The Hustle-Free Writer

How ditching the side hustle helped me rediscover the joy of writing

By Susan K. Hamilton

I’ve been fortunate enough to have a few books and short stories published. And I knew that because my publishers were mostly small or indie presses, a lot of the marketing and promotion was going to fall on me. I told myself I was up for the challenge because I – like most people who write books – would love to see my name on a best seller list.

So, I thought about the author branding I wanted. About my social media platforms. About where I might have opportunities to promote and sell my book. I invested in someone to help me build an online presence and worked out an arrangement with a friend for graphics support. 

Promoting my books became a side hustle.

Awesome, right? Wrong.

I. Hated. It.

I hated the hustle. I hated spending so much of my time and energy thinking about what to say on social media and when to say it. I hated the constant grind of reaching out to people for interviews, for reviews, for speaking opportunities. I hated scouring for events where I could have a presence and sell my books (and that it not only consumed what limited free time I had on weekends, I also had to worry about whether I’d lose money on the event). 

I hated that it felt like I was working two full-time jobs.

The side hustle sucked all the joy out of writing because I never felt like I had time to actually write anything new. Then, when I did find time, I felt like I HAD to write a follow up to one of my books. Because, you know, authors who have a series tend to do better than authors who don’t.

My creativity started to dwindle as did my enthusiasm for writing.

Within a very dark cloud…

In 2023, both of my parents passed away unexpectedly and in quick succession (less than a month apart). Some people can use writing to help them sort through grief and pain. I discovered I am not one of those people. I stopped writing entirely. Stopped thinking about writing. Stopped all my efforts to promote my books. There was no room for creativity as I sorted through my grief (and for the record, I’m still sorting through it).

A year later, my cousin passed away unexpectedly. I am an only child, and so was he, and losing him was more like losing a brother.

As we came into 2025, I started getting the itch to write again. I poked around at a few ideas but instead of getting more excited, all I could think was that I was going to have to get onto the “side hustle hamster wheel” again.

Then, unexpectedly from some random corner of my brain, something I’d read once popped into my head: Why do you have to monetize your joy?

And that’s an excellent question.

… there was a small silver lining

I spent a little time thinking about that particular question and I realized the answer was, I don’t have to if I don’t want to.

That was one of those ah-ha, lightbulb moments for me, and it turned my perspective upside down. It opened the door for me to think about who I am as a writer. Who I really am, not who I think everyone expects me to be.

I gave myself permission to write just for me. And just because I love to do it.

I’m reinventing my author brand. My old one was more focused on selling books, sharing reviews. It felt “harder” in some ways, and it didn’t, in my opinion, really show my personality. When I look at the web site I created for the “old me”, I like it, but I don’t think it really represents me. Not the way I wish it did. (I’ll be retiring that site soon.)

My new site is www.redfoxwriter.com. I think it’s a little more playful, more welcoming. It even gives me the chance to blog a little and share thoughts, ideas, and writing tips which is something I wanted to do before but felt I didn’t have the time. Now, I am choosing to make that more of a focus and you know what? I’m having fun again.

Don’t get me wrong, I still want to sell books

Do I still have dreams of being a best-selling author? Sure. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t. I hope people buy my books. I hope they like them and leave amazing reviews (or at least thoughtful ones).

I’m still doing social media to an extent. I’m on BlueSky (@RedFoxWriter) and on Facebook under the same. I do have a Red Fox Writer Insta account, but I’ll be honest, I have a love/hate relationship with that platform so my participation there is thin for the time being. 

And I’ll keep an eye out for chances to do local events, author talks, interviews, or Q&A sessions, and if any come up, I’m game to do them. But I’m not going to try to fill every weekend with something. 

Only you can decide how deep to take your writing side hustle

This has been a very personal decision for me, and I know I’m leaving sales on the table by doing this. I’m okay with that because I have come too far in my life to not be authentic to myself and to my readers.

What works for me, however, may not be what works for you. Some of you are out there rocking the writing side hustle like it is nobody’s business. I applaud you and I’m proud of you… and I hope it brings you the success you’re hoping for. 

But if you’re like me, if you find the writing side hustle exhausting, just know it is okay to not monetize your joy. It is okay to write simply because you love it and not worry about your sales numbers. There’s room in the world for both, so do what feels right to you.

Now go rock it with your writing.

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Susan K. Hamilton is an award-winning, multi-genre author whose books include Shadow King, The Devil Inside, Stone Heart, and Darkstar Rising. She’s also had the good fortune to have several short stories included in anthologies.

Horse-crazy since she was a little girl, she pretty much adores every furry creature on the planet (except spiders). She also loves comfy jeans, pizza, and great stand-up comedy. 

Susan lives near Boston with her husband and is currently working on some ideas for a new urban fantasy novel and recently submitted a short story for potential inclusion in an upcoming anthology. When she’s not writing, she spends her time at the barn with her Dutch Warmblood mare, June.

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You can find her at www.redfoxwriter.com

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/redfoxwriter.bsky.social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/redfoxwriter/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569750953018 

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SHADOW KING

Ambition. Betrayal. Revenge.

Centuries ago, the Faerie Realm was decimated by a vile and corrupt spell. To survive, the different faerie races―led by the Fae―escaped to the Human Realm where they’ve lived ever since.

As the Fae Patriarch of Boston’s criminal underworld, Aohdan Collins enjoys his playboy lifestyle while he works from the shadows to expand his growing empire, until one night when he shares a shot of whiskey with the lovely Seireadan Moore…

A Fae Seer, Seireadan is haunted by a vision of the Fae responsible for destroying Faerie and murdering her family. Common sense tells her to stay away from Aohdan, but his magnetism and charm are irresistible.

As their passionate affair intensifies, Seireadan is pulled into the center of the underworld. And while her heart is bound to Aohdan, she cannot let go of her lifelong quest to hunt down the Fae who haunts her visions… especially when she realizes Aohdan might be the key to helping her find him.

But is revenge worth betraying the one she loves?

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Category: On Writing