He spent years writing a novel called A Confederacy of Dunces, a hilarious, original work unlike anything else being published at the time. He believed in the manuscript. He sent it to publishers.

They rejected it.

Again.

And again.

And again.

One editor praised his talent but couldn’t see how the book could be marketed. Others simply weren’t interested.

Toole became increasingly discouraged. In 1969, at the age of 31, he took his own life. The manuscript remained unpublished.

Most people would assume that was the end of the story.

It wasn’t.

Years later, his mother refused to give up. She carried the manuscript from office to office until she convinced novelist Walker Percy to read it.

Percy later admitted he expected it to be terrible. Instead, he found a masterpiece.

The novel was finally published in 1980. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction the following year.

The same manuscript publishers had ignored, became one of the most celebrated novels of the twentieth century.

Why this story matters

One would think that this story as proof that talent eventually gets recognised. But I think it teaches a different lesson.

The book didn’t become successful because John Kennedy Toole was a brilliant writer. The book became successful because it became visible.

Toole’s mother took the manuscript to Walker Percy, who was an influential American author, essayist, and philosopher. Percy was not impressed at first, but then began reading and couldn’t put the book down. He found an academic pressto publish the book. A year later, it had sold 45,000 copies and won the Pulitzer.

What made good writing be recognised was advocacy, positioning, distribution and the right person championing the work.

The painful reality is that great writing sitting unseen on a hard drive helps nobody. A brilliant writer without readers remains invisible. A mediocre writer with a clear message, audience, and distribution often builds far more impact.

Most writers believe the solution to obscurity is becoming a better writer.

So they read books on craft. They study storytelling. They labour over headlines. They rewrite paragraphs seventeen times before publishing them.

And there is nothing wrong with any of that.

Good writing matters.

The problem is that good writing alone does not solve the problems most writers actually have.

Good writing does not guarantee readers.

Every day, thousands of beautifully written essays disappear into the internet without leaving a trace. Not because they are bad, but because nobody knew they existed.

Good writing does not create authority.

Authority is not simply what you know. It is what people believe you know. It is a perception formed in the minds of readers. Two people can possess identical knowledge, yet the one who has articulated a clear point of view, published a book, developed a framework, or become known for a specific idea will be seen as the authority.

Good writing does not build an audience.

Readers do not subscribe merely because a piece is well written. They subscribe because they recognise themselves in your message. They see a problem they want solved, a transformation they desire, or a perspective they cannot find elsewhere.

Good writing does not make people remember you.

Most newsletters fail not because the writing is poor but because the writer is interchangeable. If I removed your name from the top of the article, would anyone know you wrote it? Memorable writers are associated with an idea, a mission, a philosophy, or a problem they repeatedly help people solve.

And good writing does not automatically create opportunities.

Clients do not hire you because you can craft elegant sentences. Speaking invitations do not arrive because your metaphors are clever. Partnerships are not formed because you mastered the perfect opening paragraph.

Opportunities appear when people understand what you stand for, who you help, and why your perspective matters.

That is where many talented writers get stuck.

They assume the marketplace rewards quality. But the marketplace rewards clarity.

A reader scrolling through their inbox cannot measure the quality of your thinking in three seconds. They can only decide whether this seems relevant to them.

A potential client cannot immediately assess the depth of your expertise. They can only judge whether you appear to understand their problem.

Before people can appreciate your writing, they must first discover it. Before they can trust your ideas, they must understand what those ideas are. Before they can recommend your work, they must know how to describe it.

In other words, writing is only half the equation.

The other half is helping the right people discover your work and understand why it matters.

That is why some extraordinary writers remain invisible while others with less talent become widely known.

It is rarely a difference in ability. More often, it is a difference in positioning.

Positioning is what makes people pay attention.

A few years ago, I was just another writer on the internet.

I was publishing regularly. I was improving my craft. I was learning about storytelling, headlines, and content creation. I was being consistent. And almost nobody cared.

Then I wrote a short book called How To Write and Publish an eBook in One Week. The book was not a literary masterpiece. It did not change the history of publishing.

It did not sell millions of copies. But it did something far more important.

It positioned me.

Almost overnight, people stopped seeing me as someone who wrote online and started seeing me as someone who knew how to write and publish books.

I was the same person. With the same knowledge. With the same struggles. But a completely different perception.

That is what positioning does.

Positioning is not pretending to be an expert. It is helping people understand why they should remember you.

When someone says your name, what is the first thing that comes to mind? What problem do they associate with you? What transformation do they believe you can help them achieve?

If the answers are vague, your positioning is vague.

And when your positioning is vague, people have no reason to choose you over the hundreds of other writers competing for their attention.

The most successful writers are rarely known for everything. They are known for something.

• James Clear became associated with habits.

• Seth Godin became associated with marketing.

• Austin Kleon became associated with creative living.

Their work may cover many subjects, but their positioning gives people a mental shortcut. The moment their name appears, people know what they stand for. That is why positioning matters more than most writers realise.

Positioning turns random articles into a body of work. It turns opinions into a philosophy. It turns readers into followers. And it turns attention into opportunity.

The easiest way I know to create that positioning is to write a book.

Before publishing Atomic Habits, James Clear had already written hundreds of articles about habits, productivity, and self-improvement. He was a good writer with a growing audience, but he was one of many voices discussing similar topics online.

Then he published a book.

The ideas weren’t entirely new. Many had appeared in his articles over the years. But the book packaged those ideas into a clear framework and gave people a simple answer to the question, “What is James Clear known for?”

Today, when people hear his name, they immediately think of habits.

The book didn’t make him smarter. It made him memorable. And in a crowded niche, memorable beats talented every time.

A book forces you to answer questions most writers avoid.

What do I believe?
Who am I helping?
What problem am I solving?
What do I want to be known for?

A book demands clarity. And clarity creates positioning. Once you have that positioning, every article strengthens it. Every newsletter reinforces it. Every interview amplifies it. And every opportunity compounds it.

Instead of publishing disconnected pieces of content, you begin building a reputation. Reputation is an asset that works for you long after a single article has disappeared from people’s feeds.

The lesson from John Kennedy Toole is not that talent eventually wins. The lesson is that talent alone is not enough.

The world is full of brilliant writers waiting to be discovered. The writers who build careers are the ones who do more than write well.

They make it easy for people to understand who they are, what they stand for, and why their work matters.

Good writing gets people to stay.
Positioning gets them to notice you in the first place.

And being noticed is where everything begins.

That’s all from me today.

As always, thanks for reading.

The goal was simple: discover whether you’ve already been writing your book, one newsletter issue at a time.

Many writers are sitting on dozens, even hundreds, of posts without realising they already possess most of the material they need.

Before we can write a book, we need …

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“I have done everything they told me to do. Why isn’t it working then?”

Sarah (not her real name) started her newsletter eighteen months ago. Every Tuesday morning, before the children woke up and before the demands of work began, she sat at her kitchen table with a cup of coffee and wrote.

She wrote about leadership, confidence, and rebuilding a life after burnout. Some weeks, she shared practical advice. Other weeks, she told personal stories she never thought she would tell publicly.

She had written more than a hundred articles. Yet nothing seems to be happening. Just a handful of people click the like button. Even fewer left comments. A subscriber might arrive here and there. But the opportunities she secretly hoped writing would bring never seemed to materialise.

Nobody invited her onto their podcasts or shared her work widely or even remembered her name.

She couldn’t help noticing other writers announcing their book deal, a speaking engagement, or a thriving business built around their ideas. It is a question keep popping in her head:

“What am I doing wrong?”

For Sarah, the worst part was not the lack of growth.

It was the feeling that all those hours had disappeared into thin air.

The time she could have spent with her family. The weekends she could have spent resting and recovering from another demanding week. The evenings she could have spent reading, walking, or simply doing nothing at all.

Instead, she had spent it writing.

And for what? A few likes. A handful of comments. A slowly growing subscriber count that seemed to lead nowhere.

Anna had a slightly different story, but she was heading toward the same destination. She grew quickly and built impressive momentum. Yet she wasn’t making any money and, more importantly, she wasn’t even doing what she had set out to do: writing books.

“All I want to do is write my next book,” she told me. “But instead, I’m here writing more articles to feed the algorithm monster.”

Somewhere along the way, the platform had become the goal. The content machine needed feeding, and the work she truly wanted to create kept getting pushed further into the future.

Sarah and Anna are not unusual. If you can relate to their stories, you’re in good company.

Many writers have been sucked into the grind of hustle culture, which tells us the answer to every problem is to produce more. Show up more. Be more consistent.

The assumption is simple. If you keep publishing long enough, eventually people will notice.

The advice we were given no longer works.

