So grateful to Caroline (caroline.ciaramitaro@vercel.com) and Rickey (rickey.mcgregor@vercel.com) for collaborating on this class with us! As you watch the replay, you’ll see how this tool feels like “magic” for quickly creating a beautiful website to showcase your creative work.

Caroline and Rickey asked me to share their contact info for any writers who missed the live class who might still have questions — and for you to share what you’ve built with V0!

Also, shoutout to writer and musician who was our featured writer for this demo — she just launched her new music Substack Songs to Save Your Day which features covers of great songs, and I highly recommend checking it out.

💸 $30 of Free v0 Credits Thanks to Vercel

Caroline and Rickey were also kind enough to give us $30 of Vercel v0 credits so you can build at v0.app.

The code is: v0-writers-workshop and in the demo Caroline shows how to claim the code.

Try v0

👩‍💻 Why v0 is a Great Tool for Writers and Creatives

If you’ve been writing for any amount of time, you know this tension: you need a clean, professional portfolio website — but building one feels slow, expensive, or overly technical. So your clips live in scattered links. Your site stays half-finished. Or you keep meaning to “redo it properly” someday.

We want to solve that, which is why we hosted this live ✍️ Make Writing Your Job class in collaboration with Vercel to show you how to create a beautiful writing portfolio using their v0 tool.

I’ve attended Vercel’s events here in San Francisco before and have been genuinely impressed by what they’re building — v0 is fast, modern, and built for creators who want more control over their websites without having to get buried in the technical side of things.

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So if you get frustrated by resizing endless little widgets on other website builders and want a writing website that feels like yours without the endless tinkering, this class is for you!

In this session, we walked through…

• How to generate a clean, modern writing portfolio site in minutes — including your homepage, clips page, and about section — without starting from a blank screen

• How to structure your portfolio so it actually helps readers, clients, and editors find your work

• How to quickly customize the design so it reflects your voice and brand — then refine and expand it as your writing career grows

The goal isn’t just to build a website. It’s to give you a writing portfolio that saves you time, elevates your positioning, and makes it easier for clients, editors, and readers to get excited about your work.

Can’t wait to see your websites — feel free to drop them in the comments section as you make them!

-Amy

Hi writers,

If you’ve been writing for any amount of time, you know this tension: you need a clean, professional portfolio website — but building one feels slow, expensive, or overly technical. So your clips live in scattered links. Your site stays half-finished. Or you keep meaning to “redo it properly” someday.

Subscribe now

We want to solve that.

We’re hosting a live ✍️ Make Writing Your Job class in collaboration with Vercel to show you how to create a beautiful writing portfolio using their v0 tool.

I’ve attended Vercel’s events here in San Francisco before and have been genuinely impressed by what they’re building — v0 is fast, modern, and built for creators who want more control over their websites without having to get buried in the technical side of things.

So if you get frustrated by resizing endless little widgets on other website builders and want a writing website that feels like yours without the endless tinkering, this class is for you!

In this session, we’ll walk through…

• How to generate a clean, modern writing portfolio site in minutes — including your homepage, clips page, and about section — without starting from a blank screen

• How to structure your portfolio so it actually helps readers, clients, and editors find your work

• How to quickly customize the design so it reflects your voice and brand — then refine and expand it as your writing career grows

The goal isn’t just to build a website. It’s to give you a writing portfolio that saves you time, elevates your positioning, and makes it easier for clients, editors, and readers to get excited about your work.

🗓 Date: Thursday, March 12th at 5:30pm PT / 8:30pm ET

📍 Where: Live on Zoom

🎁 We’ll also select one writer in advance to have their portfolio website built live during the class. If you’d like to volunteer as the featured example and get hands-on help building your writing website, please fill out this short form below the RSVP link!

Paid subscribers can RSVP below first. If spots remain, we’ll open registration to free subscribers afterward.

👇 RSVP below:

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It was great teaching this live class this Sunday morning!

☕️ It’s been so rainy here in San Francisco and it was nice to cozy up with some coffee and chat with you all about what to keep in mind going into 2026 if you are on your journey to make writing your job.

