instagram.com/p/DWbme8yDmw0/], she showcases her bookish humor [https://www.instagram.com/p/DSFZwBhjio6/] and more. She used this consistency to build trust that publishers now rely on. What stands out most about Victoria’s journey is not speed, but patience. She spent years posting before the first paid opportunity; years of learning what works and what connects. If you are trying to figure out how to become a bookstagrammer, this is the chat you should prioritize. In this conversation, we dive into… * how to start on bookstagram * what publishers are looking for when partnering with influencers * how to grow an audience without burning out or chasing the algorithm If you enjoyed this, listen to these Substack for Writers Workshop in collaboration with Tarpon Springs Book Festival I am excited to share that I will be hosting a Substack for Writers workshop in collaboration with Tarpon Springs Book Festival [https://tarponspringsbookfestival.com/]! If you are in the area, would love to see you. The workshop is free for all. Ways You Can Support My Work * Visit my Stan Store [https://stan.store/thewritespxt] and buy one of the workbooks or other resources I have available. * Subscribe to my newsletter [https://thewritespxt.substack.com/]. * Share this newsletter with someone you think would enjoy reading it. * Send an email to youarrived@thewritespxt.com if you believe your work is aligned with The Write Spxt for a feature. * If you can’t afford to become a paid monthly/yearly subscriber, but would like to leave a one-time tip, please click the below button! You can find me here, too: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thewritespxt/] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/thewritespxt/] The Write Spxt is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Current associate director of marketing at Pantheon and Doubleday Books, imprints at Penguin Random House. Get full access to The Write Spxt at thewritespxt.substack.com/subscribe [https://thewritespxt.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Viviana Moreno on Entering Publishing Without New York

A weekly newsletter by a publishing professional with a decade of experience. This is for writers seeking publishing tools, readers looking for great recs, and humans who love to journal, observe, and reflect. Anyone who has ever lifted a book to their nose and inhaled the scent of paper knows where the publishing capital is. For generations, those who wanted to be close to the source of those printed pages, to take part in their making and release into the world, made their way to the concrete jungle. It has long felt like a quiet industry rule: if you want to work in books, you have to be in New York. Except Viviana Moreno didn’t. In an industry that still carries strong geographic assumptions about where opportunity lives, Viviana has built her path from outside the city, in the Sunshine State no less. Her story stood out to me because not only does it challenge a familiar narrative, but because it speaks directly to the many aspiring publishing professionals who believe proximity is the only way in. In this chat, we dive into… * how she entered the largest publishing house in the world without relocating to New York * what a publicist really does behind the scenes * how campaigns take shape months before publication If you enjoyed this, listen to these Substack for Writers Workshop in collaboration with Tarpon Springs Book Festival I am excited to share that I will be hosting a Substack for Writers workshop in collaboration with Tarpon Springs Book Festival [https://tarponspringsbookfestival.com/]! If you are in the area, would love to see you. The workshop is free for all. Ways You Can Support My Work * Visit my Stan Store [https://stan.store/thewritespxt] and buy one of the workbooks or other resources I have available. * Subscribe to my newsletter [https://thewritespxt.substack.com/] and upgrade to paid. * Share this newsletter with someone you think would enjoy reading it. * Send an email to youarrived@thewritespxt.com if you believe your work is aligned with The Write Spxt for a feature. * If you can’t afford to become a paid monthly/yearly subscriber, but would like to leave a one-time tip, please click the below button! You can find me here, too: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thewritespxt/] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/thewritespxt/] Current associate director of marketing at Pantheon and Doubleday Books, imprints at Penguin Random House. Get full access to The Write Spxt at thewritespxt.substack.com/subscribe [https://thewritespxt.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]