"This is the most informative, practical, and useful course you could possibly take about selling your book—on Substack—and probably anywhere else."
— Julie Harris Guiader
You know your book is good. You know it deserves attention—lots of it.
But you also know the sad truth about publishing: You're expected to sell your own book.
You don't know where to begin or how Substack can help.
Substack sells books.
Virginia Sole-Smith, Melinda Moyer, Maggie Smith, and others credit their Substacks for getting their books on The New York Times Bestseller List.
But only if you have a proven method to do it.
Imagine you could...
Turn your Substack into a book-marketing engine, and maybe hit the bestseller lists.
Sell your book without feeling salesy.
Grow your platform, expand your reach, and tap into the Substack network.
How I know it's possible:
In July, 2025, I relaunched my memoir, Pathological, and, using only Substack, got it onto the USA Today bestseller list.
- 1,800 copies sold during relaunch week.
- 12% of my readers bought after the full campaign.
- Number one on HarperCollins's Bookshop page for several weeks.
- Guest posts and Substack lives reached an additional 90,000+ subscribers across collaborating Substacks.
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No outside media.
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No publicist.
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Just my 6,000-subscriber author Substack and the strategies I teach.
Sell Your Book on Substack
Everything starts here. Get an overview of the Substack landscape and the numbers that show how Substack sells books.
Here, you'll:
- Set a measurable book launch (or relaunch) goal
- Write your Substack book description and tagline
- Prepare your media assets
What changes: You'll know exactly where to start — and what to do next.
Ready Your Substack & Build Your Network
Set up to sell. You'll create the physical buying is frictionless, and how to find the right authors and readers to collaborate with.
Here, you'll:
- Set up your book page
- Write your author profile
- Where to position links and buttons so people actually click to buy
What changes: You put in place the touchstones people need to find and buy your book.
Map Your Launch
Use Substack as a book-marketing engine. Tap into all the opportunities the platform offers for you to sell your book.
Here, you'll set up your:
- Content calendar
- Launch team
- Book club method that sold one author 1,000 copies
- Bulk buys
- Book-in-lieu-of-fee opportunities
- Launch month and week
- Long-tail sales
What changes: Go from having a book no one hears about to one you make sure gets the attention it deserves.
Brand
Strategist
Larissa Salazar
Learn from those who know how to sell books. Personal Brand Strategist Larissa Salazar from Brand Builders Group, the strategists behind multiple #1 Wall Street Journal and New York Times bestsellers.
Here, you'll:
- Get strategic guidance on how authors sell books more broadly, beyond Substack
- Leave with insights into how Brand Builders Group doesn’t just help you launch a book; they engineer predictable, high-impact campaigns designed to hit national bestseller lists and foster loyal fans
What changes: You stop feeling at the mercy of the market and publishing and feel empowered to reach your readers.
An insider's view into the publishing landscape. Strip away the publishing myths and get the raw truth from the people who greenlight, shape, and launch books every single day.
Here, you'll:
- Glimpse what makes an agent fight for a project, what traditional editors are looking for right now, and how hybrid publishing models are changing the game for modern authorswhat actually drives sales in today’s crowded marketplace
- Featuring: Maria Whelan (agent, InkWell Management), Will Anderson (senior editor, Penguin Random House), and Brooke Warner (publisher, She Writes Press)
What changes: You stop feeling at the mercy of the market and publishing and feel confident in your work and empowered as an author.
Plus:
The Expert Guide to Launching or Relaunching Your Book on Substack
Your own 15-page booklet with the entire system in one place, the exact process I used to get my memoir on the USA Today bestseller list and which I now use with my private clients
Substack Book Launch Media Tracker
Your own Google sheet to track everyone you pitch: who they are, when you pitched and followed up, whether it's confirmed, the run date, and your thank-you
Done-for-you templates
The Canva book-graphic and profile-banner templates, the pre-order post guide, and the four types of Notes that sell
How to Promote Your Book on Notes
A 7-page guide to promoting your book on Notes without selling, and how the algorithm actually works
About me
Hi! I'm Sarah Fay (MFA, MA, PhD), the leading Substack Growth Strategist and a national bestselling author at HarperCollins.
I’ve devoted my life to Substack and to helping people authors you.
As the world’s leading Substack Growth Strategist, I pour all my experience—including my work as an award-winning author; a freelance journalist at The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Paris Review, et al.; and the twenty years I’ve taught in MFA programs at Northwestern University, The University of Iowa, and elsewhere—into helping you build the platform you deserve and get your book into the hands of readers (and, perhaps, you on the bestseller list).
I live in Chicago with my two beloved cats—Sweets and Baby Theo. More than anything, I want a t-shirt that says, Ask me about my cats.
For authors who:
- Have a forthcoming or backlisted book, traditionally, hybrid, or self-published
- Want a proven system to sell their books
- Dislike "selling" and want to get their books into the world through reals relationships and connection rather than hard selling
- Have a book in progress and want to show agents and editors they can use Substack to sell their books
Real results
What authors are saying
“This is the most informative, practical and useful course you could possibly take about selling your book on Substack and probably anywhere else.”
— Julie Harris Guiader
“Don't hesitate to join this course if you're an author. Sarah is a fantastic teacher, knows her stuff in the Substack world and in publishing. I'm so glad to have made the investment.”
— Dana Killion
“Sarah is brilliant and knows Substack inside out. Her guidance is not cookie-cutter; it’s very precisely tailored based on your vision.”
— Jeannine Ouellette
Publicity that lasts
Authors are often expected to use an independent publicist, which runs $20,000 or more without guaranteed results.
This course empowers you to sell this book and all your books past and future.
Yes! I'm in
Substack is the best untapped resource we authors have.
