How to Write for a Living

Writers should get paid for doing what they love. Let's talk about how to make that happen. thedavidmcilroy.substack.com

How to Write for a Living is a education podcast hosted by David McIlroy, with 80 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

David McIlroy hosts How to Write for a Living, a education show with 80 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #8

  408: She drew cartoons through medical school - now she has over 90,000 Substack subscribers (with Laurie Marbas)

  May 31, 20261h 9mS4

  <p>Season 4, episode 8 is here!</p><p>Laurie Marbas, MD, MBA started her Substack on January 6th, 2025. She had three kids in medical school, served in the Air Force, built and sold a telemedicine company, and spent 25 years as a physician before any of that.</p><p>This conversation went everywhere, and it was brilliant.</p><p>What we covered:</p><p>- How Laurie got through medical school with three small children by drawing cartoons, and why she still remembers everything she drew 25 years later.</p><p>- What lifestyle medicine actually means in practice, and why Laurie thinks...

  ListenShow Notes
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  Episode #7

  407: He wanted to be an author at eight - now he writes for Penguin (with Kern Carter)

  May 24, 202642 minS4

  <p>Season 4, episode 7 is here!</p><p>Kern Carter knew he wanted to be an author at eight years old. What followed was about as non-linear as it gets: self-published novellas, indie publishers, Penguin, Scholastic, ghostwriting, a short film, school tours, and more books out before the year is done. This one covered a lot of ground.</p><p>What we discussed:</p><p>- How Kern deliberately treated becoming an author like a trade profession, and what that mindset meant for the steps he actually took.</p><p>- Why he self-published his first two books before ever approaching...

  ListenShow Notes
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  Episode #6

  406: Becoming a world builder (with Nathan Baugh)

  May 17, 202646 minS4

  <p>Season 4, episode 6 is here!</p><p>Nathan Baugh has wanted to write fantasy his whole life. He just needed a bank account crisis in Spain to finally make him do something about it. These days he has over 100k Substack subscribers, a successful ghostwriting agency, and a novel coming out in a couple of months. We talked about all of it.</p><p>What we covered:</p><p>- The moment in Spain when the bank account started going in the wrong direction and writing went from something Nathan loved to something he urgently needed to figure out.</p><...

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  Episode #5

  405: He deleted every social media account and built a thriving community anyway (with Seth Werkheiser)

  May 10, 202654 minS4

  <p>Season 4, episode 5 is here!</p><p>Seth Werkheiser has been on the internet for 25 years. He’s watched the whole thing evolve, from blogging about local bands in Pennsylvania to running email campaigns for record labels to eventually walking away from every major social platform completely. He’s not bitter about it - he’s just found a better way.</p><p>What we covered:</p><p>- How Seth went from third generation musician to spending 25 years helping other creative people get their work out into the world.</p><p>- Why the early Zoom calls he hosted for hi...

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  Episode #4

  404: Telling stories about the things no-one wants to talk about (with Not Exactly Ana)

  May 3, 202630 minS4

  <p>Season 4, episode 4 is here!</p><p>Not Exactly Ana didn’t know what Substack was when she joined. She wasn’t a seasoned writer or a marketing expert. She was a 26-year-old Bulgarian woman who had just walked away from her cleaning job in Austria to chase something she’d always wanted.</p><p>Eight months later, the results speak for themselves.</p><p>What we covered</p><p>- How Anna built close to 3,000 subscribers without a strategy, a niche playbook, or any prior knowledge of the platform.</p><p>- Why she chose to write about mental health...

  ListenShow Notes

Recent guests on How to Write for a Living. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

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