How I turned my Substack into a steady passive income stream, became a bestseller, and why no one values anything that's free

you can either cater to the whiny entitled or a loyal community and fanbase while paying your bills; it's your choice

ANNOUNCEMENT

my dear friend, my next cookbook, 108 Asian Cookies, is coming this October, and if you preorder now, you will receive a year-long subscription to my premium substack (worth $70) and access to new recipes all year long! Preorders mean so, so much to underrepresented authors like me and show publishers and retailers that voices like mine deserve prominent spaces on the bookshelves! Thank you!

END OF ANNOUNCEMENT

Photo by Aditya Saxena on Unsplash

dear friend,

did you know that Pamela Anderson has a Substack? Along with many other celebrities. And do you know why? Here’s the reason: Substack lets authors and writers, whether they’re Hollywood-famous or everyday creators like you and me, own their words and build a community while getting paid for their work!

And boy, do you get paid. Let’s crunch some numbers, shall we? If you charge about $5 a month and have 100 subscribers, that’s a nice little passive income of almost $500 a month. I say almost because Substack takes a small cut of your earnings. But that cut is worth it. It’s for one far less than what you’d pay a publicist, literary agent, or brand agent, and Substack’s algorithm will actually help push your content out to new readers.

The other thing is, Substack is not just for writers. It is for artists, podcasters, and video content creators. It is for journalists who are tired of waiting for editors to approve their pitches, for cookbook authors in between books, and for chefs with recipes they want to share and get paid for.

Substack is also a virtual vlog, blog, recipe site, social media channel, and community builder all in one. It helps you stay connected with your existing community while reaching new fans.

All this, and you get paid on your own terms. You set your monthly price. You decide what content goes behind the paywall. You are fully in charge of what you offer and what you gift to your readers and audience.

And honestly, you should start charging for your brilliance. 100%! Let me be your cheerleader for a second: your time is precious, and so is what you can offer to the world.

I used to think no one would pay for my words, voice, or work. But it turns out, people will. Holy heck. I made $5,000 on a 1-hour Zoom baking demo. Because that is how much I price my time and brilliance. I made five figures presenting one night in NYC. For my branded reels on Instagram, I charge at least four figures. My agent is pushing for 5-figure reel deals. And my Substack? Hundreds of beautiful, wonderful people pay me $7 monthly to support me and recognize my brilliance.

But listen, I didn’t get here overnight. In the beginning, I doubted myself constantly. I was my own worst enemy. I kept giving things away for free. And people online kept whining and bullying me for more. Like they owned me just because I was posting free public content!

The truth is, people don’t value free. In fact, people hate free things. You hate free things because free things don’t ask you to show up. They don’t challenge you. And you didn’t have to earn them.

It’s why books like “Why Men Love Bitches” and “The Art of Being a Bitch” exist for women who give themselves too freely to people who only take, take, take. Ever notice how you’re super friendly and kind to someone, and it’s often not reciprocated?

Nice people, well they don’t pose as a challenge. They don’t demand anything in return. They give their love and service for free.

Like doormats, they’re stepped on. And free things, likewise, aren’t coveted.

So here’s the hard truth: Free is unvalued. Free is the fastest way to be forgotten.

You’re not here to be forgotten. You’re here to build a legacy with your brilliance.

The first step is to recognize your worth and stop giving everything away for free. Once you realize this and believe in yourself and your self-worth, you can start charging premiums for your work.

But how exactly do you do this? Well, remember how I said you must charge for your brilliance, my friend? I can definitely reveal to you how I did all this, but I’ll have to charge you. <3 For my premium Substack members, I have a downloadable PDF with steps to grow your Substack, starting with one crucial step…

Note that I am gifting a year-long subscription to everyone who preorders my next cookbook, 108 Asian Cookies, or you can find a free coupon online for a 7-day trial to access my PDF below. <3