I explained how freelance writers can become book authors on Substack and book authors can sell their books with great success.
This article aims to inspire aspiring writers to benefit from Substack’s serendipitous sales engine and book authors to use it deliberately.
Self-publishing experts advocate for paid advertising through platforms like Google or Facebook. They can be costly, producing almost no results unless the book has a broad appeal. Interestingly, a few digital marketers have recently approached me and offered to promote my new book Substak Mastery to make it a bestseller for a fee of $5,000. I politely declined the offer, as Substack does the work for me at no cost.
I am sharing this story not to boast — nothing remarkable about it as I am just a drop in the ocean and as many excellent writers are 100 times more successful than me— but to encourage new writers and authors with practical insights. These are lessons learned from my experience and the habits I have observed among successful Substack writers and bestselling authors in my network.
Over the past 40 years, I have written over 20 technical and scientific books published by traditional publishing houses worldwide. It wasn’t until 2018 that I explored self-publishing, blending traditional and independent approaches in a hybrid model that worked well for me.
In 2021, for the first time, I successfully sold one of my experimental books with minimal investment. Selling over 1,000 copies in a month gave me joy, and I shared my approach in a story. This experience led me to explore and refine different marketing models over time.
Yet, nothing has been as effective as Substack. Completely free to use, Substack has brought me a 600% return on my investment in just the last few months. While I have written and ghostwritten over 100 books, I have used only one book to market on Substack, and the results have exceeded my expectations.
The More We Give, the More We Receive
When I began sharing chapters of my Substack Mastery book for free on platforms like Medium, Substack, LinkedIn, Quora, and my website, several authors warned me that no one would buy it — they thought I was out of my mind. Their concerns made sense to me, but I have a different mindset about sharing and caring.
This was my first experimentation with beta reading in the public domain, including a large group of readers. Ironically, while over 100,000 people read portions of the book for free based on reader stats on those platforms, it still became a bestseller in a few weeks, outselling any of my previous books in record time. So, sharing the manuscript for free did not adversely affect sales. However, it might be different for other writers, so I will only reflect on my own experience. I don’t have much data about it apart from some anecdotes.
Why did I want to mention the spike today?
As the digital, paperback, and audio versions rolled out and marketed globally through hundreds of popular bookstores, sales surged within weeks. November saw an exceptionally sharp increase, with the book outperforming on platforms like Amazon, Kobo, Apple, Google, and even Toolani in Europe.
Sales were around $5,000 in October, but when I checked the dashboard on my website today, I saw that, in the last 10 days alone, total sales have reached 8,000 AUD, exceeding the previous month. The pattern was clear.
My publisher, which began distributing the book’s paperback version through its channels just a few days ago, informed me yesterday that it had already sold around 500 hard copies — without any advertising. When I checked the author dashboard today, sales had reached 947 copies. Something was triggering the sales.
Mind you, the paperback version of the book is three times more expensive than the digital one. It is only designed for those who prefer the smell of the book. I don’t have control over the price of the hard copies.
While these sales are not financially significant for me, as my royalty is about 80% lower than on the copies I sell myself, I still value them. This distribution expands the book’s reach into areas I couldn’t access on my own.
My goal for this book is not profit-driven but to introduce Substack to freelance writers worldwide so they can experience the benefits of a platform that genuinely supports creators. I have yet to find another platform that prioritizes creators and empowers them as much as Substack.
So the secret sauce for the spike was Substack!
Inspired by this, I’d like to share some strategies and tips for freelance writers and authors on using Substack as a book marketing tool and for expanding book sales through its partnerships.
Take the Advantage of Special Month on Substack
If you are a new reader, you may wonder what makes November special on Substack. This month marks a powerful new initiative by Substack to empower creators — a program many are still unaware of while they struggle to earn meaningful income on other platforms.
I had written a few pieces about this on this platform, but due to algorithmic suppression, only a small fraction of my 100,000+ followers saw them via direct links. The silver lining is that thousands of writers found these stories on Substack and through my website, and many have since tailored and executed the strategy I developed for them.
If you missed my 22-day plan, you can find it in the attached story. It is still not too late, as you have 20 days.
22-Day Formulized (Intense) Writing and Engagement Challenge for Substack Writers
This is not a usual story writing challenge; it is for gaining paid subscribers subsidized by Substack with a strategic…medium.com
When I began monetizing my Substack six months ago, I gained about ten paid monthly subscribers. Yet, in the past 10 days, one newsletter alone brought in 61 paid subscribers — an unexpected and welcome surprise.
