NOW ENROLLING FOR SEPTEMBER 2025
a 4-week social media workshop for writers trapped inside a love-hate relationship with the internet
(but who still need to “build an audience” online)
From The Desk of Leigh Stein:
By now you know the deal: If you want more leverage with agents and editors, you need a “platform.”
The trouble is, most authors don't actually want to become "content creators." The phrase alone might make you cringe.
You became a writer to write...not to dance on TikTok or create funny cat Reels or apply makeup on camera. You may feel like you’re too late, too old, or too crabby to start now.
But you aren’t too late. You’re not too old.
And you might be surprised to learn that your crabbiness can be a fountain of inspiration.
I’ll prove it to you when you join me in the Hype House, a four-week series of workshops beginning Tuesday, September 2, and available exclusively to those who pre-order 10 copies of my new novel, If You’re Seeing This, It’s Meant for You.
WHO I BUILT THIS FOR
The author whose last book underperformed and is ready and willing to try something new
The novelist who’d rather clean 100 toilets than dance on TikTok, but needs this to be her breakout book
The busy, time-crunched artist who thrives with a bit of motivation and accountability
The accomplished professional transitioning to a writing career
Any writer who dreams of having a fandom for their work but cringes at the idea of “self-promotion”
The returning creative who doesn't recognize the online landscape (RIP Twitter)
In the Hype House, I’ll take you through the exact process I use with my one-on-one clients, and show you how to create a content strategy that doesn’t make you want to jump off a bridge.
You’ll learn how to leverage your original ideas, unique perspective, and writerly instincts into a social media strategy that attracts readers—without turning you into something (or someone) you hate.
Pre-order 10 copies of If You’re Seeing This, It’s Meant for You and submit a receipt TO ENROLL:
“THE FIRST LITERARY TIKTOK NOVEL”
Fates collide after a tarot influencer disappears from a decaying Hollywood mansion in this unnerving gothic mystery and audacious social comedy from the acclaimed author of Self Care.
Onsale August 26, 2025
THE HYPE HOUSE CURRICULUM
Workshops will be live on Zoom every Tuesday in September from 8 - 9:30 pm ET. These WILL be recorded if you can’t attend live.
There will also be optional Office Hours on Fridays from 1 - 2 pm ET. During Office Hours, you can ask me anything about your content from that week, and I’ll troubleshoot problems with you. These office hours won’t be recorded.
WEEK 1: LEAN INTO YOUR OBSESSIONS
What obsessions fuel your writing that might also spark meaningful online conversation? Who is your dream reader and where can we find her?
In Week 1, we’ll identify your primary audience and organize your unique obsessions into content pillars, so you know what to post—and for whom.
Live Tuesday, September 2 (8 - 9:30 pm ET)
WEEK 2: FIND YOUR COMPS
Who has the writing career you wish you had? Just as you’ve likely been influenced by writers who came before you as you drafted your latest manuscript, you can look online for writers creating content and connecting with their audiences in ways that inspire you.
In Week 2, we’ll study other creators—not to copy, but to analyze and understand what makes their content effective.
Live Tuesday, September 9 (8 - 9:30 pm ET)
WEEK 3: LEVERAGE THE ATTENTION ECONOMY
All professional writers are competing for the scarcest resource: attention. And just like crafting an attention-grabbing first five pages, most online attention can be boiled down to crafting a really great hook.
In Week 3 of the Hype House, we’ll practice optimization techniques for increasing views, subscriber counts, and any other metrics that matter to you.
Live Tuesday, September 16 (8 - 9:30 pm ET)
WEEK 4: CREATE A SUSTAINABLE GAMEPLAN
You know from writing that even the greatest strategy or idea doesn’t work if you can’t keep up the effort.
In our fourth week of the Hype House, we’ll conduct a post-mortem, analyzing your experiments and figuring out the easiest way to turn what works into a series.
Live Tuesday, September 23 (8 - 9:30 pm ET)
BONUS: BEHIND THE SCENES
Our final meeting on Tuesday, September 30, will be a behind-the-scenes look at my content strategy on Substack, Instagram, and TikTok. I’ll share which tactics drove the most pre-orders and what I would do differently next time.
Live Tuesday, September 30 (8 - 9:30 pm ET)
SUBMIT YOUR RECEIPT TO ENROLL
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SUBMIT YOUR RECEIPT TO ENROLL 〰️
To join the Hype House, first pre-order 10 copies of If You’re Seeing This, It’s Meant for You. Then upload a screenshot or a PDF of your receipt to the form below to enroll—we’ll be in touch with the Zoom links and the course workbook.
The deadline to register is Monday, August 25.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to pre-order 10 copies to join? Can’t I just pay a registration fee?
The only way to join my Hype House is to pre-order 10 copies of If You’re Seeing This, It’s Meant for You. This exclusive 4-week workshop is a part of my book launch strategy—which I’ll take you behind the scenes of, during our time together in the Hype House. As you likely know, pre-orders are how retailers gauge demand for a forthcoming title—by pre-ordering 10 copies, you’re supporting my novel and getting a 4-week content strategy workshop for ~$200!
I don’t want to be in a group. Can’t I just hire you to work with me 1:1 on my content strategy?
If you’d like to engage me for your upcoming launch, click here to learn more about my coaching services.
What am I even gonna do with 10 copies of If You’re Seeing This, It’s Meant for You?
Here are a few ideas for what you can do with your 10 copies of If You’re Seeing This, It’s Meant for You when they arrive on pub day:
Share them with the members of your book club
Offer them in a giveaway to your own audience
Drop them off in Little Libraries around your neighborhood
Film content of yourself handing them out to strangers on the street
Leave one ominously on a park bench
Keep an extra in your purse to hand to the first person who asks you what you’ve been reading lately
Give them to the Gen X, millennial, and Gen Z women in your life for Christmas or Hanukkah
Won’t creating content take all my precious writing time?
Let me be clear: In the Hype House, I’m not going to force you to become a TikTok star. This is a commitment of five hours a week or less. You don't have to learn video editing, you don’t even have to be on camera! Our primary focus in the Hype House is leaning into your strengths—you’ll learn to work smarter, not harder, repurposing content and engaging with readers and writers online.
What if I don’t want to share my personal life on the internet?
You don't have to! In fact, you don’t have to share anything you’re not comfortable with. In the Hype House, we'll come up with content pillars or topics that you'd LOVE to talk about in public. Think “What would I love to be on a panel or podcast talking about?,” not “What post am I dreading my in-laws seeing on Facebook?”
Won’t creating content remove all the cool writer mystique I’ve carefully cultivated?
I get it: Self promotion can give you the ick. I find it cringe, too! That's why I've learned how to build my audience through valuable content, not through self-promotion. In the Hype House, I'll teach you what most writers get wrong about content creation. I'll show you how to sneak little ads for your book inside of valuable content, like hiding broccoli in the mac and cheese. Don’t think QVC. Think Oprah.
Do I have to do an embarrassing gimmick?
If you follow me, you know I pulled a satirical prank on Instagram to promote Self Care. But good news: You don't have to. Just like I wouldn't tell you what book you should write, I won't tell you what to post. Your content ideas are going to come from you, not from me. I’ll give you tools and frameworks you can use to generate ideas and turn them into content, during our time together in the Hype House—and beyond.