✍️ Here are some of the things I touched on in this 90-minute class:

• A sneak peek of our upcoming Rate Transparency Report, showing what writers are making, and whether or not their rates increased or decreased in 2025

• What freelance niches are popular going into 2026, with insights from our community and the clients who post on our job board

• How writers can use Substack, self-publishing, and freelancing to build a thriving career in 2026

🥳 Also! We just made our entire library of ClassStack classes free for all subscribers. 🎁 This is our New Year gift to you!

👇 Here are some of our top ClassStack classes that I also mentioned in today’s class:

If you’re interested in learning how to grow on Substack, check out my other publication 💡 Sutoscience and the 6 Week Sprint we currently have going on there.

💡 Sutoscience by Amy Suto

💡 The 6 Week Substack Sprint: Week 1: Architecture: How to Build the Foundation of a Successful Substack

💡 Week One: ARCHITECTURE: How to Build the Foundation of a Successful Substack…

Listen now

4 months ago · 6 likes · Amy Suto

During class I also referenced this post on how I made over $300,000 on Upwork that also includes the cover letter template I used on the platform:

Last chance to claim your pre-order benefits for my book WRITE FOR MONEY AND POWER!

📕 pre-order and get your gifts!

Questions? Requests? Was there a link I promised I forgot to include? Let me know in the comments :)

Happy New Year, writers!

-Amy

In this class, I cover things like…

• The common mistakes I see my Substack clients make that hurt their Substack growth

• How to pick a niche that you love — and that readers will pay for

• The 60-second (or less!) settings changes you can make to optimize your Substack and get more paid traffic from the algorithm

❗️ Want to Go Deeper? Our 6-Week Substack Sprint Starts Tuesday at 6pm PT/9pm ET

As I mentioned in the class, I’m running a 6-week Substack Growth workshop series for Founding Members of Sutoscience only.

Upgrade your subscription before Tuesday night at 6pm PT/9pm ET to get access to all elements of the 6-Week Substack Sprint:

Founding Membership at Sutoscience is $350/year, and for this cohort you’re getting:

• Access to the full 6-week live workshop series

• Copies of my books (including Write for Money and Power ahead of its release date)

• A 60-minute 1:1 Substack audit with me* — a $1,000 consulting value on its own (*only available for those who upgrade before Tuesday 12/9 at 6pm PT!)

💡 upgrade now to join the 6-week series

This is the “no more dabbling” bundle. If you’ve been circling around the idea of taking Substack seriously, this is me handing you the keys and saying: let’s go.

💡 Who This Workshop Series is For

This workshop is for you if:

• You have a Substack (or an idea for a Substack) but it’s not growing the way you want

• You want your newsletter to be a real revenue stream, not a cute side hobby

• You’re tired of guessing about “the algorithm,” wondering what to post, or posting once a month and hoping for a miracle

• You want systems and strategy from someone who built a six-figure newsletter and a seven-figure writing career on top of it

If 2026 is the year you want your newsletter to stop being “that thing you really should work on” and start being a serious part of your income engine, this is for you.

✍️ What We’ll Do Together for 6 Weeks

We’re starting in December and rolling into January — because “I’ll start in the new year” is how dreams die on the couch.

Each week is a live session with teaching, behind-the-scenes, and hot seats. You’ll also get replays and action-oriented homework you can actually finish.

💡 Upgrade to Founding Member to Join

Week 1 — ARCHITECTURE: Build the Substack That Actually Sells - 12/9 @ 6pm PT/9pm ET

We start at the foundation. By the end of Week 1 you will:

• Choose your model — essay-driven vs community-driven — based on your goals

• Clarify your niche so clearly that describing what you do takes one sentence

• Set your categories, pricing, and settings in a way that actually supports growth

• Rewrite your About page and welcome email so strangers know exactly why to stick around and eventually pay you

Think of Week 1 as the “renovation” episode. We gut the parts that don’t work and rebuild for scale.

Week 2 — CONTENT ENGINE: Write Posts That Build Obsessed Readers - 12/16 @ 6pm PT/9pm ET

This is where we take my 30 Proven Prompts and turn them into your content engine.

We’ll cover:

• The post formats that reliably perform — and when to use each

• How to blend story + strategy so people learn and care at the same time

• How to design 2–3 recurring series that become your signature

• How to publish consistently without burning out or hating your life

You’ll leave Week 2 with:

• At least 4 posts outlined

• One recurring “franchise” named and mapped out

• A pillar post drafted that you can publish during the workshop

Week 3 — GROWTH ENGINE: Get In Front Of The Right People - 1/6 @ 6pm PT/9pm ET

If Week 2 is content, Week 3 is circulation.