A few years ago, there was some truth to that advice. The internet was less crowded. Platforms rewarded reach. Newsletters were still relatively new. Simply showing up consistently could make you stand out.

Today, the landscape is very different. Millions of articles are published every day. Thousands of newsletters compete for attention. And now AI can generate an endless stream of content in seconds.

The world does not suffer from a shortage of content. It suffers from a shortage of clarity.

The problem is not that Sarah hasn’t written enough. The problem is that nobody can immediately tell what she wants to be known for.

When readers discover her newsletter, they enjoy individual articles. They might even subscribe. But six months later, if you asked them what Sarah stands for, most would struggle to answer.

Sarah is smart. Talented. Knowledgeable. But she has spent eighteen months creating content without creating a position in her readers’ minds.

And that is the difference between being read and being remembered.

The writers who seem to attract opportunities are not necessarily producing more content than everyone else. They are simply associated with a clear idea.

When people hear their name, they immediately know what they stand for, who they help, and why their work matters.

That clarity creates authority. And authority creates opportunities. Not the other way around.

So, how do you build authority?

Authority begins when you identify a problem you care deeply about, develop a clear point of view around it, and consistently connect your work back to that idea.

The fastest way I know to do this is to write a book.

A book forces clarity. It makes you decide who you help, what you believe, and what transformation you offer.

Think about the writers you admire. You can probably describe their work in a sentence. James Clear is associated with habits. Morgan Housel with money and behaviour. Brené Brown with vulnerability and courage.

When their names come up, people immediately know what they stand for.

Most writers never make that leap. They write about ten different topics, chase every interesting idea, and wonder why readers don’t remember them.

Clarity is what makes you visible. And visibility built on clarity becomes authority.

Anna stands a much better chance of being noticed and building a lasting legacy. Her first book has already established her authority, which is one of the reasons she was able to gain momentum so quickly.

Now she wants to write her next book. Doing so will sharpen her thinking, deepen her authority, and create something that continues to serve readers long after the latest algorithm change is forgotten.

Only a tiny fraction of people will ever write and publish a book. You could be one of them.

The question is: will you spend the next few years feeding the algorithm, or creating something that lasts?

The good news is that you probably don’t have to start from scratch.

Chances are, your book might already be hiding in your writing.

Look through your last fifty or hundred posts.

What themes keep resurfacing?
What stories do readers respond to most?
What problems do you return to again and again?
What lessons have you learned the hard way and can’t stop talking about?

Your book may already exist in fragments across dozens of articles.

Your job is not to invent something new. It is to gather those pieces, find the thread connecting them, and turn them into a book that makes your message impossible to ignore.

Even if you’re new to Substack and haven’t built an archive yet, this cohort is for you.

I’ll show you how to write your book one newsletter issue at a time.

Instead of spending months, or even years, publishing scattered content and hoping it eventually turns into something meaningful, you’ll write with a clear destination in mind from day one.

Rather than disappearing into a room to write an entire book in isolation, you’ll publish one chapter, idea, story, or lesson at a time. You’ll receive feedback from real readers, refine your thinking as you go, and build momentum with every issue.

Become a paid subscriber

By the end, you’ll have a growing newsletter, a clearer message, and a substantial portion of your book already written, without the overwhelm that comes from staring at a blank page and trying to create everything at once.

In other words, you’ll be building your audience and your book at the same time.

That’s all from me today.

As always, thanks for reading.

Yesterday, I ran the first session of the Substack to Book Project, a four-week workshop series designed to help writers turn their existing Substack content into an authority-building book.

What surprised me wasn’t how many people wanted to write a book.

It was ho…

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I still remember the day I walked into a Life Story Writing course at my local community centre.

I wasn’t thinking about building a writing career. I wasn’t thinking about publishing books. I simply wanted to write my stories, quietly, without pressure, without expectation. For six months, I showed up and poured my heart onto the page.

But something unexpected happened when the course ended.

A small group of us didn’t want to stop. So we decided to keep meeting. Once a month, at my home, we would gather around with our notebooks and read our stories aloud. There was no agenda, no grand ambition, just a group of women listening, sharing, and encouraging each other to keep going.

What started as a simple extension of a course slowly became something much deeper.

For the next 15 years, we didn’t just support each other’s writing. We supported each other through life. Through changes, challenges, and quiet moments when writing felt too hard or too insignificant to continue.

And yet, we kept showing up.

Looking back now, I realise something I didn’t understand then. It wasn’t just the writing that kept me going. It was the fact that I was no longer doing it alone.

What a writing circle can actually do for you.

A decade later, I found myself in another writing group.

This time, it was different.

There were five of us, all working on novels, all serious about finishing what we had started. We called ourselves Gutsy Gals—partly as a joke, partly because we needed the reminder.

Every time we met, something powerful happened.

One person would bring a problem. A messy chapter. A character that wouldn’t behave. A plot that refused to move forward. And within minutes, five brains would start working on it. Ideas would bounce around. Perspectives would shift. Solutions would appear where there was only frustration before.

It felt like magic. But it wasn’t magic. It was collaboration.

Their encouragement carried me through the days I wanted to quit. Their feedback made my writing sharper. Their belief in me stayed steady, even when mine wavered.

And slowly, something changed.

I stopped seeing myself as someone “trying to write a book.” I became someone who was actually writing one. That group helped me self-publish my first book. They made sure that I remain accountable. They made sure I kept going when the going got tough.

The lie most writers believe.

Most writers don’t quit because they lack talent.

They quit because they believe they should be able to do this on their own.

Somewhere along the way, we’ve romanticised the idea of the “solo writer.” Sitting alone, waiting for inspiration, battling through self-doubt, emerging with a finished manuscript as if it were an act of pure will.

It sounds noble.

It’s also the reason most books never get written.

Because writing alone doesn’t just mean you’re working in silence. It means you’re left alone with your thoughts. And that’s where things start to unravel.

A simple doubt turns into a full-blown crisis. A missed writing day becomes a week. A rough chapter convinces you the whole idea is flawed.

Fear grows louder. Perfectionism tightens its grip. Procrastination starts to feel justified. And without anyone to interrupt that spiral, it becomes very easy to stop.Not dramatically. Not with a big decision. But quietly… one day at a time.

That’s why so many people “want to write a book” for years, but they never do. It is not because they don’t want enough. It is because they’re trying to carry something heavy… completely alone.

What changes when you don’t do it alone.

The moment you stop writing in isolation, everything begins to shift.

Not because writing suddenly becomes easy. But because it stops becoming lonely.

One of my students came back for a second cohort after joining the first one. She had written about half of her book, but then life got busy. The manuscript sat untouched for months, and the longer she stayed away from it, the harder it became to return.

So she started attending the weekly sessions again.

Something interesting happened. As she watched other writers making progress, sharing their wins, and overcoming their own obstacles, her enthusiasm for her book began to return. She opened her manuscript and wrote a couple of pages. Then another chapter. Then another.

Today, she has completed almost two-thirds of her book. She didn’t found more time. But because she was surrounded by people who kept showing up, and in doing so, helped her keep showing up too. The group’s accountability, encouragement, and momentum pulled her back into the work when she couldn’t do it alone.

When you’re alone, every decision feels heavier than it should. You question your ideas. You rewrite the same paragraph ten times. You stop when it gets uncomfortable because there’s no one there to remind you to keep going.

But in a writing circle, the weight is shared.

You don’t sit with your doubts for too long. You say them out loud, and someone helps you see them differently. You don’t disappear for weeks. Someone notices and pulls you back. You don’t abandon a good idea too early. You stay with it long enough to make it work.

Accountability keeps you moving. Feedback sharpens your thinking. Support steadies you when your confidence dips. And slowly, almost without noticing, your relationship with writing changes.

You stop waiting to “feel ready.” You start showing up, even on the messy days. You trust the process, because you’re not navigating it blind anymore.

You’re no longer trying to push a book into existence. You’re building it, step by step, with people who are walking the same path.

From writing alone to writing with an Author Circle

At some point, I stopped seeing writing as a solitary act. I had experienced how much further, faster, and deeper writing could go when done with others.

Every breakthrough I’ve had as a writer has been shaped by a circle.

A space where I could bring half-formed ideas without fear. A place where I didn’t have to pretend everything was perfect. A group that reminded me to keep going when stopping felt easier. That’s what changed everything for me.

And that’s exactly why I created Author Circle.

Not as another course. Not as a place to collect more information. But a space where writers come together to actually finish what they start.

Because the truth is simple. You don’t need more ideas. You don’t need more time.
You don’t need to wait until you feel ready.

You need the right environment. One that gives you clarity when you feel stuck. Structure when things feel overwhelming. And support when you’re tempted to give up.

Ready to write your book with the right support?

