Year of Yays 2023!

a martini glass throwing silver glitter on a pink background

Photo by Amy Shamblen on Unsplash

Every year has been weird since 2020 and 2023 was no exception.

But it’s not all bad. This year, so many of my students got bylines, started newsletters, and did other incredible creative things.

So, it’s time to say yay! Yay to all the students that did lovely things this year and yay that getting your work out there is always possible (and always satisfying).

I asked my students from Freelance Writing for Creatives, Pitching Hour, and my newsletter courses to share their yays. And here they are!

There are so many, it was easiest to organize them by student last name. So peruse the list to find some great reads and tons of inspiration.

Cosmo and More Yays by Jillian A.

Jillian did so much this year. As she said:

  • “I became an S Corp!

  • I worked with a financial coach and opened a business checking account and credit card!

  • I invested in myself!

  • I hired a website designer and my new website is coming by the end of the year AND I LOVE IT!

  • I pitched and got published more!

  • I got published in print in Cosmo!

  • I started regularly publishing my newsletter again!

  • I made it through a very hard year for freelancers!”

CBC Story by Simone Abrahamsohn

Simone said “I pitched the CBC (kind of like a Canadian NPR!), a personal essay and got the assignment.” The article isn’t out yet, but Simone will start the new year with a new byline to share with everyone!

Many Bylines by Ellen Acconcia

Ellen had a wonderful year of writing! She penned:

6-Figure Year and Fun Bylines by Nafeesah Allen

Nafessah got a promotion at her job and is on track for another 6-figure year! If that weren’t enough, she also wrote:

Oh, and she also had a baby and moved through 5 countries! Holy moly! Nafessah is settled down now and just imagine how much she’ll do without moving around the world next year!

Multiple Stories from Lis Anna-Langston

Lis Anna-Langston has had a wide array of yays this year. Including:

1 Million Downloads, Washington Post, and Slate by Andrea Askowitz

Andrea’s wonderful podcast Writing Class Radio reached 1 million downloads this year. 1 million!!!

She also wrote the hit article for Slate, You Should Try Making an Anti-Gratitude List. Really and My Valentine’s Day experiment: I didn’t talk about myself for 24 hours for Washington Post.

Practically a Book’s Worth of Bylines by Juliane Bergmann

This whole blog could have been just bylines by Juliane. She wrote:

And she appeared on:

VIRGIN BEAUTY BITCH VBB 259: Juliane Bergmann — Parenting And The Illusion of Control!

VIRGIN BEAUTY BITCH VBB 245 Juliane Bergmann: Who Are You When You’re Not Trying To Impress Others?

Huffington Post & A Career Change by Christina Birdsall

Christina Birdsall had 2 essays in Huffington Post, I Had to Poop in Front of My Husband to Finally Realize I Wanted to Marry Him and All I Want for Mother’s Day is to Be Left the F**k Alone.

Christina also said “I changed career paths and started copywriting and ghostwriting a memoir. It all started with taking Amber's class.”

The Story Letter & A Memoir by Micaela Blei

Micaela Blei said “2023 was the year I FINALLY started my storytelling-and-self-care newsletter, The Story Letter, and I went from zero to over 300 subscribers in just a few months (with Amber's expert help!).”

Also, Micaela’s memoir was picked up to be published as an Audible exclusive. It’ll be out in early 2024!

Interviews & Articles by Sophie Brookover

Sophie got to do more interviews this year, including Paulina Alexis, one of the stars of Reservation Dogs (which was especially fun). Plus, she really increased her body of work:

Your Best Friend’s Wedding with Molly Cahen

Molly started a new business this year. As she said “Following Amber’s example, her recommendation for the awesome book Artrepreneur, and her constant encouragement to shrug off fears of failure, I was inspired to develop a business that uses my writing skills in a creative way!

Your Best Friend’s Wedding with Molly Cahen is all about tailored, one-on-one support for people who are officiating weddings for friends and family. I help with planning, writing and logistics to make the whole process less stressful.”

Insider Debut by Natasha Chiam

Natasha had her first piece out at Insider: I had terrible credit and was about to declare bankruptcy, but my husband married me anyway. She has another Insider piece on the way and an article for Next Avenue coming out in Jan/Feb 2024.

