June Recap: Community, Substack To Book and Building Something Bigger

When I look back on June, the word that comes to mind is community.

For years, writing was something I mostly did alone. I would publish an article, send it out into the world, and hope it found the people who needed it. But this month reminded me that the most meaningful part of writing isn’t pressing “Publish.”

It’s the conversations that follow, the encouragement we give one another, and the transformation that happens when creators gather around a shared goal.

Throughout June, I had the privilege of watching writers turn old Substack posts into book chapters, celebrate book launches, exchange ideas during our Author Meet-Up, and support one another through the inevitable doubts that come with creating something worthwhile.

We also took a big step towards making Author Circle a richer experience by building a dedicated Vault for paid subscribers, a place where members can easily access workshops, recordings, and practical resources.

As I prepare for July and beyond, I’m more convinced than ever that the best communities aren’t built around follower counts. They’re built around people helping people create work they’re proud of. And that’s exactly what I hope we’re building together here.

We started the Substack to Book Project

One of the highlights of June was launching the first Substack to Book Project.

The idea behind the program was simple: most writers don’t need another book idea. They already have one. It’s hiding in the dozens, or even hundreds, of posts they’ve already published.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been identifying recurring themes, uncovering the central message behind each participant’s writing, and creating book outlines that bring years of scattered ideas into a single, coherent manuscript. It has been fascinating to watch people realise that they are much closer to becoming authors than they ever imagined.

Perhaps the biggest surprise has been how much clarity emerges once writers stop thinking in terms of individual posts and start thinking in terms of themes. What once looked like disconnected essays suddenly becomes a framework, an argument, or a journey that deserves to be preserved in book form.

Chris Craft is the prime example. She is transforming her Substack essays into a deeply personal memoir about grief, faith, and rebuilding life after she and her husband unexpectedly lost their jobs. By expanding stories she had previously held back, her manuscript has gained remarkable emotional depth.

Kathleen Kroner reopened a manuscript she started writing a while ago and is reshaping it into a book 100 Easy Ways to Empower Yourself that women can gift each other. The cohort helped her realise that instead of overwhelming readers with one huge book, her ideas could become a series of smaller, more focused books.

Geetika decided to experiment with writing her next book publicly on Substack. She'll document her journey of learning traditional Ayurvedic cooking, allowing readers to follow both the recipes and her personal discoveries one post at a time.

Rhonda Williams, Ph.D. has only recently begun writing on Substack. Instead of wondering what to write each week, she is steadily building a manuscript while simultaneously growing an audience around it.

Sophia Maria Khânum realised that writing a memoir was a big project for her at this stage so she is picking a shorter book, Phoenix Rising : Lessons from the Sign of Scorpio that she can put together in the next few months.

"This has been incredibly helpful because you're showing us the underlying architecture of a book. These are the building blocks, and this is how you build something strong. So much of what you're teaching feels like it should be obvious, but it wasn't obvious to me at all. I've never written a book before, and this has given me a completely different way of thinking about it." — Flora M Brown

The cohort has also reinforced something I’ve believed for a long time: writing a book isn’t primarily about producing 50,000 words. It’s about making sense of what you know, deciding what you want to be known for, and presenting your ideas in a way that can change someone’s life.

Seeing participants gain confidence week after week has been one of the most rewarding experiences of the month, and I can’t wait to see the books that emerge from this community.

Celebrating a Student’s Book Launch

Nothing makes me happier than seeing members of this community take action.

This month, Bernadette Broderick-NLAW celebrated the launch of her book Navigating Life After Work. Watching someone move from idea to published author is a reminder that books don't get written by waiting for inspiration. They get written through clear direction, accountability, and the simple discipline of putting your butt in the chair and doing the work.

Bernadette did all that. The result was not only published but on the bestseller charts in three categories.

It’s easy to assume that other people have more talent, more time, or more confidence. In reality, most authors face the same doubts: Is my idea good enough? Will anyone read it? Am I really qualified to write this? The difference is that they keep going despite those questions. Two more authors are on the brink of publishing their books.

Every book launch in our community is a victory for all of us. It shows what’s possible when you commit to the process and allow yourself to finish rather than endlessly perfect.

I hope this inspires those of you who are still sitting on an idea or an unfinished manuscript. Your book doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to exist. Once it’s out in the world, it can start opening doors, changing lives, and creating opportunities that simply aren’t possible while it remains a file on your computer.

Congratulations to our newest published author. I couldn’t be more proud, and I look forward to celebrating many more launches in the months ahead.

The articles I published this month

June was also a month of exploring one big idea from multiple angles: how to become known for something that matters.

Many of this month’s articles centred on positioning. I wrote about why so many talented writers remain invisible, despite publishing consistently, why good writing is not enough and why readers remember people with a distinct message rather than those who write about everything.

My most recent article on positioning has gone viral. At least viral by my standards. It has led to 221 Likes, 63 comments and 23 Restacks and resulted 47 free subscribers including paid subscribers.

Another recurring theme this month was the power of books. I argued that a strategically written book is one of the fastest ways to build authority, clarify your thinking, and create opportunities that extend far beyond book sales. Rather than seeing a book as a standalone project, I encouraged readers to think of it as the foundation upon which they can build their newsletter, business, speaking opportunities, and future products.

