I’m having a bad week. To be more specific, I’m having a sad week dealing with the fallout of a major disappointment. To quote the great tortured poet Taylor Swift, “I’m down bad crying at the gym.” Except my gym is a Pilates studio, and I’ve managed not to cry there (but have cried in public twice). Mostly, I’m watching Gilmore Girls in bed in the middle of the day.
lamenting that I had no idea what to write about this week and was ready to heap “breaking my Substack streak of writing weekly” (which I have massively enjoyed, but am not above using to punish myself) to my list of failures. She suggested I write about the Substacks I pay to subscribe to, reframing “mailing it in” to “paying it forward.”
Before I dive in, I wanted to offer a quick word on why being a paid subscriber (to anyone’s newsletter!) is so meaningful. I wrote about my decision to launch a paid tier here. I was truly so nervous to do it. I pictured a fancy fictional internet cocktail party full of people scoffing at my audacity (“What value is she possibly providing?” I imagined them saying followed by collective tittering laughter). But people have been so lovely. And, truly, having some control over my income in an industry (book writing) where I have very little control has been game-changing. And many of the people below (if not all?) are creatives working in hugely uncertain fields, too. (Not that it’s your job to support them, but if you love someone’s work… small-form financial support can be massively meaningful).
If you enjoy the work I do here, consider becoming a paid subscriber for $5/month
Without further ado, let’s peek inside my inbox. Also worth noting, while I pay to subscribe to these, you can also subscribe to any or all for free to get a taste!
Just the tiniest taste of one of Ali LaBelle’s gorgeous mood board posts.
by Ali LaBelle: LA-based creative director Ali LaBelle’s newsletter is a visual feast. She curates monthly mood boards (this month’s theme is garden parties) along with her list of monthly specials (a hodgepodge list of things she finds interesting or inspiring from fashion finds to new newsletters and Instagram follows to really great sandwiches). I always leave an issue feeling inspired.
: Lewis curates a daily morning round-up of Gen Z trend news covering fashion, celebrity gossip, and broader workplace and cultural trends. To this millennial, some of the linked articles are laughable or eyebrow-raising (Want an example? Just google the recent “hamstering” TikTok trend), but I find this newsletter to be a great way to keep a finger on the cultural pulse outside of shame-y TikTok videos telling me what’s wrong with my hair part or my jeans.
by Courtney Maum: Perhaps the most comprehensive “craft of writing” newsletter out there right now. Maum gives a window into her own writing process (she’s the author of 6 books), but also offers more macro posts on topics like query letter writing, author platform, and the current publishing landscape.
by Iman Hariri-Kia: The cornerstone of Iman’s newsletter is the weekly R.E.P.O.R.T covering everything she’s (reading (R), eating (E), how she’s been playing (P), and what she’s been obsessing over (O), recommending (R), and treating (T) herself to). As a voracious romance and fantasy reader, I get a ton of book recs from her, but also just enjoy the lens into her weekly life in NYC.
by Tembe Denton-Hurst: This newsletter by the author of 2023’s Homebodies, is a refuge for all things bookish. Looking for bookshelf inspo? Tembe’s got you. The best bags that fit books? That, too. I particularly love her “Book Date” serieswhere she brings an interview subject to their favorite local bookstore and chats while they shop.
by Emily Sundberg: A weekday morning must-read. Emily describes her beat as business gossip, and say no more. After spending 10+ years working in marketing for consumer-facing startups, this newsletter is my dream. There’s also a healthy dose of beauty news and NYC culture (restaurant launches, private members’ clubs, spa services). If you work in any sort of CPG, startup, VC/PE role you should be expensing this newsletter.
’s intern back in 2011-ish) when we worked together at BaubleBar. Since then Zoe has gone onto found her own company and is now the CEO of Prima. Her newsletter contains some of the most raw, honest writing about startup and founder life (and the emotional rollercoaster that comes with it) that I’ve ever read. I clicked subscribe SO FAST when she announced a paid tier the other week. Also this week’s letter about how to get out of a funk, could not have come at a better time for me.
: Prolific thriller writer Andi Bartz shares a mix of author interviews (in a very fun Gchat format!), behind the scenes peeks at her own writing life, craft essays, and marketing tips (like this recent post with about if it’s worth it to hire an external book publicist). I’m not quite sure how to categorize this one, but this post about if author bios were actually honest had me HOWLING.
by Grace Atwood: Hello, I obviously subscribe to one of my best friend’s (and former podcast co-host’s) newsletter. I would say getting her Substack is the most similar to knowing her in person. I love opening my inbox on Saturday mornings to her (always free) Saturday Group Text post and have loved the monthly “unfiltered” posts she launched for paid subs (including products she did not like!). Also if you’ve ever wondered how influencers make money, this is one of the best and easiest to understand explainers I’ve ever read.
Tell me you don’t want to Subscribe to Morning Person for the fun collages alone. I need to up my game!
by Leslie Stephens: I’ve been a longtime subscriber to Leslie’s newsletter (perhaps even before I knew what Substack was!). She shares vulnerably about the highs and lows of life, documenting her own divorce and subsequent out-of-state move, alongside the joys (and trials) of buying a new house and going back to school for her Master’s in mental health counseling. Every installment opens with a spot-on selection of recs (from recipes to TV shows to books).
by Olivia Muenter: Hello again! If we host a podcast together I’m going to subscribe to and shout about your newsletter. My current co-host, Olivia Muenter, has some of the most vulnerable and insightful personal essays I’ve ever read on topics like body image, productivity, and writing. I also LOVE her new “Desk Tour” series giving you a peek at the workspace of some of her favorite writers. You can catch mine here.
by Kathleen Schmidt: A buzzy newsletter about the truth about book publicity and marketing that launched the same year as my debut? You better believe I’m hitting subscribe so fast there’s smoke coming off my trackpad. Kathleen, a 20+ year publishing industry veteran, pulls back the curtain on a lot of hard truths about how book marketing works.
by Yolanda Edwards: Founded and curated by former CN Traveler editor, Yolanda Edwards, this newsletter has (IMO) the best travel recs. Look for their “Black Book” issues with deep dives on a single city with recs contributed by a curated list of locals and frequent visitors. Or, their (free) Bric-a-Bracposts highlight new discoveries from a great new hotel to a mini list of recs, and often inform the basis for my travel bucket list. If you have a trip coming up that they have a “Black List” for, it’s definitely worth subscribing to read that post alone. The Rome one was a huge inspo for our itinerary on my recent trip.
I would love to get a peek into your inbox and hear about the Substacks you support financially in the comments. And/or if you know of one you think I’d love, tell me that, too.
becca! i SO needed this just after paygating my newsletter and feeling really 🫠 😵💫 🫥 about it... and you were my first paid subscriber. 💔 thank you!!!
This list 😍 I have a few overlaps with you, but also found some new ones I'm excited to check out. Getting the paid versions of your favourite substacks really does turn a grey day more bright. xx
becca! i SO needed this just after paygating my newsletter and feeling really 🫠 😵💫 🫥 about it... and you were my first paid subscriber. 💔 thank you!!!
This list 😍 I have a few overlaps with you, but also found some new ones I'm excited to check out. Getting the paid versions of your favourite substacks really does turn a grey day more bright. xx