Natasha added:

“Doing both the Pitching Hour and the Freelance Writing for Creatives course has boosted my confidence as a writer (and a professional ‘pitcher’) so much and I can't thank you - Amber, AND all the other amazing writers in the Zooms enough! MUCH GRATITUDE TO ALL OF YOU!” So a bonus yay to everyone in the Pitching Hour!

Shades of Blue by Michael Cirigliano II

Michael Cirigliano II started an incredible newsletter Shades of Blue. As Michael said it’s “a place to cultivate calm, connection, and healing through classical music's most melancholy moments — in June, and have consistently published twice a month to a lovely audience of 120+ readers.” The newsletter is incredibly well written and lovely even if Bach isn’t usually on your playlist.

Huffington Post and a New Book by Angie Colee

Angie wrote an essay for Huffington Post called My Partner Secretly Bought A House, Then Said He Didn't Love Me. My Next Step Was A Surprise which did exceedingly well! It was featured in the HuffPost newsletter and ads and the editor is thrilled to work with Angie again. Plus, Angie came out with the fabulous book Permission to Kick Ass! If you want to get into copywriting or creative entrepreneurship, this is the book to read.

Divinely Nourishing Blog & Newsletter by Deborah Cort

As Deborah says, “My yays are my Divinely Nourishing blog posts that I've written almost weekly this entire year. I create the posts from my newsletter which gets sent out each week, thanks to inspiration from the newsletter class I took with you at the end of last year! I had always done the newsletter on a monthly basis and after taking your class I decided to do it once a week and it worked!”

Sign up for the free Divinely Nourishing Newsletter here!

I First Walked the Camino de Santiago at Age 73. What Could Go Wrong the Second Time? by Isobel Cunningham

After taking one of my free workshops, Isobel pitched this story to CBC and sold it for $422! It’s an incredible read.

You Are One and Many Newsletter (and Memoir) by Anna Dao

Anna Dao started her newsletter You Are One and Many this year! It’s growing steadily and will be a wonderful platform for her next yay - her memoir! Finding Lalla’s Anna found a publisher and will be out in 2024.

125 Pages and A Year of Substack by Roxanne Darling

Roxanne has accomplished many incredible things this year. She said:

  • Wrote over 125 pp of my memoir; still in process

  • Launched a Substack and just completed one year of weekly posts: https://roxannedarling.substack.com/

  • I've met so many amazing writers!

Yay for Roxanne (I bet next years yay will be a finished memoir manuscript)!

Books, Newsletters, and Lots of Words by Jennifer Della'Zanna

Jennifer has had a huge year! She said:

  1. My first book was published this year; co-written with drummer Rich Redmond, Making it in Country Music: An Insider's Look at the Industry debuted in May.

  2. I have not missed a single publication date since I started my newsletter in July --and the one this week was DIFFICULT!

  3. I had a short story accepted as a bonus story for people who buy this gorgeous hardcover version of this book.

  4. I wrote 18k words of my next novel during NaNoWriMo--not the 50k I was aiming for, but I figured out important things about the story that make me sure I will continue to work on it this year. That means I can have more yays next year! :)

Co-Author Extraordinaire by Thekla Fagerlie-Madsen

Thekla helped multiple authors bring their books to life. Including:

First Paid Article by Paullette Gaudet

Paulette wrote a fantastic piece for Paste Magazine, HBO’s Underrated Treme Is the Perfect Binge to Sate Your Appetite for More The Bear. If you’re looking for a new-to-you show, check out this article for Treme tips.

Keynotes, Coaching Success, and Lots of Bylines by Patricia Gestoso

I’m gonna let Patricia give her yays:

“As a certified worklife coach, I helped more than 50 women and people from underrepresented groups to progress in their careers! This year I delivered 6 keynotes and was invited to 2 podcasts on the topics of how coaching can help you extricate patriarchy out of your brain and the impact of AI on our society and worklife.”

Plus, all these bylines:

Texas Observer & Boosted Posts by Wendi Gordon

Wendi Gordon made over $1K for her Texas Observer story, ‘He Gets Us’ Ad Sponsors Don’t Believe in the Jesus They’re Selling. And two of her Medium articles were boosted, which means highly selective editors had to approve and show her stories to much bigger audiences.

