“The most informative, practical, and useful system you could possibly follow about selling your book on Substack or anywhere else.”
— Julie Harris Guiader
Your books deserve to sell—and keep selling.
The truth about publishing:
We're responsible for selling our own books.
And the fear is real:
We'll put it out into the world and...crickets and will sit on a lonely, dark backlist and no one will read it.
Most authors don't know where to begin.
And rightfully so.
It's hard to know what to prioritize, and it feels like we're expected to be everywhere, all the time.
But now, we have Substack.
Substack is the single most untapped resource you have to sell your book.
Substack sells books.
(backlisted and forthcoming)
Substack book sales by the numbers
But you need a proven method.
The Substack Bestseller Book Launch Method™
In July, 2025, I relaunched my backlisted memoir, which originally came out in 2022 from HarperCollins, and—using only Substack—hit the USA Today bestseller list.
1,800 copies sold during relaunch week.
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12% of my readers bought during the full campaign.
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My memoir was #1 on HarperCollins's Bookshop page for several weeks.
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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 system I give you here.
Using this system, my client, Dr. Lucy McBride, hit the USA Today bestseller list.
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4,800 copies sold during launch week.
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25-30% of her sales came from her Substack.
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She wouldn't have made the list without the Substack Bestseller Book Launch System.™️
"This course was worth every minute.
Before, I didn't know where to focus. Now, I'm swimming with great ideas.
Sarah’s commitment to helping us is so obvious and so deeply appreciated. The material is clear, digestible: a great combination of big picture and small steps!"
—Elizabeth H. Cottrell
This is for you if:
- You have a Substack.
- You want a proven system to sell your forthcoming and/or backlisted books.
- You have a book in progress and want to show agents and editors you can use Substack to sell your books.
- You dislike “selling” and want to get your books into the world through real relationships and connection.
Investment: $865
Payment options available at checkout.
Payment options available at checkout.
How it works
Start selling your book on Substack in less than 2 hours...
Phase 1:
Sell Your Book on Substack
Everything starts here:
- Get an overview of the Substack book-sales and "bookstack" landscape.
- Know exactly how Substack sells books, and how you'll do so on your own Substack.
- Write your Substack book description and tagline, and gather your media assets, so readers want your book before it's out or, if you're relaunching a backlisted book, after it feels like it's been forgotten.
Know exactly where to start and what to do next.
Phase 2:
Ready Your Substack & Build Your Network
Connect with your subscribers, and create a web of Substacks to help promote your book:
- Build your book page and author profile to help readers find and buy your book, understand patterned book-buyer behavior.
- Substack is all about the network. This is where you build yours.
- Even if you have a small list, you'll learn how to pitch other Substacks for collaborations, guest posts, lives, and appearances to reach their subscribers.
Put in place the touchstones people need to find and buy your book.
Phase 3:
Map Your Launch
Use your Substack as a book-marketing engine. (That's not hyperbole.)
Tap into all the opportunities the platform offers for you to sell your book, including building:
- A Substack content calendar to get your subscribers engaged and excited to buy and promote your book
- A launch team of devoted subscribers
- What I call the Substack Pre-order Book Club that sold one author 1,000 copies
- Substack bulk buys
- Book-in-lieu-of-fee opportunities
- Launch month and week events, emails, appearances, and articles
- Long-tail sales to keep your book in front of readers for years to come
Go from having a book no one hears about to one you make sure gets the attention it deserves.
Bonus!
How Authors Sell Books with Brand Strategist Larissa Salazar
I bring you my Book Launch Strategist Larissa Salazar—team leader at Brand Builders Group, the strategists behind multiple #1 Wall Street Journal and New York Times bestsellers—to give you the real deal on making the bestseller lists and selling books that matter.
I wouldn't have made the bestseller list without her. She shares:
- Strategic guidance on how authors sell books more broadly, beyond Substack
- Insights into the difference between launching or relaunching a book and creating a campaign designed to hit national bestseller lists and foster loyal readers
Go from feeling at the mercy of the market and publishing to empowered and confident about reaching your readers.
Bonus!
Some of my favorite people in publishing—Maria Whelan (agent, InkWell Management), Will Anderson (senior editor, Penguin Random House), and Brooke Warner (publisher, She Writes Press)—share what's really happening in publishing:
- What actually drives sales in today’s crowded marketplace
- What makes an agent fight for a project
- What traditional editors are looking for right now
- How hybrid publishing models are changing the game for modern authors
Gain the confidence you need as an author now and in the future.
Guides and done-for-you templates
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
Your own 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 concise 7-page guide to promoting your book on Notes without selling, and how the algorithm actually works
About me
I'm Sarah Fay (MFA, MA, PhD), the Founder and CEO of Substack Writers at Work and an award-winning, national bestselling author at HarperCollins.
When my memoir, Pathological, came out in 2022, it sold better than 99 percent of books do, got a New York Times review, a Kirkus star, and an Apple Best Books pick, and put me on NPR. But it didn't make the lists, and it wasn't enough for my publisher to take my second book. It wasn't until I understood the power of Substack to sell books that I was able to put it into the hands of readers who never would have otherwise seen it—and hit the bestseller list.
I’ve since devoted my life to helping authors like 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—to guide you so you can build the platform you deserve and get your book into the hands of readers (and, perhaps, 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.
Authors are often expected to use an independent publicist, which runs $20,000 or more without guaranteed results.
My Substack Bestseller Book Launch Method™
empowers you to sell all your books—past, present, and future—for $19,315 less.
Payment options available at checkout.
Investment: $865
Payment options available at checkout.
Payment options available at checkout.
"This course was well worth the investment of time and money!
I was struggling with where to begin with the whole marketing process. Now, I have clear, actionable steps to take and more confidence that I can do the work. The Expert Guide to Launching or Relaunching Your Book on Substack is an invaluable resource."
—Deborah Svec-Carstens
“Before this course, I didn’t understand how Substack could support book sales.
Now I can start using it as an effective tool for selling books and practicing the networking strategies long before I even have an agent!”
— Andi Penner
FAQs
My book already came out. Is a relaunch even feasible?
I'm self-published (or indie). This looks geared toward traditionally published authors.
How does it work, and how long is it?
Do I need to have an active Substack?
How many books do I need to have published?
Will this help me get on the bestseller list?
There's so much conflicting advice about where authors should be. How is this different?
I'm uncomfortable with the whole idea of “selling.” Is that what this makes me do?
How is this different from hiring a publicist?
Investment: $865
Payment options available at checkout.
Payment options available at checkout.
