How I gained 20k+ newsletter subscribers & crowdfunded $75k for my book, without social media
I write The Elysian, a newsletter with 20k+ subscribers, and I crowdfunded $75,000 for my next book on WeFunder. My paid subscribers include influential thinkers like Stripe founder Patrick Collison, policy wonk Matthew Yglesias, and documentary producer Michael Moore. My work has been recognized as an O'Shaughnessy Grantee, a Roots of Progress fellow, and a Substack fellow.
Despite the fact that I don't have a single social media account and only publish long-form writing (no short-form social media, podcasts, or videos!) I have done something everyone thinks is impossible in the modern age: Cultivate an audience around reading, and more importantly, an influential community of people who read my ideas every week and can actually do something about them. That includes politicians, economists, academics, journalists, and think tanks.
In this conversational gathering, I want to make the case for writing. Why it is still the best way to disseminate ideas, and how, if you have ideas, you can share them with a wider audience—or better yet, a small dedicated audience that can make a huge difference in the world. (If you’re here, you should already know this. Network State came from the most ancient of things: A book!)
I'll share what I've learned about publishing platforms—I’ve serialized a novel, crowdfunded a web series using ethereum, published print pamphlets and books, and crowdfunded my next book, with investors earning a share of the profits when it sells. I’ll talk about building a community around writing and earning the income to support it. I'll share how to reach the right people who can actually make your ideas a reality, without wasting your time on thousands of Twitter followers who will never actually see your ideas.
I don't proclaim to know how it works for everyone, but I'll share my own experience in the hopes that some of the inspiring people I've met here can see their ideas reach a wider sphere of influence. Because ultimately, writing has changed the world over and over and over again.
But you need the right person to read it….