Starting in June, I’ll be running a brand-new four-week cohort exclusively for paid subscribers where we will work together to turn your Substack publication into an authority-building book.

I’m calling it ‘Substack To Book Project.’ Over the next four weeks, I’ll help you:

• identify the central idea running through your newsletter

• shape it into a clear book concept

• a practical roadmap for extracting from your current content.

The goal is not to produce a 300-page masterpiece. The goal is to create a strategic book that establishes your authority, attracts the right readers, and gives your work a clear centre of gravity.

By the end of the project, you will have:

• A validated book idea based on your existing Substack content

• A book draft, a book cover, and publishing know-how

• A focused content strategy for growing your Substack

• A clear offer to monetise your Substack that aligns with your expertise

• Accountability, feedback, and support from fellow writers on the same journey

Most Substack writers don’t need more content ideas.

If you’ve been publishing consistently but still feel scattered, unclear about your positioning, or unsure how your newsletter connects to a larger vision, this cohort is for you.

Join the cohort for $40 only

Let’s turn your Substack into a book that builds authority, grows your audience, and creates new opportunities for your business.

As always, thanks for reading.

Upgrade now

This is exactly what you’ll get as a paid member of the Author Circle publication:

📚 Access the Author Circle Vault — a growing library of courses, workshops, templates, recordings, and resources

📖 Full access to all paid articles and deep-dive guides on writing, publishing, positioning, and building a business around your expertise

✍️ The 90-Day Book-to-Business Blueprint — my step-by-step system for turning your knowledge into an authority-building book

🎯 Structured frameworks to help you find your book idea, create an outline, and write with clarity and purpose

🚀 Strategies to position your book as an authority asset that attracts readers, clients, opportunities, and speaking engagements

📈 Practical training on growing a newsletter and building an audience around your ideas

💰 Workshops on turning your book into courses, coaching offers, digital products, and other income streams

🎥 Access to recordings of live workshops, skill sessions, and training events

📝 Templates, checklists, worksheets, and planning tools to help you implement faster

💬 The ability to comment, ask questions, and participate in discussions with fellow writers and creators

🤝 Invitations to community events, meetups, and collaborative learning sessions

🔄 Ongoing access to every new course, workshop, framework, and resource added to the Vault while your subscription remains active

Whether your goal is to write your first book, grow your audience, establish authority in your field, or build a business around your expertise, you’ll find the tools, training, and support to help you get there.

And you get ALL of this for:

✅ only $100 a year

What are the members saying about Author Circle:

Ready to join my paid tier and unlock all premium resources?

» Click Here To Upgrade Now «

Books moved closer to publication. New students joined the cohort to write their books. Lives continued to grow. I experimented with writing outside my usual topics and launched the first Author Circle Meet-Up.

Looking back, what strikes me most is that none of these wins came from a single breakthrough moment. They came from showing up consistently, week after week.

Momentum is rarely dramatic while it’s happening. It is built quietly, one article, one conversation, one chapter, and one small decision at a time.

Here is what happened in May.

Third cohort, more books in progress

This month, the third cohort of Write Your Book started, and two new students joined the program. Both are making steady progress on their books.

One student’s progress was particularly inspiring. After weeks of feeling uncertain and struggling to move forward, he wrote ten chapters in a single week. It didn’t happen by accident. He made a conscious decision to put everything else aside and focus wholeheartedly on his book. That level of commitment and dedication is admirable.

His manuscript is now complete enough to take a short rest while he turns his attention to the next stage of the process: refining the cover, writing the book description, and preparing the front and back matter.

Nothing gives me greater joy than watching aspiring writers bring their books into the world. Every finished manuscript represents not just a book, but an idea, a message, and a dream that might otherwise have remained unwritten. Seeing that transformation happen never gets old.

The best thing I did for my newsletter, ever.

Back in November 2025, I made a promise to myself: I was going to give Substack Lives a proper go and get better at them.

My plan was simple. Do one Live every week for three months.

During that time, I interviewed several Substack writers, made many new friends, and discovered that Lives were introducing me to new readers. My subscriber numbers were growing, too. Three months came and went, but I kept going because I was enjoying the conversations and seeing the results.

If you haven’t started doing Lives yet, I encourage you to try them. If the idea feels intimidating, start by appearing on someone else’s Live first (DM me if you’d like to join one with me). Then schedule your own and commit to showing up regularly. Consistency is the only way to improve.

If you can’t line up guests, do solo Lives.

That’s how I started. Talking to a camera felt awkward at first. But with a Live, you can actually see people joining. You’re not really talking to a camera. You’re talking to the people who have chosen to spend time with you. That makes all the difference.

If you’re not sure what to talk about, read something. Read a chapter from a book, an article you found interesting, or a section from your own work, and then share your thoughts alongside it.

That’s exactly what I did this month’s solo Live.

I read the opening story from my book Dare To Create and talked about how the book came to be. The book grew out of articles I had written on my website and on Medium over several years. I also shared some of the ideas from the book that have shaped the way I live and work today.

The Live was completely impromptu. I hadn’t even had time to schedule it in advance. To my surprise, a lot of people joined. I hadn’t expected that at all. One lesson came through loud and clear, Lives do not need elaborate planning.

If you have something worth sharing, turn on the camera and start talking. Some people will join. Others will watch the replay. And even if only a handful show up, you will have documented your thinking and strengthened your connection with your readers.

Another noteworthy Lives this month were my conversation with . We explored one of the most overlooked aspects of growing a publication: community. Instead of focusing on publishing more content, Veronica shared practical ways to build deeper relationships with readers through welcome emails, thoughtful comment replies, group chats, direct outreach, and creating meaningful points of connection throughout the reader journey.

The ideas from that Live were later featured in Smarter Substacks in an article titled The “Let Them In” growth strategy.

Books take more than writing

We also critiqued another member’s manuscript, providing detailed feedback to help strengthen the book before publication. Watching writers refine their work and gain confidence in their message is one of the most rewarding parts of the program.

This month, I also introduced weekly accountability sessions for students who are in the final stages of publishing their books. Writing a book is a significant achievement, but getting it across the finish line requires a different kind of discipline. Covers need finalising, descriptions need polishing, formatting needs checking, and a hundred small decisions need to be made.

Projects of this magnitude thrive on momentum. A week of focused action can move a book dramatically forward, while a few weeks of inaction can make it feel overwhelming again. These accountability sessions are designed to keep that momentum going, ensuring that manuscripts don’t remain unfinished files on a computer but become published books in the hands of readers.

The power of a clear positioning

I had an unexpected surprise while playing around with AI this month.

Just for fun, I asked Perplexity.ai a simple question:

“Suggest three people on Substack who can help me write a book.”

The answer genuinely surprised me.

My name appeared at the top of the list, ahead of well-known Substack creators like Veronica Mein and Nicolas Cole. I wrote about it here: When Someone Asks AI About Your Niche… Does Your Name Come Up?

It was a small moment, but an important reminder of something I often teach: clarity matters.

AI tools, readers, and potential clients all rely on the signals we give them. Your bio, About page, publication description, and the topics you consistently write about help shape how people, and increasingly AI, understand who you are and what you are known for.

If you want to be recognised for something specific, don’t leave it to chance. State it clearly. Repeat it often. Make it obvious what problem you solve and who you help.

Sometimes the world only sees what you’ve taken the time to define.

The articles I almost didn't publish

This month, I wrote two articles that were quite different from my usual book-related content. While they weren’t directly about writing or publishing books, they explored something just as important: the emotional ups and downs we all experience, including self-doubt, confidence, and the stories we tell ourselves.

I Asked Nora Ephron Why I Was Feeling Low on a Beautiful Day

Why Accomplished Women Still Doubt Themselves?

I have to admit, I was nervous before publishing them. I worried that my core readers might not be interested.

Then, during an Author Circle Meet-Up, shared an analogy that immediately resonated with me. She said that writing a newsletter is a lot like having conversations with friends. We don’t talk to our friends about the same topic every time we meet. Sometimes we discuss work. Sometimes family. Sometimes our dreams, fears, or the strange thoughts that crossed our minds that morning. Why should our newsletters be any different?

I loved that idea.

When both articles were warmly received, I got the proof I needed. Readers are often interested in more than one dimension of who we are, especially when those topics connect to the deeper themes behind our work.

So, if you’ve been looking for permission to occasionally write about something different in your publication, consider this your permission slip.

Just don’t let it replace your core topic. Let it complement it. A thoughtful detour every now and then can make your publication feel more human, more interesting, and more like a real conversation.

What you might have missed:

• Speaking of core topics, this month I wrote three in-depth articles about writing a book and using it as a tool to open doors to new opportunities.

