Make Art, Make Money

Hello Bleeders!

I’m very excited to announce that I have May book tour dates for Girl Gone Wild:

• St. Paul, MN — May 15 @ 6pm — Acorn Bookshop conversation w/ Kelly Lundquist (Beard), moderated by Deborah Copperud-Read MN Books

• New York City, NY — May 17 @ 3pm — Emily Pizza Brooklyn writer meetup

• New York City, NY — May 18 @ 7pm — Literary Snobs Book Club

• Minneapolis, MN — May 19 @ 6pm — Troubadour Wine Bar reading

• Columbia, MO — May 21 @ 6:30pm — Skylark Books conversation w/ Danielle Doyen, my college bestie!

• Tulsa, OK — May 22 @ 7pm — Magic City Books conversation w/ Alex Poppe (Breakfast Wine) & Pamela Olson (Fast Times in Palestine)

• Los Angeles, CA — May 30 @ 5pm — North Figueroa Bookshop conversation w/ Antonia Crane (Spent) & Hannah Sward (Summer of Men & Strip)

If I’m in your neck of the woods, please come out. I’d love to meet you in person!

Last week, I did a fantastic Substack Live with Amy Suto, author of the new book Write for Money and Power, Substacker behind ✍️ Make Writing Your Job and 💡 Sutoscience by Amy Suto, and a multi-hyphenate writer whose hustle I admire. She pulled off a scrappy, last-minute 12-hour livestream to support her book launch—and I was so impressed I had to get the behind-the-scenes scoop on how she’s making it all work.

We get into:

• Leaving a dream career in Hollywood and discovering how freelancing can actually pay more (and treat you better) than legacy industries like TV and publishing

• The power of owning your IP, and why self-publishing can be more profitable long-term

• What actually worked for her book launch marketing vs. what didn’t

• What power means for creatives: autonomy, flexibility, and control over your work

• Why high-end ghostwriting and developmental editing are booming businesses

• How to start your writing career from zero

• Substack strategy: the underrated importance of turning on paid subscriptions early… and what makes people actually pay

• The behind-the-scenes mechanics of ghostwriting

• How AI is actually useful for writers (organization, research, timelines—not voice or creative writing… plus a crazy story from Amy’s recent trip to LA)

• How to push through rejection, slow periods, and the constant freelance fear cycle

• Your book as your ultimate business card and relationship builder with readers

We covered so much ground in this wide-ranging conversation. I highly recommend tuning in.

And of course, a friendly reminder to order Girl Gone Wild if you haven’t picked up a copy yet.

XO,
Courtney

Thank you Margaret Williams, MS, ACC, Amy Benavides, Kasey Lewis, and many others for tuning into my live video with Amy Suto!

• The Multi-Passionate Writer’s Life

• How to Build a “Platform” for Writers Who Shudder at the Thought

• Start a Newsletter to Supercharge Your Platform, Network & Business

• 12 Months to a Full Memoir in Essays Incubator: Write Your Memoir in a Year

• Land Big Bylines by Writing for Columns

• So You Want to Start a Podcast?

• Edit & Elevate: Revision Intensive

Would you take a ghostwriting gig if it required traveling somewhere fabulous, like Vienna or Singapore? (Trick question lol.)

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