London Writers' Salon #027: Hamish McKenzie — The Future of Newsletters, Writing About Elon Musk & How to Make It on Substack
In this episode we go behind the scenes with writer and Substack co-founder Hamish McKenzie (@hamishmckenzie) to explore his journey from journalism to working at Tesla, writing a book about Elon Musk, and his motivation for creating Substack, a newsletter platform that allows independent writers to publish directly to their audience and if they choose to, monetize their writing. We discuss what commonalities he sees with the more successful writers on the platform, why he's excited about new writers that will emerge in the coming years and his take on the future of publishing and newsletters.
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ABOUT HAMISH MCKENZIE
Hamish McKenzie is the co-founder of subscription publishing start-up Substack and author of Insane Mode: How Elon Musk’s Tesla Sparked an Electric Revolution to End the Age of Oil. In recent years, he has been the lead writer for Tesla, an advisor to Kik, a tech reporter, and a freelance journalist covering everything from the World Beard and Moustache Championships to the world’s most comprehensive face transplant. Hamish is a New Zealander who lives in San Francisco.
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RESOURCES:
Connect with Hamish:
Twitter:@hamishmckenzie
Website: Hamish's Substack
Other resources mentioned in the interview:
- Substack
- Podcasting with Substack
- Hamish’s Book: Insane Mode: How Elon Musk’s Tesla Sparked an Electric Revolution to End the Age of Oil
- Kurt Vonnegut quote: If this isn't nice I don't know what is
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
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