Guests are paying upto $1,50,000 to be on podcasts?

gm! ☀️

I’ve come across a tweet that said, globally, about 50 million people consider themselves creators. Every day, this number increases, pushing several out of their cushy comfort zone to create and put themselves out there.

Are you one of them too? And how has your journey been so far? I’d love to hear your story — you can reply to this email.

On that note, I’ll start our weekly round-up of happenings in the creator economy in today’s Going Solo with:

• Oliver Burkeman on choices

• Discover a new creator: Miss Excel

• People are paying to be on podcasts

• How to fall back in love with reading

Oliver Burkeman on Choices

British writer and journalist Oliver Burkeman has written quite a few bestselling novels, but his Four Thousand Weeks comes with excellent advice, tips, and best practices on time management. And what’s not to love? It doesn’t sound preachy at all.

Lines on small choices from the book. 👇🏼

While you’re at it, also read his piece: The three-or-four-hours rule for getting creative work done

Have You Heard of Miss Excel?

Kat or Miss Excel has simplified Ms Excel for many. She is quite popular on Instagram and TikTok, and has been featured in Bloomberg, Forbes, Insider, etc. Kat has trained about 1M+ users, and her Reels on topics like Pivot Table formatting tips or using Excel’s split screen feature make her content relatable and helpful.

From offering free classes time and again to immersive courses like Complete Microsoft Office Suite, Ultimate Excel Bundle, and more — Kat has pretty much become a household name. And for a reason.

And recently, she has launched a free newsletter where she intends to curate her favourite links on the internet, advice on productivity and career along with tips and how-tos on Ms. Office. Sounds like something you need right now? Subscribe here. 👇🏼

Miss Excel’s Newsletter

Are People Paying to Appear on Podcasts? 😱

Only in my wildest dreams, I would’ve imagined this to come true. Yup, podcast guests are really paying a price (no, really) to be interviewed on certain podcasts. This means, podcasts are no longer niche — they’re getting mainstream but also irreplaceable in our lives as any traditional media platform.

A Bloomberg article says, “The top-earning show is Entrepreneurs on Fire, a daily program that highlights various businesses. John Lee Dumas, its host & creator, says he mostly receives guest inquiries through his website and currently charges $3,500 for an appearance. Payment serves as a kind of filtering tool.”

Guests are paying up to $1,50,000 to be interviewed by certain podcasters, and all top shows are raking in quite a sum.

Know more about it here.

How to Fall Back in Love with Reading

I’ve had days when I could read a book in a day. I’ve also had times when I could seamlessly read 150 books a year, but all those things seem like a distant dream right now.

Whether it’s adulting or doom-scrolling, reading took a backseat. I know many of us have been struggling to read regularly, and then I stumbled upon this article on Vox. According to it, “In early 2021, nearly a quarter of Americans told the Pew Research Center that they hadn’t read any books at all the previous year. Earlier this year, a Gallup poll revealed that even those who were reading books were reading fewer than ever.” Now that the world is slowly looking to fall back in love with reading, this article is a red-caped hero we all need.

Curious to know what suggestions it has to improve your reading? Read on!

How to Fall Back in Love with Reading

That’s it for this week! I’ll be back with more stories next Friday. 👋🏼

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— Sunaina Patnaik