3 Fantastic Bylines by Coley Gray

Coley wrote many wonderful film articles:

Screenplay Success at the Austin Film Festival by Audrey Dundee Hannah

Audrey’s screenplay "Unmasking" placed in the top 20% of scripts in the Austin Film Festival! She got a chance to go to Austin, enjoy many incredible workshops, hang out with other top screenwriters, and met top pick for Queen of 2023, writer/director Celine Song!

Los Angeles Magazine Story by Hilary Hattenbach

Hilary wrote the incredible Out With the Old! A Red Carpet Fiasco Starring Barbra Streisand (and the Guy Who Played Larry David’s Dad) for Los Angeles Magazine. It has Hollywood gossip and mild disaster, what else could you want?

Mutha Magazine & Writing Class Radio by Danielle Huggins

Danielle had two fantastic stories this year. “How Music Inspires Storytelling” for Writing Class Radio and “Oh Where Oh Where Can My Baby Be” for Mutha Magazine.

Insider and Copywriting Column by Jonna Jerome

Jonna wrote a beautiful piece for Insider, My husband forgot our anniversary again, and I love him for it. This one’s a must read for any couple that’s been in a relationship for a while. Plus, she’s written an ongoing column for Digital Copywriter for nearly a year!

Conde Nast Traveler, New York Magazine, & Insider Bylines by Sophie Katzman

Sophie’s had an amazing year! She wrote:

The Strategist, Chicken Soup for the Soul, & More for Andria Kennedy

So many bylines for Andria this year! Goo-Gone for Skin came out in the Strategist and you must read it if you have to use medical tape (or body mic tape) in your regular life. Her essay"Fetching Catnip Mice" was published in Chicken Soup for the Soul. Two short stories were published in anthologies: one dark fantasy "Sea Foam and Fire" in Song of the Siren and one sci-fi "Pains of Glass" in Existential Hologram. And anothe essay is coming out in the Isn't She Great anthology in January.

So Many Bylines by Saba Khonsari

This year, Saba wrote for:

And she created the Burning Mom Monthly Newsletter!

Consistency & Comics by Lauren Klein

Lauren Klein sent her newsletter, Fruit Stains Weekly, every single week of the year! She also had her first comic published, did her first interview, and “I've achieved things I have wanted since I was a kid this year:).”

New Yorker, McSweeney’s, and Some Mom Rage by Julie Kling

Julie’s had a wonderful year, “I have enough clips now to have made a website. I was selected for/attended the St. Nell's Humor Writing Residency.” Also, she started Mom Rage(r), a newsletter to turn your mom rage into raging fun! Plus, all these bylines:

New York Times, Full Draft, and a Growing Newsletter by Courtney Kocak

“Some big yays from 2023 include my first New York Times byline, finishing a full draft of my memoir, and growing Podcast Bestie, my newsletter and podcast on Substack, to (almost) 4K subscribers and 70K downloads.” Be sure to read Restless in Minnesota, Courtney’s wonderful piece for the New York Times.

4 Stories and More Confidence by Marci Vaughn Kolt

Marci said “I started 2023 with just the dream to begin freelance travel writing along with total panic and confusion about how to even write a pitch letter without feeling like a total a-hole, and I'm ending the year with 4 bylines and the confidence to pitch Nat Geo (my dream byline!). My yays:

Craft Writing by Sara Kaye Larson

Sara Kaye not only adjusted to a new full-time job this year, she also wrote some delightful pieces for eHow. If you like crafts, you must read:

Bylines Aren’t the Only Yays by Tamara Lee

Tamara said:

I’ll be honest, the thought of listing my yays was kind of depressing me, since it’s felt like yet another year of close(r) but no cigar(s). But I’ve decided to dig deep and submit something, even if they're not links to published yays, because I’m sure there are others who also feel this way, and maybe get hard on themselves for not achieving the heights others in the group have.

