Died on Sub, Reborn on Substack | Elizabeth Richardson
September 8, 2026
Featured Guests:
Elizabeth Richardson
Elizabeth Richardson is a contemporary romance and pop fiction author whose work digs into fame, parasocial relationships, and how we consume celebrity. She's currently serializing her novel TRAD, about a single woman in NYC who pretends to be a trad wife online and blows up her life, on Substack, with new chapters every Tuesday and Friday. She holds a Master's in English from East Carolina University, writes for Duke University, and is represented by Morgan Strehlow at The Bindery Agency.
What happens when your book dies on submission? For author Elizabeth Richardson, the answer turned into one of the best decisions she's ever made. This week we dig into her viral serialization of Trad, the novel she serialized on Substack after it didn't sell, and how she built an audience of 800+ subscribers in a single summer.
We get into the highs and lows of querying and going on sub, why toxic positivity runs rampant in publishing, and how the "no rules anymore" era of indie publishing is opening doors that used to be firmly shut. Elizabeth also shares her surprisingly simple serialization strategy (hint: it started with fanfiction), why she treats every release like a debut, and the hustle behind getting yourself heard.
Whether you're querying, on sub, or just Substack-curious, this one's for you.
In This Episode
Why Elizabeth dragged her feet on Substack, then went all in
What it really feels like when a book dies on sub
Celebrating the wins without the toxic positivity
The fanfiction-inspired cadence that built her audience
Why not every book (or genre) is right for Substack
Serialization, tension, and the "Netflix binge" model for books
Treating your release like a debut, and pitching like you mean it
The Trad pitch: a woman named Hannah pretends to be a trad wife online, goes viral, and unravels her life one bad decision at a time.
Subscribe to Trad and catch up before the final chapter drops. Follow Elizabeth: https://substack.com/@elizabethrichardsonbooks
This episode is brought to you by: Andrew Loftesnes' book The Emperor's Cabin
Buy on amazon or wherever books are sold: https://a.co/d/0gXUhiSu
