No-BS survival lessons from a struggling middle-class creator
We are the real deal.
Hi, I am Tanmoy, a frequently struggling solo creator lucky enough to have put food on the table — and made a little bit of impact out in the world — by writing a newsletter as my primary gig for the past five years.
I lost my last formal job in the middle of Covid, had a profound ‘oh shit!’ moment because I'd never been involuntarily jobless before, and started writing a mental health newsletter right here on Substack in a desperate attempt to cobble together pennies. (I’ve since moved to my own website).
I’d worked on newsletters before for my employers. They had big production entourages — writers, editors, designers, social media marketers. Now, I was suddenly all of those things. Oh shit 2.0.
Those other newsletters also went out to tens of thousands of readers. They had big marketing budgets to buy Facebook ads and acquire new readers. I had a few hundred loyal readers who had followed me from my previous job, was worried about making rent, and in any case why would I ever give money to Facebook?
Then, as I was typing out the first edition, my father ended up in the ICU with a strange cardiac ailment. I took it as yet another omen. This wasn’t going to end well.
I realised I knew diddly squat about how this world works when out of nowhere, Sanity broke into the paid health newsletters leaderboard on Substack within 100 days of launch. It was the only non-western title on the list. One of the creators above me on that list had run for the governor of Michigan. (Bigger win: Baba came home safe.)
Five years ago, the newsletter world was a wilderness, especially in the Global South where I live. Despite my newsletter’s name, it was an insane punt: People paying to read work produced by an independent writer was unheard of in our part of the world. Even though the creator economy is ultra hot today, survival is still very, very hairy for the average solo creator.
And yet, here I am. Despite getting regularly socked in the knee by painful payment technology, lack of a peer group, the vagaries of my own depression- and OC-torpedoed mind, and impostor syndrome, I am still standing.
Sanity is today read by thousands in over 50 countries. It has gotten me coverage in the international press, a life-changing fellowship in Oxford, a beautiful community of allies, and a radically new, cheap, and healthy lifestyle 2,240 m above the sea level from where it’s somewhat easier to tolerate the panic attacks that are a given with the uncertainties of creator life.



5/30: A pop-up newsletter to share what I’ve learned
Let's face it, jobs for writers — especially those you actively want to do — are vanishing like glaciers, and you can't afford to not think about starting something of your own.
The problems is, there's a lot of bullshit and unhelpful stereotypes flying around about life as an independent creator. Most stories you hear are either about gigantic successes — creators with millions of paying fan, or deflating failures — those who gave up in three months.
My story is different. I am part of the unsung but vital middle class of the creator economy.
This is the zone where the vast majority of independent creators — likely including you, should you choose this path — will find themselves.
I haven't become rich, and the anxiety of running my newsletter week after week all alone has given me ulcers. But hey, I have been able to do work that means a lot to me, uphold my personal values and principles, build precious connections with a brilliant tribe of readers around the world, and create a bit of change along the way.
Oh, and I've also managed to make just enough money that I don't have to smile awkwardly and say "I'm just following my passion" when someone asks me why I do what I do.
This is the story I want to tell via 5/30. By subscribing to this pop-up newsletter, you will:
Get clarity and learn to bust myths about working as an independent creator.
Validate/challenge your assumptions about striking out on your own, AKA answer the all-important question: "Is this for me?".
Feel empowered to move from a vague idea in your head to a working concept of what you want to build.
Here’s what you can expect:
The 30 biggest truths I've learned about staying afloat in this career in the past 5 years.
I will publish this over 5 weeks — 6 days a week, one lesson each day — and then I will stop. The archives will of course remain here forever.
Each newsletter will be under 530 words. That’s pure gimmickry, but also I am told people like short and sweet, and I have never really done short and sweet, so this is my stab at it.
The first lesson will go live on June 5, 2025. Join the waitlist now so you don’t miss anything. [PS: The newsletter will be completely free. However, when you click the ‘join’ button below, you will be asked if you want to pledge your support, should I start a paid offering later. You can also choose no pledge.]
Support me
If you believe this is valuable, please support me. From India, you can contribute any amount using UPI by scanning the QR code below. IMPORTANT: Please mention ‘Substack’ in the payment description.
International readers can support my work via PayPal here.
Who am I again?
I am a lived experience expert, mental health storyteller, and former newsroom leader with top publications. I bring all these experiences to bear as the creator of Sanity, India's first independent reader-funded mental health storytelling platform, which has subscribers in over 50 countries.
I love teaching and mentoring, and have spoken and delivered sessions at forums including the University of Amsterdam; the Knight Centre for Journalism at the University of Texas, Austin; and King's College, London.
My work has been featured on, and I have been quoted in, the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, IJ Net, Times of India, The Economic Times, Forbes, Poynter, and Suno India, among others. I also write for global publications including The Mekong Review, Griffith Review, Business Insider, and Welcome to the Jungle.
I'm a past fellow of the Reuters Institute at the University of Oxford and a LinkedIn Top Voice in Social Impact, and I sit on lived experience panels and committees across the world.
I have co-authored a paper on suicide prevention in the Lancet Psychiatry and serve as an advisor to the Keshav Desiraju Indian Mental Health Observatory at the Centre for Mental Health Law and Policy. I am also a jury member for the Project SIREN Awards that recognise excellence in journalism on the topic of suicide prevention.
I hope to see you soon.
