Woman Turns a Writing Newsletter Into a Rs 2.5 Crore-A-Year Business — But Still Calls It a Side Hustle

What began as a simple newsletter for freelance writers has grown into a business generating more than Rs 2.5 crore in annual gross recurring revenue. Yet its founder, freelance writer Amy Suto, still considers the venture a side hustle rather than her main career.

According to Business Insider, Suto, a 32-year-old freelance writer based in San Francisco, launched her Substack newsletter “Make Writing Your Job” in June 2023. The publication has since grown to more than 58,000 subscribers and expanded into a paid job board, writing resources and a community for writers.

The business now generates more than $263,000, or roughly Rs 2.53 crore, in annual gross recurring revenue, according to the report. That growth came without a major advertising budget and was built largely around consistent publishing, useful information and a clear understanding of the audience.

From Hollywood Writing to Freelance Work

Suto’s professional journey began in Hollywood, where she worked as a television writer before moving into freelance writing and ghostwriting.

As her freelance career developed, she noticed that other writers regularly asked her a similar question: how did she find paid writing opportunities?

That experience eventually became the foundation for her online business.

Suto had already written a book about building a six-figure freelance writing career, but the newsletter came from a more immediate problem she encountered in her own work.

While working from a café in Paris, she realised she had more potential writing assignments than she could personally accept. At the same time, clients were continuing to approach her with opportunities, while she was running out of writers to recommend.

Rather than allowing those opportunities to disappear, she began thinking about how to connect them with other freelancers.

That idea evolved into Make Writing Your Job.

A Newsletter Becomes a Job Marketplace

Suto launched the Substack in June 2023 as a place to share advice, resources and opportunities with writers.

The business took a major step forward in 2024 when she introduced a job board.

The first listings largely consisted of writing assignments that Suto herself could not take on. As interest grew, she and her husband, Kyle Cords, began actively searching the internet for additional writing opportunities and bringing them together for subscribers.

Over time, the publication developed beyond a traditional newsletter.

It added free resources, interviews with authors and a feature known as “The Guest Stack,” where creators share how they built their audiences and careers.

That broader mix helped turn the publication into a resource hub rather than simply another email containing job listings.

For subscribers, the value comes from several directions: discovering freelance opportunities, learning about the business of writing and hearing directly from people working in the creator and publishing industries.

Consistency Became a Growth Strategy

One of the strongest themes in Suto’s approach has been consistency.

She has reportedly published every week since launching the newsletter, creating a predictable publishing schedule for subscribers.

She also used social platforms including LinkedIn, Threads and Substack Notes to put the publication in front of potential readers.

The strategy did not require a significant advertising budget. According to Business Insider, Suto and Cords spent less than $100, or about Rs 9,600, on advertising.

Instead, they concentrated on producing useful content and distributing it through platforms where their potential audience was already active.

That approach reflects a broader creator-business model: build attention through free content first, then develop products and services around an audience that finds the content valuable.

The Job Board Became a Revenue Engine

The paid job board eventually became a key part of the business model.

Subscribers can choose from different membership options, including a standard plan priced at $19 a month, roughly Rs 1,800, and a founding membership priced at $550 a year, or about Rs 52,000.

The publication reached six figures in annualised revenue around the middle of 2025. Since then, its revenue has more than doubled, according to the report.

Today, the venture generates more than $263,000 in annual gross recurring revenue.

Importantly, gross recurring revenue should not be confused with profit. The figure indicates recurring business revenue and does not show how much money Suto and Cords personally take home after expenses, taxes and other costs.

Why Suto Did Not Put Everything Behind a Paywall

Suto’s experience also points to a strategy for creators trying to build businesses around their expertise.

Rather than immediately charging readers for everything, she has advocated giving people genuinely useful free content first.

The idea is straightforward: free information can establish trust and attract an audience, while premium products or memberships can later provide a way to monetise that relationship.

For a writing-focused publication, that could include practical career advice, freelance resources, industry insights or information that helps readers solve a specific problem.

Suto also emphasises the importance of choosing a subject that the creator genuinely cares about.

A newsletter requires a steady stream of ideas and regular publishing. In her case, writing about freelance opportunities was closely connected to a problem she had personally experienced.

That connection gave her a direct understanding of what her audience needed.

A Side Business That Is Not Her Main Income

Despite the scale of the Substack business, Suto has not abandoned her freelance writing career.

Her freelance memoir ghostwriting work remains her primary source of income, while Make Writing Your Job operates alongside it as an additional business.

That distinction is what makes the story particularly interesting. A project producing more than $263,000 in annual recurring revenue can still occupy the founder’s life as a secondary venture rather than a replacement for her main profession.

Suto has described the newsletter as an additional benefit of her career rather than a complete transition away from freelance work.

“Building our Substack has been an incredible bonus. It’s a side hustle, and my primary income still comes from freelance memoir ghostwriting.”

What Other Creators Can Learn From the Business

Suto’s journey illustrates how a relatively simple information product can evolve when it addresses a clearly defined problem.

She did not start by building a large media company. She started by sharing information with people working in the same field, then expanded when she identified a stronger business opportunity.

The newsletter grew from career advice into a job board, resource library and community, creating multiple reasons for readers to remain engaged.

For creators and professionals, the underlying lesson is less about newsletters alone and more about identifying a recurring problem within a specialised audience.

When useful free content attracts the right people consistently, it can create the foundation for memberships, products or other revenue streams.

In Suto’s case, a newsletter created to help writers find work became a six-figure recurring-revenue business—while its founder continued to earn her primary income from writing itself.