We’ll build your growth infrastructure:

• How to actually use Substack Notes as a growth engine, not an afterthought

• The screenshot + short-form play that lets you promote your posts without getting throttled on social

• A simple crossposting system for LinkedIn, X, Threads, TikTok that takes minutes, not hours

• How to start collaborating even if you’re “small” — interviews, Lives, swaps, guest features

By the end of Week 3 you’ll have a repeatable top-of-funnel system so you’re not just yelling into the void.

Week 4 — CONVERSION & MONETIZATION: Create Recurring Revenue with Your Words - 1/13 @ 6pm PT/9pm ET

Now we flip the switch from “free newsletter” to income engine.

In Week 4, we’ll cover:

• When and how to turn paid on — even if your audience is small

• How to structure your free vs paid content so your offer actually makes sense

• Where to place paywalls and how to write intros that convert

• Pricing strategy, monthly vs annual, and how to talk about money without feeling weird

• Seasonal promos and discounts done intentionally, not desperately

You’ll walk away with:

• A clear paid tier promise

• A drafted paid-only post

• A plan for your next 90 days of monetization experiments

If you’ve been scared to charge or unsure what to charge for, this is the week that fixes that.

Week 5 — COMMUNITY & RETENTION: Keep Your People Close - 1/20 @ 6pm PT/9pm ET

Growth is exciting, but retention is the business model.

Week 5 is all about:

• Building rituals readers can rely on — weekly series, office hours, Sunday resets

• Using Substack Chat in a way that builds community instead of chaos

• How to run Q&As, reader surveys, and live sessions that deepen loyalty

• Turning casual readers into ambassadors who share your work for you

You’ll design:

• A simple retention plan

• One new recurring community feature

• A feedback loop so your readers are literally co-creating this thing with you

Week 6 — SCALE: Your 12-Month Roadmap To A Real Substack Career - 1/27 @ 6pm PT/9pm ET

Now we zoom out.

I’ll walk you through a year-long operating plan inspired by the “How I’d turn a brand-new newsletter into $100,000” framework, so you’re not lost after the workshop ends.

We’ll cover:

• How to structure your next 12 months for consistent growth

• What to focus on by quarter — content, collaborations, launches, promos

• How to build boring, sustainable systems behind the scenes so your newsletter survives travel, illness, launches, and real life

• How your Substack plugs into the rest of your creative ecosystem — books, consulting, products, job boards, whatever you’re building

You’ll leave Week 6 with:

• A written roadmap for 2026

• Clear revenue goals, content goals, and collaboration goals

• A plan for how your newsletter supports your actual life, not just your to-do list

💡 upgrade to join the sprint now

🎁 What Founding Members of Sutoscience Get

This cohort is Founding Members of Sutoscience only. When you join as a Founding Member for $350/year, you get:

• ✅ Access to all 6 live workshop sessions + replays (as well as any future workshops)

• ✅ Digital copies of my books, including Write for Money and Power before its release date

• ✅ A 60-minute 1:1 Substack audit with me — my consulting sessions are valued at $1,000 and my time is limited only available to Founding Members who sign up before 12/9 at 6pm PT/9pm ET!

💡 upgrade to founding member now

If you’ve wanted my eyes on your Substack, this is the most affordable way that will exist for a while.

You’ll get:

• Deep feedback on your niche, positioning, and offer

• Actionable changes to your About page, welcome email, and pricing

• A personalized growth plan based on your goals and capacity

💻 Why You Should Join the Substack Sprint Now

Because waiting for “the right time” is how you end up in the same place next December.

Substack is only getting more competitive. The people who will win are not the ones with the most talent — they’re the ones with the best systems and the most stamina.

This workshop is my way of handing you the systems I’ve already tested in public across multiple newsletters and a seven-figure writing business.

If you know you want your Substack to be a serious part of your income and career next year, this is your invitation.

❓ Ready to join the 6-Week Substack Growth Workshop?

Founding Membership — $350/year — includes:

• Full access to the live workshop series + replays

• Book copies

• One 60-minute 1:1 Substack audit with me ($1,000 value) — only available to Founding Members who sign up before 12/9 at 6pm PT/9pm ET!

