✨ 36,000+ subscribers
✨ One of the Top 10 Substacks globally
✨ Trusted since 2022

“Sarah knows Substack inside and out, and combines her knowledge with intuition, smart strategy, and incredibly generous vision.”

— Jeannine Ouellette, Writing in the Dark

→ Substack is getting very, very crowded.

It’s an amazing platform—and one of the most challenging to succeed on.

As the leading Substack Strategist, I show you what’s really working now—and it’s not gimmicks, recycled internet advice, or AI “hacks.”

I’ve worked with 700+ Substack writers and creators—from prize-winning authors, viral TED speakers, and influencers to those just starting—to double and 10x their subscribers, increase revenue, build a loyal audience, and get real engagement.

→ Substack Writers at Work is where you access how to grow in the changing Substack landscape and how to use Substack to fuel your career and creative work.

Subscription Options

Paid

→ DIY Substack Growth — access to resources you can implement on your own

Annual = $110/year (~ $2.11/week or $9/month)

🔸 Weekly access to the most cutting-edge, expert guidance on WHAT'S ACTUALLY WORKING ON SUBSTACK in 2025 and WHAT’S TO COME in 2026

🔸 The Original Notes Boost Challenge to go viral on Notes

🔸 24/7 SW@W chat for COMMUNITY SUPPORT

🔸 NEWBIE PATHWAY + SUBSTACK CORE 4 to get you started on my proprietary Substack Growth Framework

🔸 SUBSTACK LIVES where we talk with the most successful Substack writers and creators and those just starting about how to stand out in the crowded Substack landscape and use your Substack to fuel your career and creative work

Free

→ Access to occasional posts and lives

Substack Premier Membership

→ Everything in the paid subscription + Guided Substack Growth

$985/year

The Premier Membership is for those who want an all-in-one membership to make Substack much easier with more accountability, live events, access to me in monthly calls and office hours, the chance to be spotlighted and get your Substack in front of tens of thousands of people, live connection with your fellow committed Substack writers and creators

* The Premier Membership is closed for enrollment. To be the first to hear of any openings, get on the waitlist here.

“Sarah turns the grey zone into black and white. The greatest value for a paid subscription on Substack.”

—Donna McArthur, The Bright Life

About me

I’m Sarah Fay (MFA, MA, PhD). I’m best known around here as the world’s leading Substack Growth Strategist and founder of Substack Writers at Work—a featured, bestselling Substack with over 36,000 members.

I’ve helped thousands of writers and creators—from award-winning journalists to bestselling authors to those just starting out—substantially increase their revenue, double and triple and 10x their subscribers, build an engaged audience, and produce their best work.

I also teach creative nonfiction at Northwestern University and am a solopreneur, PR consultant, mental health advocate, and author of the national bestselling memoir Pathological: The True Story of Six Misdiagnoses (HarperCollins). My work has appeared in The New York Times, Oprah Daily, The Atlantic, and The Paris Review, where I was an advisory editor. I write the bestselling, featured Substack Beyond Pathological.

I live in Chicago with my two beloved cats—Sweets and Baby Theo. More than anything, I want a t-shirt that says, Ask me about my cats. (All typos in all posts are Baby Theo’s fault.)

Work with me 1:1

I see a select number of 1:1 clients. Book your Substack Strategy Intensive or Accelerator Package here.

Book your Substack Strategy 1:1

I subsidize a 3-month paid subscription for anyone on a fixed income. Email me: sarah@substackwritersatwork.com.