So in the spirit of the self-yay, I have listed 10 things I can feel good about for 2023:

  1. I wrote more this year than I have in a very long time: I made good headway on my novel; wrote a bunch of long- and short-form essays, and some promising short stories

  2. I feel more comfortable with my writing voice, and have a better understanding of the things I want to write (about)

  3. I’ve had editorial interest, if not any actual publications

  4. I’ve submitted more (non-fiction, pitches, and fiction) than I ever have

  5. I have learned loads (more) about craft (and pitching! :D)

  6. I’ve started to explore/brave different kinds of writing, & interviewing others, which will help my confidence going forward

  7. I set a bunch of writing goals throughout the year and met most of them

  8. I’ve maintained a fairly consistent writing habit/routine

  9. I interacted/kept in touch with a huge array of writers and writing mentors, and am developing a stronger network to tap into

  10. I end this year more hopeful about my career than I’ve felt in a while.

Tamara is 100% right. Some years come with all kinds of praise, money, and attention. Some years come with a feeling of “hello. Is anybody there?” Even when the years don’t look braggable, there’s so much you’ve done. I recommend taking Tamara’s approach and finding a few self-yays for the year.

Instant Bylines and Books by Angela Treat Lyon

Angela has her share of yays. She said:

“1. Got two stories accepted in Small Craft Advisor Magazine, a publication for small boat enthusiasts and builders - only 2 weeks into Amber's writing/pitching course. I pitched one story, they accepted it, published it ... and asked me for more! And, they want more whenever I'm ready with one! Knock me over with a feather.

2. Sales of my book series, INSIDE SECRETS, Stories I've Never Told Anyone, Volumes I through VII - have increased since my 2 stories were published in the magazine.”

Debut Novel by Mel Maure

Mel’s debut novel Sisters of Belfast comes out Feb 27 2024! It already has great reviews on Good Reads and American Library Association Booklist Publication. There’s no pre-order link yet, but keep an eye out for Sisters of Belfast at the end of February.

Bylines Despite a Job Change by Sumitra Mattai

“I changed jobs this year, which was very stressful, but I'm proud of myself for continuing to write” said Sumitra. And she wrote some lovely stuff:

A Substack with 120 Audience by Clara Mei

Clara started her newsletter Time in Moments in February. Since then, she’s written over 30 posts and has a loyal audience of 120. Plus, she has a book proposal in the works!

Liz Explores Newsletter by Liz Medford

Liz Medford said “I started the year with Amber's newsletter workshop. I had never heard of Substack, and I had no idea how it worked. But I knew I wanted to write. Now I have more than 300 subscribers who read my stories on Liz Explores! I write about infertility, mental health, and adventure at www.lizexplores.com.”

Substack Launch & So Many Bylines by Gia Mora

Gia launched her Substack Animal Matters: Uplifting Stories About Life on a Warming Planet and it’s going strong. Plus, she got so many bylines! She wrote:

Translation, Bylines, and New Words by Laura Nagle

Laura is a professional translator and did some especially beautiful work on the novel Songs for the Gusle. In addition to translating an entire novel, she wrote a piece for the Leon Literary review, and started a Substack! New Words talks about translation and language in an every day context that all writers can use.

New Substack, 5 years of Podcasting, and Doctor Who Special Guests with Nancy Norbeck

Nancy celebrates the 5th anniversary of her podcast Follow Your Curiosity. She’s really living by that motto. Though her podcast isn’t about Doctor Who, she “interviewed a bunch of Doctor Who people, including two Doctors, on the show, and interviewed guests on stage for the past two years at the Long Island Doctor Who Convention! Never saw THAT coming!” Plus, she started a The Spark, a Substack about creativity, Doctor Who, and whatever else she likes!

Huffington Post & Ed Tech Genius by Dr. Melanie Obitz-Bukartek

Melanie’s had a wonderful year with her story We Moved To An Island For 6 Weeks On A Teacher’s Salary. It Forever Changed The Way We Make Decisions for Huffington Post. Even better, she created an app to help people write college essays and fully funded it on Kickstarter!

History Quill & A History Newsletter by K.K. O'Brien

K.K. pitched and published a wonderful piece for History Quill called In Tune With the Past: Using Music to Set the Tone for Your Historical Fiction. And, she started a Substack called Between the Margins: An evolving project relating to the intersection of history and contemporary culture. The newsletter is free and a great way to take a new look at history.

