Lincoln Michel is a novelist, editor, and the creator of the popular Substack newsletter Counter Craft.

His fiction, including the acclaimed sci-fi novel The Body Scout, refuses to fit neatly into commercial categories, blending literary fiction with the surreal and the weird. After 15 years of surviving the NYC freelance hustle, Lincoln now relies on a full-time teaching job to fund his writing.

In this interview, Lincoln explains why expecting his fiction to earn very little was the smartest financial decision he ever made. He reveals the bizarre side gigs that paid his rent in his 20s (including writing college guides and flash fiction for beer cans), explains his accidental Substack business model, and shares why a steady paycheck finally allowed him to stop pitching magazines.

If you want to know how to survive the “cobbling” years and build a sustainable literary life, this one’s for you.