This month, my newsletter’s reach to new readers has increased by 80%, with no marketing cost on my end. I made no special effort. Substack did the heavy lifting, presenting my work to a broader audience in the same way Medium once did. When one door closes, another opens.
Why Substack Is Currently the Best Platform to Sell Books and How to Do It
As I mentioned in a previous story, I can never sell anything in my life properly as I don’t focus on selling. As one of my great mentors jokingly said once, my selling skills suck, but as he pointed out, my marketing skills are above average.
Substack does not require selling skills because the platform is designed to do it automatically so they do it for me. However, I had to do marketing in an efficient and relatable way to leverage their sales engine.
When I authored the Substack Mastery, unlike other book authors, I did not sell it. I shared free chapters for everyone to benefit from it. Sharing from the heart is an excellent marketing skills. Marketing is an essential skill for creators. Marketing and selling are two different disciplines but interconnected. Without marketing sales hardly happen.
Creators mainly focus on creation, which is reasonable, but they think that marketing is for others to do it for them. This is where I want to show my leadership based on my experience and observations in the market. Unfortunately, leaving marketing to others is not a good idea. First of all a professional marketer cost a lot. Secondly, it will not be as effective as marketing a book by its authors, editors, and readers.
In my case, readers who read my book for free on Substack became my ardent supporters and free marketers. Yes I used $10 per free reading but just one reader helped me sell 100 books which equated #1000. So $10 marketing fee while helping a person is an excellent investment.
I also shared 3000 free PDF copies of the book with global collaborators, which cost me nothing. These 3000 people helped me sell around 10,000 copies via word of mouth in different countries in just one month. For those who cannot buy the book via Amazon, Apple, Google, or others that require a credit card, I made it available at a lower price on Patreon, Convertkit, my website, and Sidestack. I will also add to Gumroads soon.
You may wonder how Substack helps book authors sell their books and why Substack is the best platform for selling books.
For authors, Substack offers more than just a place to write. It is a dynamic platform for building an audience, engaging with readers, and selling books. Substack Notes is a game-changer. If you are unfamiliar with it, check out this chapter.
Numerous platforms offer exposure to readers, but Substack provides a unique environment well-suited to authors looking to grow a loyal following and turn that following into sales. Here is a summary of key points for book authors to understand and get inspired extracted from my upcoming book A Powerful Toolkit for Advanced Substack Newsletter Mastery:
🔹 Paid subscriptions signal to readers that your work has value, and subscribers willing to pay will likely support your book sales.
🔹Substack lets you interact directly with your audience through newsletters and subscriber updates. When you share insights, previews, or exclusive chapters, readers become more engaged and invested in your stories.
🔹Unlike traditional social media platforms and writing platforms like Medium, where algorithms stand between you and your followers, Substack sends your content straight to subscribers’ inboxes, ensuring your voice is heard without interference. This is something every freelance writer must understand.
🔹Most Subscribers on Substack are more invested in the content they follow because they have chosen to engage with it regularly. Through this connection, you can cultivate a close-knit community of readers who appreciate your work, share your values, and are more likely to buy your book when it becomes available.
🔹Substack is an ideal place to give readers a taste of your book. You can intrigue potential buyers and build anticipation by sharing excerpts, behind-the-scenes stories, or insights about your writing process. You can share parts of the book exclusively with your subscribers, making them feel valued insiders.
🔹Your loyal followers may spread the word about your work to others, broadening your reach even further.
🔹Substack offers a paid subscription option, which allows us to earn an income as we build and maintain our audience. This can be especially valuable for authors who want to monetize their work even before a book is launched. You can learn more about this from Deni Sahaya, who implemented it successfully. Another successful book best-selling author, Veronica Llorca-Smith 🍋shared her book-selling experiences via Substack.
🔹Substack’s design caters to writers with easy formatting tools, easy-to-use templates, and no distractions. This simplicity allows writers to focus on creating valuable content that resonates with their readers.
🔹The platform also provides analytics to gauge what types of content engage your audience most, helping us fine-tune our messaging to increase book interest and sales. You can also use polls and surveys for your books.
🔹Substack allows us to share ideas, research, and insights that connect to our book’s themes.
Regularly posting thoughtful and inspiring content can establish yourself as a trusted voice in your field. This draws in readers and increases your credibility, making potential buyers more inclined to view your book as an authoritative source.
Since this platform is a goldmine for writers, book authors, and readers, I will spend more time here and pass along my decades of experience through the Substack Mastery Boost program, which we launched the pilot this week, and already 131 paid members have joined. I will be leading this program with the help of hundreds of professionals with massive networks.
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a happy and healthy life.
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I also authored a recent book titled Substack Mastery to guide freelance writers to write insightful content and build their audiences.
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