👉 Click here to become a Founding Member at Sutoscience and reserve your spot in the cohort:

💡 become a founding member now

See you in class!

-Amy

Whether you’re hoping to ghostwrite memoirs or shape up manuscripts as a developmental editor, this ClassStack panel will show you exactly how three working writers broke in to the book world — and how you can, too.

All three panelists are community members who got hired for high-paying book projects they found through our writing job board.

In this session, they’ll share how they:

• Landed their first jobs in the freelance book world

• How they manage their freelance book clients

• Tips and tricks for winning clients over

& more!

Other ClassStack classes you may like:

🎤 Meet Our Expert Panelists & Community Members

Rachel Warmath

Rachel Warmath is an author, ghostwriter, and writing coach who helps first-time authors find their voice and publish powerful books. She has over a decade of experience in memoir, poetry, and personal development writing and is a graduate of the Northwestern University creative writing program. Rachel is also the founder of Confident Authors and creator of the award-winning wellness blog, Alive in the Fire.

Ben Gran

I’m a freelance writer with 15+ years of experience ghostwriting for executives and thought leaders. My ghostwritten work has appeared in Fast Company, Forbes, Entrepreneur, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, and a wide range of industry publications. I also have bylines with Business Insider, Forbes Advisor, The Motley Fool, and more.

I’ve written for major corporations like ADP, Prudential, and regional banks like First Horizon and PNC. I also work with hybrid publishers like Amplify Publishing Group to ghostwrite books and marketing content for authors.

Over the years, I’ve been a ghostwriter, speechwriter, and executive communications writer for a wide range of organizations and leaders, from former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, to one of the founding members of conceptual heavy metal band Slipknot. I’ve written for venture-backed tech startups and helped C-level executives create industry thought leadership on topics ranging from AI-powered customer service to brain-computer interface (BCI) devices to flying cars.

Allison Lau

I began my career tracking monkeys through tropical forests as a PhD behavioral scientist before turning my focus to human stories. Today, I serve as a freelance developmental editor for memoirs and mission-driven nonfiction that make readers feel deeply and think differently. With 13 years of research experience studying animal behavior and social dynamics, I bring a rare blend of scientific precision, empathy, and narrative instinct to every project. I describe myself as someone who turns coffee into words. When I’m working (and when I’m not), you can find me at a moody cafe on the sidewalk of a foreign country.

Happy writing!

-Amy & The Make Writing Your Job Team

Disclaimer: This session and related materials are for educational purposes only and do not constitute legal or financial advice.

Thanks for joining the class today, everyone!

For those who didn’t join us live, here’s what the class is about:

As a freelancer, you have to “sell” clients on paying for your writing. But sales doesn’t have to feel… well… sales-y! In this class, I share how to master discovery calls as a freelance writer — the secret weapon that turns curious prospects into premium clients (often at 5–10x the posted rate).

If you’re a freelance writer, journalist, memoir ghostwriter, copywriter, or any other type of writer who charges for their work — my goal is to give you the skills to be able to raise your rates and work with better clients after taking this class.

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🎓 Here’s what was covered in the class:

• What a successful discovery call looks like — step by step.

• Sales that don’t suck — how to sell without really “selling.”

• Positioning yourself as the premium option — even if the client posted a lowball rate.

• The psychology of a “hell yes” — and how to get it without feeling pushy.

• Closing confidently — so the client leaves the call excited to pay your deposit and begin working with you.

🔗 Quick Links

👀 Download the presentation slides here.

📕 Get my book Six-Figure Freelance Writer for 99 cents to access my hourly rate calculator.

💻 Need help building your portfolio? Watch my class “How to Build a Portfolio That Attracts High-Paying Clients” here.

📖 Want to learn more about how to become a freelance memoir ghostwriter? Check out that class here: How to Build a Six-Figure Memoir Ghostwriting Career.

🏛️ Want to teach a ClassStack class? Fill out this form to be considered.

💡 Have a topic you want to see covered in a future class? Let me know in the comments!

See you in the next class!