1. 10-Minute Exercise to Find A Book Idea That Builds Your Business

2. The one ingredient that makes your book impossible to put down.

3. 10 Ways to Use Your Book to Open the Right Doors Faster

• I also redesigned my homepage this month, taking advantage of several new features that Substack has recently released. It was a good opportunity to refresh the way Author Circle presents itself and make it easier for new visitors to understand who I help and how I can support them.

New Community Incentive: Author Circle Meet-Up

I introduced something new this month, a monthly Author Circle Meet-Up session, where members can come together to discuss the challenges they are facing in their writing, publishing, and newsletter journeys.

The first session was a huge success. We talked through participants’ struggles, shared experiences, brainstormed solutions, and suggested practical next steps.

One of the things I love most about Author Circle is seeing writers realise they are not alone. Almost every challenge feels easier when you can discuss it with people who understand the journey.

Because of the positive response, I have decided to make the Meet-Up a regular feature on the Author Circle calendar. The next one will take place on 20 June 2026, and I will share the details closer to the date.

Plan for the next month

In June I am launching a new cohort Substack to Book Project will be dedicated to helping Substack writers discover the book hidden inside their newsletter archives.

I will be running four Zoom sessions to identify the central theme in your Substack, identifying the relevant material in your archives and and shaping them into a manuscript that reflects your expertise and perspective.

This issue has gone unusually long. I have included a lot of helpful information wh

As always, thanks for reading.

How To Write and Publish an eBook In One Week, Eight Steps To Be An Authorpreneur, Dare To Create, and Become A Productive Writer all began life as articles I had written on my website and on Medium.com.

When I sat down to write my first book, I discovered I had already written most of it.

Over the years, I have been publishing articles about writing, creativity, productivity, publishing, mindset, and building an online presence. The ideas were scattered across dozens of posts, but they were there. I wasn’t creating a book from scratch. I was gathering, organising, editing, expanding, and connecting ideas I had already explored.

So that’s exactly what I did. I methodically pulled out the most relevant articles, grouped them into chapters, filled the gaps, and turned them into a book.

A funny thing happened after that.

As I looked through my archives, I realised there wasn’t just one book hiding in my blog posts. There were several.

The material for Eight Steps To Be An Authorpreneur was already there. So was Dare To Create. So was Become A Productive Writer. Each book emerged from a collection of ideas I had been developing publicly over time.

The books were hidden in plain sight.

And I’ve been noticing the same thing with many Substack writers. They have so much material sitting in their newsletter.

If you’ve been publishing consistently on Substack for six months, a year, or longer, chances are you’ve already done much of the thinking. You’ve explored themes. Shared stories. Tested frameworks. Answered reader questions. Explained concepts from different angles. Piece by piece, you’ve been building intellectual property without even realising it.

The challenge isn’t creating a book. The challenge is recognising the book that already exists inside your newsletter. Because hidden inside dozens of posts is usually a central idea.

A problem you care deeply about solving. A transformation you help people achieve. A perspective that makes your work uniquely yours.

Once you identify that thread and pull it through your content, your newsletter stops being a collection of articles and starts becoming something much more powerful.

It becomes a body of work.

Why many brilliant writers are not getting noticed (and how a book fixes it).

Over the past few years, I have spoken to dozens of Substack writers.

Most of them are doing all the right things. Yet many of them tell me the same thing. Their newsletters are growing slowly, if at all. They don’t know how to monetise their newsletter or what their offer is. Their content feels disconnected. They have plenty of ideas, but no clear sense of where those ideas are leading.

The problem isn’t a lack of content. The problem is a lack of a centre.

Without a central idea, every article becomes a new decision. Every offer feels disconnected from the last one. Every new opportunity sends you in a slightly different direction. Over time, your newsletter becomes a collection of interesting thoughts rather than a coherent body of work.

I know this because I have been there myself.

Before One Book To $100K, I wrote about whatever interested me that week. Now all my posts and my core offer are anchored on that book.

Writing a book forces you to answer questions that many creators avoid for years.

Who am I trying to help?
What problem am I solving?
What transformation am I promising?
What do I believe that others in my field may not?
What is the one idea I want people to associate with my name?

A book demands clarity.

That is why I believe a strategically written book is one of the most valuable things a Substack writer can create.

What happens when you build around a book

A book is not the destination; it is the beginning. When you write a book around a clear idea, something interesting happens. Everything else becomes easier.

You stop wondering what to write about next because your book gives you months, even years, of content ideas. Every chapter can become multiple newsletter articles. Every framework can become a workshop. Every story can become a Note, a podcast episode, a video, or a presentation.

Instead of constantly chasing new ideas, you start deepening existing ones.

More importantly, your readers begin to understand what you stand for.

One of my friends has a brilliant newsletter titled The Pebble In Your Shoe. She is a brilliant writer who has been publishing on Substack for more than three years.

Through deeply personal stories, heartfelt conversations with fellow writers, and thought-provoking essays, she has built a body of work that challenges conventional wisdom and invites readers to see the world differently.

She is not afraid to question assumptions, push against accepted norms, and explore ideas others overlook. She is a disruptor in the best sense of the word.

And there is a book in her work. A meaningful book. An important book.

She doesn’t have to set out to write one. She has already spent years developing the ideas, stories, and insights that belong in it.

You may be in the same position.

The book you want to write may already be hiding inside your Substack.

Join me in June and turn your Substack into an authority-building book

I am launching a brand-new four-week cohort exclusively for paid subscribers in June.

Together, we will identify the central idea running through your newsletter and turn it into an authority-building book.

A strategic book that positions you as an expert, attracts the right audience, and gives your work a clear direction.

Over four weeks, I will help you:

• Identify the core idea hidden inside your newsletter

• Shape that idea into a compelling book concept

• Create a practical roadmap using content you have already published

• Organise your material into a coherent first draft

• Connect your book to a clear monetisation strategy aligned with your expertise

By the end of the project, you will have:

• A validated book idea based on your existing Substack content

• A working book draft and a publishing roadmap

• A clearer positioning statement and authority platform

• A focused content strategy for your newsletter

• A monetisation pathway aligned with your knowledge and experience

• Accountability, feedback, and support from fellow writers on the same journey

This is not about writing a book for the sake of becoming an author. It is about creating an asset.

An asset that helps readers understand what you stand for. Makes your newsletter more focused. And opens doors to opportunities, clients, workshops, speaking engagements, products, and collaboration.

Most importantly, it is about standing out in a crowd.

Until 31 May $40 for Lifetime

If you’ve been publishing consistently but still feel scattered, unclear about your positioning, or unsure how your newsletter fits into a bigger vision, this cohort is for you.

Dates: 4, 8, 18, and 25 June 2026 (5, 9, 19, and 26 June for Australia and New Zealand)

Time: 5:00 PM PDT / 8:00 PM EDT

Can’t make it live? No problem. All sessions will be recorded, and recordings will be available to participants if you can’t attend live or if the timing doesn’t work for your time zone.

The book may already be hiding inside your Substack.

Let’s find it together.

As always, thanks for reading.

And like most first impressions, it either creates curiosity… or gets ignored.

Cover reveals are supposed to build excitement months before launch. They’re meant to create buzz, signal what your book stands for, and even nudge early sales if you’re running a pre-order. But most authors treat it like a task to tick off. And then wonder why nothing happens.

Once your cover is out in the world, its job is simple: be seen, be remembered, and be associated with something worth paying attention to. That doesn’t happen with one post. It happens through repetition, placement, and intention. The more your cover shows up in the right places, the more familiar it becomes. And familiarity builds trust.

The problem is, there are too many places to show up. Social media, newsletters, your website, banners, graphics, collaborations. It quickly turns into one more overwhelming marketing task.

That’s why this isn’t just a checklist.

It’s a way to turn your cover reveal from a one-time post into a moment people actually notice and remember.

1. Make Your Cover Reveal an Event, Not Just a Post

A cover reveal should feel like something is happening.

Not something that quietly appeared between someone’s lunch photo and a motivational quote.

Most authors treat it like a checkbox. “So excited to share this!” Done. But readers don’t feel excitement just because you say you’re excited. They feel it when there’s a sense of build-up and importance around what you’re sharing.

An event creates that feeling.

It gives your audience a reason to pay attention because they know something is coming. You can start a few days earlier. Drop hints about the book. Talk about the idea behind it. Share a small detail without showing the whole thing. Let curiosity build.

Then comes the reveal.

Not randomly, but at a specific time. You show the cover with context, with a story, with a reason why this book exists. You make it clear that this moment matters, not just to you, but to the reader.

And after that, don’t disappear.

Continue the conversation. Reshare it. Talk about different elements of the cover. You let it stay visible long enough for people to notice and remember.

Because when something feels like an event, people stop scrolling.

And when they stop scrolling, your book finally has a chance.