Bylines Galore by Laura Onstot

Laura was in Well and Good, Huffington Post, Scary Mommy, and Good Housekeeping with Let’s Be Real: When I Celebrate My Kid’s Birthday, I’m Really Celebrating Myself. “I doubled my writing income this year!”

1st Byline in the Works by Laura Petiford

Laura had her first pitch accepted! The story will be out soon (and probably at least a few more in the new year). Laura said:

“Amber knew where my piece might land and was was spot on. Taking her pitching class was the best money I spent in 2023!”

Taylor Swift Story in Huffington Post by Jenny Powers

Jenny had tons of incredible bylines this year and it was so fun to see this Taylor Swift story come to life during her time in Freelance Writing for Creatives. If you want to find out how Taylor Swift fans turned tailgate parties into a full-time business, this is a must read.

Glorious Meditates (an peace of mind visual journey) by Dada Ra

Dada wrote a beautiful book about meditation and it’s available in all formats. If you’d like a little more mindfulness in your life, check out Glorious Meditates.

Piece for The Locavore Guide by Julia Rittenberg

Julia wrote all about the Yardsale Cafe for the Locavore Guide! It’s a great interview with the owner about opening a business during the pandemic. Fun fact: This restaurant is 2 blocks from where I used to live in Brooklyn. That’s probably meaningless to you, but was a fun surprise for me!

Bramble & Bray by Wren Roberts

Despite a busy schedule as a full-time teacher, Wren’s newsletter Bramble & Bray has been going strong! It’s a weekly look into folk horror films and literature and it’s not just for spooky season! If you have any horror fans in your life, please forward them this link to sign up.

Lots of Bylines by Courtenay Rudzinski

So many yays! Courtenay wrote:

Freelance Hub Newsletter by Jem Sandhu

Jem started a Substack this year! Freelance Hub features non-pitch jobs from brand name companies (and always remote). There’s a free and paid tier, so check it out if you’re looking for job. Plus, Jem wrote a chapter in an upcoming anthology of writings about VC Andrews' gothic horror saga 'Flowers in the Attic'.

PR in a Marathon by Ari Scott

Ari does many things brilliantly, including writing and photography. But we don’t live in a world of only writing yays. Ari got a PR in a marathon this year! As a person who falls over with cramps at the idea of a marathon, this is incredibly impressive.

First Paid Byline by Alana Sheeren

“I got my first paid byline on my fourth pitch thanks to your pitching class! I wrote an article on balance for NextAvenue.org - to be published January 2024.” This will be the first of many bylines for Alana, so yay indeed!

Community Campfire Series—Free Writing Workshops with Ignite Your Write by Claire Sheridan

Claire Sheridan is celebrating a year of her Ignite Community. And she’s celebrating with multiple free workshops.

December 30th—THE FUTURE. Join her for one or all of the complimentary writing sessions; we’ll spend 90-minutes of guided reflection on your writing process. Cozy up in the warmth of community, embrace old friends and new acquaintances. These are LIVE events, with no recording, so please come prepared to write and be in community. Register at: www.igniteyourwrite.com

Stylist & Smart Mouth by Louise Slyth

Louise wrote Thinking of Freelancing? Ask Yourself These 10 Questions Before You Take the Plunge for Stylist. And she illuminated the Irish fast food Spice Bag for Smart Mouth.

Insider & Vocabulary School by Andrea Squiccimara

Andrea published an essay for Business Insider about living with her twin sister and, as Andrea said, “was given the opportunity to post the hottest picture of myself from her friend's wedding for the internet to see.”

Vocabulary School, her weekly newsletter about words she looks up while reading and how to use them, is approaching its first birthday! “Hopefully my newsletter about vocabulary building finds Travis Kelce or anyone else who wishes to expand their vocabulary.” Even if you’re not Travis Kelce, you can see how Andrea make vocab fascinating when you sign up here.

TODAY and a Newsletter by Jay Summer

Jay wrote a lovely essay, I changed my name for fun, but it made people suspicious of me for TODAY. And she’s regularly updated her newsletter for 30 weeks! You can read Reflections of Jay Vera Summer on Substack.

