How a 32-year-old writer turned her Substack into a $263,000 business: ‘It’s a side hustle’

Business Insider reported Suto started out as a television writer in Hollywood before moving into freelance writing and ghostwriting. She later wrote a book about building a six-figure career as a freelance writer.

An idea in Paris

The idea for her newsletter came from the questions she kept receiving about how she found clients and writing opportunities.

The idea became more concrete during a stay in Paris where, while working from a café, Suto realised she often had more work coming her way than she could handle. She was also struggling to find enough writers to recommend when she had to turn down assignments.

That eventually became the foundation for “Make Writing Your Job”, which aims to help writers discover paid opportunities while offering practical resources for building a career.

In 2024, Suto introduced a job board through her Substack. She initially shared assignments she couldn’t take herself, but the response prompted her and her husband, Kyle Cords, to turn it into a larger service. They began looking for writing opportunities online and sharing them with subscribers.

The newsletter has since grown beyond job listings. It now features free guides, interviews with authors, and “The Guest Stack”, a series in which creators talk about how they built their audiences.

For Suto, showing up regularly has been central to the growth. She has published a newsletter every week since launching it, while platforms such as LinkedIn, Threads, and Substack Notes have helped introduce her work to a wider audience.

Expanding business

The business has also grown largely without paid promotion. Suto told Business Insider that she and Cords have spent less than $100 (Rs 9,619) on advertising.

The paid job board became an important part of the business. Subscribers can choose from different plans, including a standard membership priced at $19 (Rs 1829) a month and a founding membership costing $550 (Rs 53,000) a year.

By mid-2025, the business had reached six figures in annualised revenue. It has since more than doubled, with annual gross recurring revenue now exceeding $263,000.

Suto’s advice to writers looking to build a similar business is to first give readers something genuinely useful for free rather than immediately trying to sell them a subscription. She also believes it helps to choose a subject that they can continue exploring because they are genuinely interested in it.

Even as the newsletter has grown, it has not replaced Suto’s main career. Her freelance memoir ghostwriting work still provides most of her income.

Beyond the money, Suto says the most rewarding part has been hearing from subscribers who have found paid work through the platform.