A cover reveal is not a small step. It’s the moment your book begins its life in the real world. When done right, it builds attention, signals authority, and creates momentum before your book is even out.

And this is just one piece of a much bigger picture.

Writing the right book. Positioning it correctly. Connecting it to your business. Turning readers into clients.

That’s exactly what I help you do inside One Book To 100K.

Join here

It’s a focused community where you don’t just write a book. You write a book that builds your authority and supports your business from day one.

If your book has been sitting in your head, or halfway in a draft, this is your moment to do it properly.

Join the community. Write your book. And make sure when it enters the world… it doesn’t go unnoticed.

Read more

The book is really the story of how I changed my thinking, my beliefs, and ultimately myself.

It begins with a scene from a winter morning before my transformation, when I lay in bed wondering how I had reached almost sixty years of age while still waking up for a life that no longer felt like mine.

The events of that day, along with a great deal of introspection, eventually led to the writing of Dare To Create.

The book not only encourages people to find purpose in their lives, but also offers them a way to begin discovering it for themselves.

The book didn’t come about in a single session or during one inspired writing spree. It emerged gradually over the three years that followed that winter morning.

It came through the many blog posts I wrote on my website, on Medium, in my newsletter, and across various platforms.

All the learning that was happening, all the changes I was making in my thinking and in my life, slowly started coming together.

Eventually, I wanted to put all of it into a book so it could become both a source of motivation for other people and a document of my own journey and transformation.

In the Live, I shared the idea of “bullshit jobs” from anthropologist David Graeber and how many people stay in jobs that slowly drain their spirit simply because of financial security.

Even though I had built a successful corporate career and genuinely enjoyed parts of my work for many years, there came a point where achievement no longer brought fulfillment.

I then talked about the shift from the Information Age to what futurists call the “Connection Age,” where opportunities are no longer reserved for a privileged few. Today, anyone with internet access can write, teach, create, publish, build a business, or share their ideas with the world.

That insight planted an important seed in me: perhaps I could build a life around creativity rather than competition.

I shared how the writings of Wallace D. Wattles deeply influenced my mindset, especially the idea that humans move forward not through endless competition, but through creation. That became my personal motto: “From competitive to creative.”

Towards the end of the Live, I spoke about how I eventually discovered my calling through the work of Paul Graham, who suggested three powerful questions to identify meaningful work:

• Would you still do it if it brought no prestige?

• Would you continue even if you weren’t paid?

• Would you keep going even when things were not working in your favour?

Those questions helped me realise that my calling lies in turning my experiences, learnings, and insights into books that help other people.

In the end, I shared a quote from Sadhguru:

 We are not here just to earn a living and raise children. Even animals with limited intelligence can gather food and raise their offspring. Nature has a higher purpose in bestowing us with all this intelligence. It wants us to find our calling and fulfil it."

And that is why I found my calling, and that is why you need to find your calling.

As always, thanks for reading.

Thank you to everyone who tuned into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

Get more from Neera Mahajan in the Substack app

Available for iOS and Android

Get the app

From the outside, I looked competent enough. I had a Master’s degree in biochemistry, two half-finished PhDs, and several papers published in respected scientific journals.

Yet underneath all those achievements, I carried a quiet but persistent belief that I was somehow inadequate. Lesser than others. Not quite enough.

I had been out of the workforce for almost seven years, raising my daughters. My world had shrunk to playgroups, supermarket aisles, and brief conversations with shop attendants. I had almost no professional contacts left.

On top of that, I was a migrant, a petite woman nearing forty, with limited money and a growing awareness of how little value I believed I had.

I remember attending a self-mastery workshop for women organised by the local council to help stay-at-home mothers return to the workforce. During one session, I told the facilitator that I probably had the least worth and the fewest skills of anyone in the room.

She looked genuinely shocked.

“Why would you say that?” she asked. “You are one of the most educated, intelligent, and capable women here. Just look at your achievements.”

But her words barely touched me.

Because lack of confidence is rarely about evidence. It is rarely cured by degrees, achievements, compliments, or even success. You can collect credentials your entire life and still feel like an imposter sitting quietly at the edge of the room.

For years, I kept wondering why I lacked this basic quality that so many people seemed to possess naturally. Why did others move through the world with certainty while I constantly questioned myself, second-guessed my decisions, and waited for someone to expose me as not good enough?

Why achievements don’t automatically create confidence

What puzzled me for years was this: if achievements were supposed to create confidence, why didn’t mine?

I had degrees, research papers, and years of study behind me. People around me saw intelligence and capability. But inside, I still felt like a woman pretending to belong in rooms she had somehow accidentally entered.

Every achievement gave me a brief sense of accomplishment, but never the deep self-belief I thought would magically arrive one day.

It took me decades to realise that confidence is not something people are born with. It is something they build through action, self-trust, and the willingness to keep showing up despite fear.

And sometimes, the people who appear the most confident are simply the ones who have learned to move forward while carrying their doubts with them.

I eventually realised that achievements and confidence are not the same thing.

One is about what you have done. The other is about what you believe about yourself.

If your inner story says, “You are not enough,” no certificate, promotion, or praise can fully silence it. You simply move the goalpost further away.

You tell yourself: maybe after the next qualification, the next success, the next recognition, then I will finally feel worthy. But the feeling never quite comes.

Many women, especially capable women, live inside this contradiction.

They build careers, raise families, survive hardships, solve problems, and carry enormous responsibility, yet quietly feel less than others.

They become experts at functioning while doubting themselves. From the outside, they appear accomplished. Inside, they are still waiting for permission to believe in their own value.

What do you think helped shape your confidence — or your lack of it?

Leave a comment

The difference between competence and self-belief

Competence and confidence are NOT the same thing.

I assumed that if I became skilled enough, educated enough, and accomplished enough, self-belief would naturally follow. But they are two very different things.

Competence lives in your capabilities. Self-belief lives in your relationship with yourself.

You can be highly competent and still doubt every decision you make. You can do excellent work and still feel like an imposter.

I know this because I lived it. I could write research papers, analyse complex scientific data, and solve difficult problems, yet still walk into a room feeling smaller than everyone else. My mind was constantly looking for evidence that I did not belong there. Competence made me capable. It did not automatically make me secure.

There is a beautiful verse in the Bhagawat Gita:

“Let a man lift himself by himself; let him not degrade himself.
For the self alone is the friend of the self, and the self alone is the enemy of the self.”

— Bhagawat Gita Chapter 6, Verse 5

This is remarkably modern psychological advice. The scripture is saying that the mind can either support us or destroy us, depending on how we train it.

Self-belief comes from something deeper than achievement. It comes from learning to trust your own voice, judgement, and presence in the world. It grows when you stop treating yourself like a suspect under constant investigation.

And perhaps that is why some people with fewer qualifications appear more confident than those with many accomplishments. They are not necessarily more capable. They simply believe they are allowed to take up space.

Writing as a confidence-building tool.

One habit more than anything else helped me build self-confidence was, journal writing.

I started writing every day about what I was thinking, feeling, and experiencing. At first, it was surprisingly difficult. I struggled to express myself clearly. I did not really know what I believed in, what my opinions were, or where I stood on many matters. Even when I sensed something deeply, I often lacked the right words and sentences to articulate it. My thoughts felt foggy and unfinished, as if my inner world had never properly introduced itself to me.

But writing has a strange way of revealing a person to themselves. The more I wrote, the clearer I became. Slowly, my expression improved. I started forming opinions instead of borrowing them from others.

I began noticing what mattered to me, what disturbed me, what inspired me, and what kind of life I actually wanted to live. My journal became more than a notebook. It became a mirror. Through writing, I developed a relationship with my own mind. And with that came something I had lacked for years: trust in my own voice.

Publishing my books took me to another level.

Years of journal writing eventually led to publishing books.

But I fully started believing in myself only after publishing my third book, Dare To Create. By then, something had shifted internally. I no longer wrote just to discover what I thought. I had started to internalise the lessons I was writing about.

The ideas were no longer borrowed inspiration or intellectual exercises. They had become lived truths. And perhaps that is where real confidence comes from, not from proving yourself to others, but from becoming deeply aligned with yourself.

One thing you can do to gain self-confidence.

There is one small practice I would suggest you do: write one page every day. Sit quietly with yourself and ask one honest question, whether about something you are thinking, feeling, experiencing, or something you have read, heard, or seen. Then stay with the question long enough to hear your own answer.

Writing in this way becomes a form of meditation. It helps you move beyond borrowed opinions and automatic reactions. Slowly, you begin to discover what you truly believe, what matters to you, and where you stand.

One of the beautiful things about turning inward is that you begin to discover your own svadharma — your unique path, nature, and work in the world. And perhaps that is where real confidence comes from: not from constantly comparing yourself to others, but from living in alignment with who you truly are.