We also discussed practical ways to make the most of the content you’ve already created. Instead of chasing endless new ideas, I showed how existing Substack posts can be organised into chapters, frameworks, and eventually a manuscript that reflects years of accumulated wisdom.

Looking back, I realised all of these articles were connected by a common message: clarity creates authority. The clearer you are about your story, your expertise, and the problem you solve, the easier it becomes for readers to remember you, trust you, and recommend your work to others.

Introducing the Author Circle Vault

One of the projects I’ve been quietly working on behind the scenes this month was creating the Author Circle Vault for paid subscribers.

Over the past few years, I’ve produced workshops, templates, recordings, frameworks, and practical guides to help writers build their authority and publish books. The challenge wasn’t creating the content, it was making it easy to find.

The Vault brings everything together in one organised place. Instead of scrolling through months of posts looking for a particular workshop or resource, members can now quickly access the material they need, whether they’re outlining a book, growing their Substack, or thinking about how to turn their expertise into a business.

Here is a glimpse of what’s in the Author Valut

My hope is that the Vault becomes more than just a library of resources. I want it to be a working space where writers can return again and again as they move from idea to manuscript, from manuscript to publication, and from publication to building something bigger around their book.

This is just the beginning. I’ll continue adding new recordings, worksheets, and training materials over the coming months so that Author Circle becomes an increasingly valuable resource for everyone who wants to write with purpose and build lasting authority.

June Author Meet-Up: Learning Together

Another highlight of June was our monthly Author Circle Meet-Up.

These gatherings are quickly becoming one of my favourite parts of the community. They give us a chance to step away from our keyboards and have honest conversations about writing, publishing, growing on Substack, and the challenges that every creator faces behind the scenes.

This month, I shared three Substack growth strategies that I don’t hear many people talking about. But as always, the real value came from the people in the room. Members shared their own experiences, asked insightful questions, and generously supported one another. Every meet-up reminds me that while writing is often a solitary activity, becoming an author doesn’t have to be a lonely journey.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in June. Your ideas, encouragement, and willingness to share your experiences are helping shape Author Circle into the kind of community I always hoped it could become.

The Biggest Lesson I Learned This Month

If June taught me one thing, it’s this:

Most writers don’t have a writing problem. They have a positioning problem.

Time and again, I met people who had years of experience, dozens of published articles, and valuable insights to share. Yet they still felt invisible. They assumed the answer was to write more, post more often, or chase the latest growth tactic.

But as we worked together in the cohort, a different picture emerged.

The writers who made the fastest progress weren’t necessarily the most prolific. They were the ones who gained clarity about what they wanted to be known for. Once they identified a central idea and began organising their work around it, everything else became easier. Their newsletter had direction. Their book started to take shape. Their message became memorable.

I’ve also become increasingly convinced that a book is one of the best tools for creating that clarity. Writing a book forces you to decide what matters, what doesn’t, and how all your ideas fit together. In the process, you stop sounding like everyone else and start developing a voice and position that people can recognise.

That’s a lesson I’ll be carrying into the second half of the year—and one I’ll continue to explore with this community.

Creation of sister publication ‘My Life In 100 Objects’

As exciting as June has been, I’m equally excited about what’s coming next.

On Wednesday, I am doing two workshops in a day at the National Library of Australia on memoir writing. About 60 people are attending these workshops.

I realised one workshop is not enough to support the participants to write and publish their memoirs. So I created a sister publication to Author Circle called My Life In 100 Objects and dedicated to memoir and life-story writers.

Over the years, I’ve met countless people who want to preserve their memories, family history, or personal experiences but don’t know where to begin. This new publication will be a home for them, a place to find prompts, practical guidance, encouragement, and a community of people doing the same meaningful work.

The two publications will complement each other beautifully. Author Circle will continue to focus on helping writers, creators, and professionals build authority through books and Substack, while the new publication will help people capture the stories of their lives before they’re lost.

If you are interested in capturing the memories of your past you can subscribe to it here.

I’ll also continue expanding the Author Circle ecosystem with new resources, workshops, and support for writers who want to move beyond publishing individual posts and create something with lasting impact. Whether that’s turning a newsletter into a book, using a book to build a business, or simply finding greater clarity in your writing, my goal remains the same: to help you create work that matters.

Thank you for being part of this journey. Your comments, questions, encouragement, and willingness to share your own experiences are what make this community so special.

And before I finish, I’d love your input.

What Would You Like Me to Focus on in July?

Would you like to see more about writing books, growing on Substack, building authority, creating a business around your expertise, memoir writing, or something else entirely? Let me know in the comments, I genuinely use your feedback to shape what comes next.

One of the things I value most about Author Circle is that it isn’t a one-way conversation. Many of the workshops, articles, and resources I’ve created started as questions or suggestions from readers like you.

So I’d love your help planning July.

What would you like me to concentrate on?

Please leave a comment and let me know. The more specific you are about your challenges and goals, the better I can help you with practical, actionable ideas to meet your needs.

I can’t thank you enough for reading, participating, and being part of this growing community. I’m excited to see what we’ll create together in the months ahead.

That’s all from me today.

As always, thanks for reading.