Transitions & Bylines by Alexis Tai

“It’s been a huge year of transitions, including moving and taking mommy/baby classes finally. Despite the busyness, it makes me happy to get to share something creative with the world.” Alexis has shared lots of work, including:

40% Newsletter Growth for Amy Tector

Amy’s newsletter Meli-Melo grew by 40% this year! Plus, she put together a holiday advent calendar romance story (that you can catch up on if you sign up for her free newsletter!). And, the last book in her Dominion Archives Mystery Trilogy is available for pre-order!

Insider, Co-Writing, and Card Decks by Priscilla Thomas

From my class, Priscilla placed 2 articles with Insider. I bought an air fryer after years of thinking they're overrated. I was right, but it's good for one thing is out now and the next story will come out in early 2024.

Without any of my help, Priscilla created 52 Seeds: A Year of Writing Growth, a card deck of writing inspiration. And she hosts regular co-writing sessions so you don’t have to feel like you’re typing away all by yourself.

Lit Shark Magazine by McKenzie Lynn Tozan

McKenzie started her own literary magazine called Lit Shark ! As she puts it:

“Lit Shark is quickly becoming its own little literary community, with one side being creativity and a supportive writing community, and the other side being focused on growing a community of people who want to serve in conservation efforts, restoration, and revitalization, primarily of sea life and coral reefs. We're also very interested in destigmatizing the image of sharks---which are actually apex predators, not agentic villains, like the entertainment industry would like us to believe!

We published 3 issues so far and has 1 more coming out early in December, and there's also going to be a "Best Of" Anthology of our favorite works from the year, coming out either late 2023 or very early 2024. Our second issue even featured a forward by Emmy-award winning Paul Gasek, who was Shark Week's Editorial Producer for years 2016-2018!

We've published dozens of book reviews and author interviews on Lit Shark's site and have interviewed some bigger names in the community, including Tim O'Brien and Sophie Diener. We've also had articles on the site about creativity and craft, conservation, and sustainability---including a 'Blackfish' and Sea World piece by a fellow Pitching Hour writer, Ellen Acconcia!”

3 Bylines and a Newsletter by Callie Turner

“I started pitching in May, shortly after working with Amber Petty and have had three bylines so far! I never imagined that it could happen in such a short period of time and am thrilled to have found Amber's classes. I also launched my newsletter thanks to Amber's newsletter programs! And the Pitching Hour is a phenomenal resource - one not to be missed!”

You can see Callie’s work in:

A Beautifully Heartfelt Story for Huffington Post by Andrea van der Hoek

Andrea wrote a beautiful, touching essay and Huffington Post was smart enough to pick it up. After 31 Years, I Read My Mother’s Suicide Note For The First Time. 5 Words Changed Everything is a gorgeous story, unlike anything else.

Debut Satirical Book by Matt Visconage

Matt signed with a publisher for his debut solo satirical gift book The Day Job Survival Handbook! Coming 2024/25. There’ll be more info soon, so keep an eye out for this undoubtedly hilarious book.

New Newsletter & A Mountain of Bylines by Julia Williamson

Julia started a newsletter, built a new website, and wrote so many incredible bylines:

Writing Again and a Byline to Prove It by Katy Yocom

“I started writing again after a long drought!” said Katy. She wrote a wonderful guest post for Cynthia Newberry Martin’s writing blog. It’s a great reflection on “How We Spend Our Days.”

Mental Floss Demons by Kari Zander

Kari wrote the wonderful 13 Names for the Sleep Paralysis Demon from Around the World for Mental Floss. Plus, she’s got some exciting podcast news on the horizon, so keep an eye on Kari!

Bylines and Workshops by Nicole R. Zimmerman

Nicole’s been busy this year! She moved her newsletter to Substack, where you can enjoy Paper-Pencil-Pen: Resources for writers, including workshops, prompts, sub ops & other tidbits for free!

Nicole also filled 7 sessions of writing workshops and has a few openings for From Memory to Imagination starting January 2 & 3 (open to women and non-binary writers). And she’s offering Illuminations: Writing Toward Winter Solstice on Tuesdays in December

When she’s not putting together a newsletter or teaching, Nicole racks up bylines! She wrote:

Thank you for checking out all these delightful yays! If you’d like a yay of your own, get my free guide to 250+ Places That Pay For Your Writing.

Amber Petty4 Comments