This week, I’m hosting a free Author Circle Meet-Up session on Zoom for Substack writers and authors.

Most writers think they need more consistency, more content, or more followers. But often, the real problem is lack of clarity and positioning.

In this session, you’ll learn:

• The 5 hidden reasons many newsletters fail
• 3 ways you can become memorable in your niche
• 5 ways a book changes the way readers perceive you
• Why authority comes from clarity, not volume
• The 3 questions you must answer to make your writing lead somewhere meaningful

After the presentation, we’ll open the room for an honest conversation about your particular issues with self-doubt, visibility, writing, publishing, growth and building something meaningful through your work.

When: Friday, 22 May 2026
Time: 5:00 PM PST / 8:00 PM EST
Cost: Free

If you’re ready to think more strategically about your writing, newsletter, and book, register here. It’s free.

Author Meet Up

Would love to see you there 😊

As always, thanks for reading.

I have seen many people spend months thinking about a book idea. They believe the answer will come from thinking harder. It doesn’t. Clarity comes from constraint, not expansion.

Last month, I came across an exercise my mentor used to help people create digital products. It was a simple 10-minute exercise b…

Read more

Yesterday, I had a Live conversation with about caregiving, creativity, ageing, writing books, shiny object syndrome, and what happens when two women in their later years try to make sense of how they want to spend the time they have left.

And somewhere in the middle of that conversation, Donna shared a story I have not been able to stop thinking about.

Her mother, who was 96 and nearing the end of her life, suddenly sat up after barely speaking for almost a year and said:

“Donna, we have a book to write.”

Donna asked her what the title should be.

Her mother insisted, “You know.”

And then Donna blurted out:

“Getting old sucks. Caregiving and learning to let go sucks more.”

Her mother said:

“That’s it.”

Then she lay back down and barely spoke again for two weeks.

I stood there with my mouth open in astonishment. Because sometimes people near the end of life become startlingly clear. They stop pretending. They stop decorating reality. And they say the thing everyone else is too polite to say out loud.

Caregiving Is Invisible Work

Donna spent years caring for her mother full-time. Twenty-four hours a day during the last three and a half years of her mother’s life.

Now she is caring for her husband, the love of her life and long-time creative partner, whose mind is no longer as nimble as it once was.

And in the middle of that, she admitted something many caregivers quietly feel:

“I’m tired.”

Not sleepy tired.
Not lazy tired.
Caregiver tired.
The kind of tired where even resting makes you feel guilty.

The kind of tired where you sit in a recliner doing “nothing” while your nervous system is screaming for recovery.

She said she had been feeling guilty for not publishing consistently on Substack, not keeping up with her newsletter, not “doing enough.”

How many of us are carrying that same guilt?

Not because we are lazy.

But because we are human beings living through emotionally demanding seasons while still expecting ourselves to perform like productivity robots.

The Strange Comfort of Talking to AI

Donna then told me she had been testing a custom GPT she created called Relief on Demand.

Last week, during a particularly exhausting spell, she typed just two words into it:

“I’m tired.”

And the AI started responding like a thoughtful coach.

Not with toxic positivity. Not with motivational fluff. But with conversation.

That led us into one of the most interesting parts of the discussion.

Before AI, many of us were desperately searching for someone who could simply listen without judgement.

Someone who would not interrupt. Not diagnose. Not lecture. Not make the conversation about themselves. Just listen.

And now, suddenly, millions of people have access to something that can simulate compassionate listening at any hour of the day.

That fascinated me.

Not because AI replaces human connection. It doesn’t. But because many people are lonely in ways we rarely acknowledge publicly.

Especially older people.
Especially caregivers.
Especially introverts.

Our problem is the same “too many ideas”

Earlier Donna had messaged me listing all the books she wants to write.

A poker book.
A caregiving book.
A sequel to her mind-shifting book.
A book around her domain name: “70 The New Sexy.”

And I laughed because I recognised myself immediately.

We do not suffer from a lack of ideas.
We suffer from having too many ideas.
Too many passions.
Too many things we still want to do before we die.

What if each obsession is simply a different chapter of our life?

What if we stop trying to force ourselves into writing one giant, perfect, definitive book and instead write essays?

Perspectives.
Fragments.
Stories.
Truths.

That idea visibly relieved Donna. She remember an article she wrote last year where she toyed of the term ‘fifty-shades-of-Donna.’ She said it could be the title of her book.

And it could be.

Many writers in midlife are exhausted by the pressure to create one massive masterpiece when they can write a series of essays to capture a lifetime of interconnected insights.

“Finish Something”

Toward the end of the conversation, Donna shared her word for the year:

“Finish.”

Earlier, for many years, she was choosing ‘simplify’ as the theme of year. But this year she chose a different one because she had so many things going on and none getting completed that she had to tell herself, “Fucking finish something.”

I think many of us need that as a theme word. Because there comes a point in life where endless planning becomes avoidance disguised as productivity.

You realise your time is finite. And suddenly completion becomes sacred.

Not perfection.

Completion.

What Are We Doing With The Time We Have Left?

Toward the end of the Live, our conversation turned into something larger.

Have you figured out your own makeup yet?

Do you know what kind of person you are?

Do you know how you naturally create?

Do you know what actually gives you joy?

Or are you still trying to force yourself into systems, routines, and business models that drain the life out of you?

I admitted something during the conversation that I have been slowly realising about myself.

I love starting things.

I love finishing things.

But I struggle with long stretches of steady maintenance energy.

And instead of fighting that reality, I’m beginning to design my life around it. Because maybe wisdom in later life is not about becoming someone else. It is finally accepting who you already are.

Final Thought

At one point Donna said she had a vision years ago of giving her final speech at age 120 in front of 7,000 people.

I loved that.

Not because it is realistic.

But because it reflects something important.

She still has desire.

Curiosity.

Plans.

Joy.

And perhaps that is the real goal of ageing.

Not to stay young. But to stay interested in life.

To keep creating.

To keep connecting.

To keep writing the stories only you can write.

And maybe, just maybe, to finally stop apologising for the way your mind works.

If you’ve been thinking about writing a book but keep circling the idea without finishing it, maybe this is your sign.

As Donna said during our conversation:

“You have to join Neera’s course. Her process is fabulous.”

The truth is, most people don’t need another year of thinking about their book. They need structure, accountability, and someone to help them turn a messy idea into a finished manuscript.

That’s exactly what we do inside the 30-Day Book to Business Cohort.

You’ll write a short, strategic book designed to build your authority, clarify your message, and support the business you actually want to build.

And you won’t be doing it alone.

As always, thanks for reading.

I am sitting on my balcony on a perfect autumn morning.

The sun is pouring in. I have a steaming cup of chai in my hands and a laptop resting on my lap. For once, nothing is wrong. I have no deadlines breathing down my neck, no health worries lurking in the background, no family crisis waiting around the corner.

The street below is unusually calm. Birds are singing as if they have personally signed a contract with happiness. The grass across the road is glowing in the soft mid-morning light. Even the trees seem relaxed.

And yet, I am feeling inexplicably low.

Not dramatically low. Not “my life is falling apart” low. Just a quiet, heavy sadness sitting in my chest for no obvious reason.

Which makes it worse somehow.

Because when there is a reason, you can at least point to it.
There. That’s the problem.

But what do you do when your life looks perfectly fine from the outside and your mind still refuses to cooperate?

What is wrong with me?

Why can’t I enjoy this beautiful morning like a normal person?

I remembered seeing a few Substack Notes floating around recently, asking people what they do when they are feeling low.

And fucking hell, I am going through one of those moments right now, and I don’t have a clue what to do.

It’s not as if this is the first time I have felt this way. In my 64 years, I must have gone through at least sixty-four thousand moments like this. Quiet dips. Heavy afternoons. Strange sadness arriving uninvited for no apparent reason.

But for the life of me, I cannot remember what I did to get through them.

Perhaps nothing.

Perhaps they simply came and went like passing weather, which is why I can’t remember any grand solution or breakthrough moment. No inspirational montage. No life-changing revelation. Just time moving forward quietly while the feeling loosened its grip.

But today, I want to do something.

Almost on autopilot, I begin writing in my notebook.

About my feelings. About this strange heaviness sitting inside me for no good reason. I write about what I am hearing, sensing, noticing. The distant sound of traffic. The birds. The warmth of the chai cup between my palms. The annoying guilt of not being able to enjoy a perfectly beautiful morning.

One thought connects to another.

And suddenly I remember listening to a podcast by where she talked about speaking to dead people. She said she talks to her dead father all the time. Then one of her friends apparently told her, “Don’t stop at relatives. Go for the big shots.”

Like Steve Jobs.

That idea stayed with me.