-Amy

🎓 Here’s what was covered in the class:

• How to build a portfolio that lands paying clients (even if you’ve got nothing now)

• How to choose your niche — or invent one no one else can touch

• How to set up your freelance workflow so you can delete your alarm clock (unless you’re catching a flight)

• How to use AI to do the boring bits so you can focus on writing and creativity

• How to dodge the hustle-bro scams that keep writers broke and burnt out

In this class I refer back to our portfolio class, which you can watch here:

🔗 Quick Links

👀 Download the presentation slides here.

📕 Get my book Six-Figure Freelance Writer for 99 cents to access my hourly rate calculator.

💻 Need help building your portfolio? Watch my class “How to Build a Portfolio That Attracts High-Paying Clients” here.

📖 Want to learn more about how to become a freelance memoir ghostwriter? Check out that class here: How to Build a Six-Figure Memoir Ghostwriting Career.

📚 Want to be a beta reader for my new book? Sign up here.

🏛️ Want to teach a ClassStack class? Fill out this form to be considered.

💡 Have a topic you want to see covered in a future class? Reply to this email and let me know!

See you in the next class!

-Amy

Thanks for everyone who came out to this month’s ClassStack about building a luxury freelance ghostwriting career!

🎓 Here’s what was covered in the class:

• How to set rates that reflect your value (and attract serious clients)

• Where to find high-paying memoir ghostwriting work

• My signature workflow for managing complex life stories

• How to build long-term, high-trust client relationships

• What it actually looks like to run a sustainable ghostwriting business

Access the links I shared in the video (including the presentation slides) below the paywall:

🔗 Quick Links

👀 Download the presentation slides here.

🧮 Get my hourly rate calculator here.

💻 Need help building your portfolio? Watch my class “How to Build a Portfolio That Attracts High-Paying Clients” here.

📚 Want to be a beta reader for my new book? Sign up here.

🏛️ Want to teach a ClassStack class? Fill out this form to be considered.

💡 Have a topic you want to see covered in a future class? Reply to this email and let me know!

📃 Memoir Ghostwriting Proposal Template

Also, below is a rough proposal template to send to clients after your discovery call! Be sure to edit and customize to fit your voice and your unique process.

Hi [Client First Name],

Thank you so much for hopping on a call with me earlier — I really enjoyed learning more about your story and your vision for your memoir. It’s clear you’ve lived an extraordinary life, and it would be an honor to help bring your memories and message to the page.

As promised, here’s a quick overview of how I work and what you can expect moving forward.

✍️ My Process

Every project I take on is completely bespoke — I tailor the memoir-writing experience to fit your goals, schedule, and storytelling style. Here’s what working together typically looks like:

1. Discovery & Planning

[Insert your process here]

2. Drafting & Collaboration

[Insert your process here]

3. Revisions & Editing

[Insert your process here]

4. Publishing Support

[Insert your process here]

📚 Portfolio

You can find selected samples and case studies from past memoir projects here:

👉 [Insert your portfolio link here or attach as a PDF]

If you’d like more examples tailored to your genre or tone, I’m happy to provide them.

🚀 Next Steps

If you’re ready to move forward, here’s what comes next:

1. Proposal Acceptance: Just reply to this email and let me know you’d like to proceed.

2. Agreement & Deposit: I’ll send over a contract and invoice for the 50% deposit to reserve your spot on my calendar.

3. Kickoff: We’ll schedule our first official working session to dive into the details and begin outlining your story.

Let me know if you have any questions — or if you’d like to tweak the process to better suit your needs. I’m here to make this journey as smooth and inspiring as possible.

Thanks again,

–[Your Name]

…

See you in the next class!

-Amy

Our first ClassStack was a success, thanks to everyone who attended the first live class in the series!

🎓 Here’s what was covered in the class:

• What makes a great freelance writing portfolio (and what to leave out)

• How to present your work in a way that will make high-quality clients rush to work with you

• How to “sell” clients on your work (before they even hop on a call with you!) so they trust you and you get an immediate “yes” on your discovery calls with potential new clients

🔗 Quick Links

👀 Download the presentation slides here.

📚 Want to be a beta reader for the second edition of my book Six-Figure Freelance Writer? Sign up via this form.

🏛️ Want to teach a ClassStack class? Fill out this form to be considered.

💡 Have a topic you want to see covered in a future class? Reply to this email and let me know!

See you in the next class!

-Amy