So sitting there on my balcony, feeling low for absolutely no logical reason, I started wondering: if I could talk to anyone right now about this stupid little existential conundrum of mine, who would I summon?

And the first name that came to my mind was Nora Ephron.

I have always admired that woman’s wit. Wise and witty is a rare combination, but Nora had both in industrial quantities. And honestly, she left the planet too soon. Perhaps God needed someone to write clever material for the heavenly channel.

Ever since I read I Feel Bad About My Neck, I have thought of her as my favourite aunt. The kind you could call anytime you needed perspective, honesty, or a good laugh about the absurdity of being alive and aging at the same time.

So I summoned her.

Via ChatGPT.

And ChatGPT, like a woo-woo psychic medium, reported that Nora Ephron was leaning back in her chair, looking at me over her glasses, and saying:

“Being alive is exhausting sometimes. Even when nothing is wrong.”

“Tell me more about exhaustion, Nora,” I wrote back on my laptop. “These days I get exhausted without even doing much. I don’t have a job to go to anymore. Hardly any housework. Very little socialising. And yet I still feel tired sometimes.

“I am supposedly living my golden years. Aren’t I meant to be blissfully happy all the time?”

And Nora, without missing a beat, replied:

“You think happiness is supposed to arrive like a permanent houseguest once you’ve solved all your problems. But feelings don’t work that way. They drift in and out like weather. You can have sunshine outside and rain in your head.”

“That’s not helping,” I wrote.

Nora Ephron, like a spiritually overcommitted medium, continued:

“People spend decades believing:

If only I had time.
If only I were healthy.
If only I didn’t have financial stress.
If only I could finally write what I wanted.

And then one day they get all those things and discover something shocking:

Freedom can feel unsettling.

At 64, you are no longer running the old race at full speed. The noise quiets down. The obligations reduce. And underneath all that activity sits a very human question:

‘Now what?’”

“Now you’re talking,” I said. “That is exactly what’s bothering me.”

“I have done almost everything I had hoped to do in my retirement years. I have written and published books. I have helped other people write theirs. I have built an audience, subscribers, a body of work, a meaningful life around writing.”

Sure, there are still a few shiny goals floating around in the background. But honestly? I don’t even care about those things deeply enough anymore. Not in the way ambitious people are supposed to.

And that is what unsettles me.

If I no longer desperately want the things I thought would make me happy, then why am I sitting here on this ridiculously beautiful sunny morning feeling low?

And Nora sighed the kind of sigh only intelligent women over eighty are capable of. Half wisdom. Half exhaustion.

Then she said:

“Because accomplishment and meaning are not the same thing.
And nobody tells women that in time.”

She adjusted her imaginary glasses and continued:

“For years, your life had momentum built into it. Responsibilities. Deadlines. Problems to solve. Roles to play. You were climbing something, building something, becoming something.

And now?

You’ve arrived at a place most people never reach. You actually did many of the things you wanted to do. Which sounds wonderful until you realise ambition was secretly giving shape to your days.”

She was right.

For decades there was always a mountain in the distance. Raise children. Survive work. Pay bills. Write a book. Write more books. Build an audience. Help people. Grow something meaningful.

There was always a next thing pulling life forward.

Nora continued:

“You’re not depressed because your life is empty.
You’re unsettled because your old definitions of purpose no longer fit properly.
This is not a crisis. It’s a recalibration.”

“A recalibration sounds suspiciously like a polite word for existential crisis,” I wrote back.

“Of course it does,” Nora replied. “Everything sounds better when you rename it. That’s practically the foundation of adulthood.”

Then she softened a little.

“Also, sometimes you just need lunch. Or a walk in the shopping mall. Or a good haircut. Never underestimate the chemical power of scrambled eggs.”

I laughed out loud at that.

This is why I love Nora Ephron so much. Just when things threatened to become unbearably profound, she would sneak humour into the room like someone opening a window.

Then she became thoughtful again.

“Listen carefully.

Human beings are not designed to feel permanently happy. Happiness is not a final destination you unlock after enough suffering. It’s just one visitor among many.

Sometimes it arrives as curiosity.
Sometimes meaning arrives as excitement.
Sometimes it arrives disguised as restlessness.”

And then she said the thing that made me stop writing for a moment:

“Maybe this low feeling isn’t asking you what you still want to achieve.
Maybe it’s asking who you want to become now that you no longer need to prove yourself.”

I sat there for a long time after that conversation.

The chai had gone cold. The sun had shifted across the balcony. The birds had moved on with their productive little bird lives while I was apparently conducting spiritual therapy sessions with a dead writer.

And strangely enough, I felt lighter.

Not because Nora Ephron magically solved my existential crisis. She didn’t.

But because she reminded me that not every uncomfortable feeling needs to be treated like an emergency. Sometimes a low mood is not a sign that your life is broken. Sometimes it is simply your inner world rearranging the furniture.

And somewhere between her comments about purpose, scrambled eggs, and no longer needing to prove myself, she unknowingly gave me an idea for my next book.

A book about this strange season of life where many of us arrive after decades of striving. When the children are grown, the career is over, the obligations reduce, and suddenly we are left alone with ourselves asking:

Now what?

Not from despair.
But from freedom.

And perhaps that is the real work of the second half of life.

Not building more.
Not proving more.
But becoming more ourselves.

So if there is a book idea quietly sitting inside you, tapping you on the shoulder when life becomes still, perhaps it is time to listen.

Because books are rarely born in our busiest moments.

They often arrive on quiet autumn mornings when the sun is shining, the chai is warm, and we are asking questions we cannot answer any other way.

Every week I share practical and honest insights on writing, publishing, and building a meaningful life and business around your book. Plus, paid subscribers get access to workshops, skill sessions, and behind-the-scenes lessons from my own writing journey.

As always thanks for reading.

Some of what I’ll share may sound familiar. That’s intentional. Repetition works. You hear something often enough, and eventually, it sticks.

But before we get into the strategies, we need to address a fundamental misconception. Most people think the goal is to write a book and get it published.

It’s not.

The goal is to use the book.

A book is not valuable because a few people buy it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. A book is valuable because it opens doors—specifically, the right doors for you.

When you are an author, especially a best-selling author, you are seen differently. You are perceived as credible, established, and knowledgeable. People assume you know what you are talking about.

That is powerful.

And that is why the person with a book almost always has an advantage over the person without one.

The Mindset Shift Most Authors Miss

Many authors operate with the wrong mindset.

They think, “I hope a lot of people buy my book.”

Of course, that sounds good. But it’s not a strategy.

And more importantly, it’s not the goal.

It’s not about getting your book into as many hands as possible.

It’s about getting your book into the right hands.

If 10,000 random people buy your book, that might feel like a win.

But if it doesn’t lead to opportunities—clients, referrals, partnerships, speaking engagements—then it hasn’t actually moved your business forward.

Now consider this:

Most books sell about 200–250 copies in their lifetime.

But 200 copies in the right hands can be a game-changer.

Here are 10 smart ways to turn your book into real opportunities.

Each week, I give practical tips on writing an authority-building book and turning it into a business. If that is what you're looking for, here are two ways I can help you:

Through weekly guidance: Become a paid subscriber to Author Circle and learn how to write, publish, and turn your book into a business.

Subscribe now

Through deeper support: Join the One Book To $100K community and write your book in 30 days with my direct support and guidance every step of the way.

Join One Book To $100K Community

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Are you one of those who think your publication will grow if you could write more content?

More posts.
More Notes.
More clever headlines.

In yesterday’s Live with this is exactly what we talked about. The key to growth on Substack (or any other platform) is not more content but making connections.

Not more connections but deeper connections.

And making c…

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I did that yesterday.

I asked Perplexity AI a simple question:
“Please suggest three people on Substack who can help me write a book.”

The answer surprised me.

My name was at the top.
Even above Veronica Mein and Nicolas Cole.

I chose Perplexity for a reason.

It’s designed to dig deep, pull from sources, and back its answers with references. It’s not my everyday AI tool. I only use it when I want to research something properly.

Which means it’s not “biased” by my daily prompts or conversations.

And yet… there I was.

Then I asked Perplexity AI another question.

“Give me three people on LinkedIn who can help me write a book.”

My name wasn’t there.

So I asked again.
Another three names.
Then another three.

Still nowhere.

That’s when it got interesting.

For the past four months, I’ve been writing daily on LinkedIn about authority-building books.

So I asked Perplexity directly:
“Why is Neera Mahajan the top recommendation on Substack, but not on LinkedIn?”

Its response made complete sense.

It told me that the difference came down to how clearly I’m positioned on each platform.

On Substack, my profile, publication title, and content are tightly aligned with one idea: helping people write authority-building books.

On LinkedIn, I show up differently.
Founder. Book coach. Ghostwriter. Multiple identities competing for attention.

A few key reasons stood out:

• Search ranking varies by platform. Substack surfaced me because my content strongly matches the query.

• LinkedIn indexing is less consistent. Profiles can appear differently depending on wording and structure.

• Positioning is not identical. On Substack, I’m sharply defined. On LinkedIn, I’m broader.

The conclusion was simple.

I do exist on LinkedIn.
I’m just not the obvious answer.

And that’s the difference between being present… and being the go-to person.

I spent the next two hours aligning my LinkedIn with my Substack.

I changed my headline.
Created a new banner image.
Rewrote my About section.
Linked my landing page properly.

And then I sat back and looked at it.

Clear. Focused. Obvious.

Hopefully, in future, AI won’t ignore me on LinkedIn.

Here’s the lesson for you.

AI doesn’t recommend the most talented person. It recommends the most clearly positioned person.

If your message is scattered, AI gets confused. If AI gets confused, your audience never finds you.

Right now, when someone asks a tool like Perplexity AI or ChatGPT:

“Who should I follow?”
“Who can help me with this problem?”

You are either:

• The obvious answer

• Or you don’t exist

There is no middle ground.

Most people think they need to create more content. Post more. Show up more. Try harder. But that’s not the problem. The problem is signal.

What do you want to be known for?

Not five things.
Not three things.
One.

Because when your positioning is clear, your content aligns. Your profile reinforces it. And your book (if you have one) anchors it. And suddenly, everything starts pointing in the same direction.

That’s when AI starts recognising you. That’s when people start discovering you and the opportunities start coming to you.

This is exactly why I keep saying:

It forces you to answer:

Who are you helping?
What problem are you solving?
Why should anyone trust you?

Once those answers are clear, everything else becomes easier.

Your Substack.
Your LinkedIn.
Your content.
Your offers.

They stop feeling like separate efforts. They start working as a system. So before you try to grow faster, ask yourself a better question:

If someone asked AI about my niche today… would my name come up?

If the answer is no, don’t panic. Just fix your positioning. Everything else will follow.

More and more people are no longer typing their questions into Google.

They’re asking ChatGPT.
They’re asking Perplexity AI.
They’re asking AI: “Who should I trust?”

And AI is answering.

Not with ten blue links.
Not with pages of options.
But with names.

This is a fundamental shift.

Earlier, you had to rank on Google. Now, you have to be recommended by AI. And AI doesn’t recommend randomly.

It looks for clarity.
Consistency.
Reinforcement across platforms.

Which means this is no longer just about visibility. It’s about positioning in a way machines can understand and trust. If you don’t do that, AI won’t attack you. It will simply ignore you. And being ignored is far more dangerous.

So what can you do?

Here are five things that will make AI recognise you as the go-to person in your niche:

1. Own One Clear Problem

AI works on pattern matching.

If your content talks about five different things, you dilute the signal. Pick one problem you want to be known for.

Not “writing.”
Not “marketing.”

Something sharper.

For example:
Helping professionals write authority-building books.

When that idea repeats across your content, AI starts connecting you to that problem.

2. Use the Same Language Everywhere

AI doesn’t “infer” like humans do. It recognises repeated phrases.

If on one platform you say “book coach,” on another “writing mentor,” and on another “content strategist,” you confuse the system.

Choose your language and repeat it everywhere.

Your bio.
Your headline.
Your posts.
Your website.

Consistency builds recognition.

3. Create a Central Asset (Your Book)

Scattered content is hard to interpret. A book changes that. It becomes your single, structured source of truth.

It tells AI:

This person has depth.
This person has a framework.
This person is not just posting opinions.

Your book becomes the anchor everything else points to.

4. Build Interconnected Presence

AI pulls from multiple sources.

Your Substack.
Your LinkedIn.
Your website.
Your podcast.
Your YouTube channel.

These shouldn’t feel like separate identities. They should reinforce the same message. Link them to each other. Repeat your positioning across them.

So wherever AI looks, it finds the same story.

5. Be Referenced (Not Just Active)

AI trusts what others mention. Not just what you say about yourself.

This could be:

• Guest posts

• Podcast appearances

• Testimonials

• People recommending you

The more your name appears in context with your niche, the stronger your authority signal becomes.

This is the new game.

You need to not just “create content,” but create clarity that machines can recognise and repeat. Because in the near future, your growth won’t depend on how many people discover you.

It will depend on whether AI chooses to recommend you.

If you’ve been thinking about writing a book—not just as a creative project, but as something that makes you the obvious answer when someone asks AI about your niche—there are two ways I can help you.

Through weekly guidance:
Become a paid subscriber to Author Circle and learn how to write, publish, and position your book so it builds authority and attracts the right opportunities.

Become a paid subscriber

Through deeper support:
Join Write Your Book in 30 Days Program and write your book with my direct support so you don’t just exist online, you become the go-to person in your space.

Write Your Book in 30 Days Program

Because in 2026, it’s not just about being visible.
It’s about being recommended.

And one well-written, strategically positioned book can make that happen.

As always, thanks for reading.

The book became an instant bestseller when it was published in 2020. It now has 98,637 reviews on Amazon.

What surprised me is not the topic but the structure. In a book about money, you would expect charts, formulas, and financial jargon. Instead, it is built entirely on twenty simple stories.

Much of book’s success depends on how the author shared his insights—through stories.

In his own words:

“…financial success is not a hard science. It’s a soft skill, where how you behave is more important than what you know. I call this soft skill the psychology of money. The aim of this book is to use short stories to convince you that soft skills are more important than the technical side of money. I’ll do this in a way that will help everyone…[through stories]”

The book works not because of what it teaches, but how it teaches it.

Housel does not try to impress you with knowledge. He does not overwhelm you with data or theory. Instead, he uses stories to show how people behave with money, and through those stories, he makes you see yourself.

That is why the ideas stay.

Stories do what information alone never can.

Information tells you what to do. Stories show you why it matters. Information sits in your head. Stories move through your emotions and stay with you long after you have finished reading.

That is why you remember stories from books years later, but forget most of the advice.

If you’re writing a business book or a book about your expertise, you’ll naturally include a lot of content.

But remember this: You are not writing an academic textbook.

You are writing a book that must be compelling, engaging, and hard to put down.

Content teaches.
Context creates connection.
And context comes from the stories you tell.

Stories are what make people know you, like you, and trust you.

A reader does not want more information.

If you think you need to include everything you know in your book, you are mistaken. Readers don’t want to know how much you know. They also don’t want to know how intelligent you are.

They want just one thing.

Connection.

That connection is built through stories.

A reader wants to feel understood. They want to see their struggle reflected. They want to believe that change is possible. And nothing does that better than a well-told story.

That is what keeps them turning the page.

Every chapter in your book should carry a story.

It can be your story. A client’s story. A moment of failure. A small win. Even a borrowed story from history or everyday life. What matters is that it brings your idea to life.

Without that, your book becomes forgettable.

Here are five things to keep in mind when telling a story.

1. Tell the story to one person

Always imagine you are speaking to one individual, not a crowd.

Even if your audience is large, your book is read one person at a time.

Picture that reader clearly. If you have an ideal reader avatar, even better. Speak directly to them, as if you are sitting across from each other in a café, looking into each other’s eyes, oblivious to the noise and the crowd around you, simply talking and listening. Connect with them as you would connect with a friend you’re having coffee with.

That’s how your story becomes personal and powerful.

2. Connect emotionally

Your story must include emotion.

Pain.
Struggle.
Difficulty.
Tension.

For example, when I wrote my first book, I wrote the story of my boss telling me that my writing sucked.

It wasn’t easy to tell that story.
It required vulnerability.

But it worked because many readers could relate to that. They could see themselves in the story. And more importantly, they could see that I made it through.

That emotional bridge is what keeps readers engaged.

Now here is the part most people avoid.

They agree with all of this. They understand the power of stories. But when it comes to their own book, they get stuck. They don’t know which stories to include, how to structure them, or how to connect them to a clear message that actually builds their authority.

And that is exactly where most books fall apart.

This is where I can help you.

I have built my entire business on one idea. A strategically written book is not just something you publish. It is the foundation of your authority, your message, and your income.

If you want to write a book that actually does something for your business, here are two ways to work with me:

1. Become a paid subscriber to Author Circle
Get access to the 90-Day Book-to-Business Blueprint, live workshops, and behind-the-scenes strategies on how to turn your book into clients, opportunities, and income.

Subscribe now

2. Join the ‘30-Day Book To 100K’ cohort
Write your book in 30 days with structure, feedback, and direct support from me. May cohort is about to start. You will not just learn how to write a book. You will actually finish one and know how it connects to your business.

Join One Book To $100K Community

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