Are You Trapped in a Haunted Hype House or a Toxic Hedge Fund?

Of all the industries I’ve dabbled in, traditional publishing is the least profitable and most incestuous. Let me show you.

I first learned of the mega- and multi-talented Leigh Stein in early 2023 when my friend Catherine Baab suggested I read her fan favorite novel Self Care. I devoured it, loved it, and used Leigh’s satirical takedown of the wellness industry as a comparable in the query letter I sent to bloodsucking literary agents during the fall of 2023.

Fast forward to the spring of 2024 and who did I find online hyping up my man Andrew Boryga’s killer debut novel Victim? Who’d also blown up on TikTok? And who’d recently brought their must-read newsletter Attention Economy to the burgeoning social media platform Substack? Leigh Stein, of course, who just might be the hardest working woman in showbiz.

By late 2024, when the time had come for me to go out and beg actually accomplished authors for blurbs, The Millennial Writer Whisperer herself was at the top of my wish list.

With a big assist from Andrew, I sent Leigh a copy of Leverage. She devoured it, loved it, and blurbed it. Needless to say I was gratified and humbled by this outcome. My publisher was so delighted they featured Leigh’s praise prominently on the Leverage jacket, too.

But then I thought: I’m an insatiable ballbuster, so why stop there?

When I realized Leigh’s latest novel If You’re Seeing This, It’s Meant For You–a gothic mystery set inside a crumbling Los Angeles hype house–was slated for publication just one week after Leverage, I pitched her a potential cross-collaboration which has since borne promotional and satirical fruit.

On August 17, in a Q&A for Leigh’s excellent newsletter, I explained how I successfully failed to monetize my two Master’s Degrees, leaned hard into my midlife crisis, and bludgeoned my way to a Big Five book deal.

And today, in this small but mighty corner of the internet, Leigh and I put our comedic heads together and created a satirical quiz which mashes up the topics and themes in our respective novels.

Enjoy the lolz, then read on to see how you can win a free copy of Leigh's book!

Pop Quiz: Are You Trapped in a Haunted Hype House or a Toxic Hedge Fund?

1. A domineering boss forces you to debase yourself for shareholders.
2. The building where you work may be trying to kill you.
3. Nobody’s who they seem and everybody you meet has an ulterior motive.
4. All the major milestones in your life have been commodified.
5. You got a Ph.D. in astrophysics for this.
6. You live at work.
7. Everyone around you melts down when they don’t hit their performance targets.
8. Crying on the job has ended your career.
9. You’re forced to compete with your coworkers for access to resources.
10. Convincing your fans that they’re in a close personal relationship with you drives revenue for your company.
11. Nameless, faceless, soulless algorithms heavily influence your profit margins.
12. Convincing your friends to share confidential information with you drives revenue for your company.
13. You dropped out of college for this.
14. No one outside your industry understands what you do for a living.
15. The more sociopathic your behavior, the bigger your returns.
16. If your boss finds out what you’re planning, you’re fucked.

Answer Key

Haunted Hype House: 4, 10, 13

Toxic Hedge Fund: 5, 8, 12

Both: 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 11, 14, 15, 16

Snag a Free Copy of Leigh's Latest Banger!

I’m happy to confirm Leigh's newest novel, If You’re Seeing This, It’s Meant for You, is an absolute banger. The story revolves around a group of influencers who are working inside a possibly haunted TikTok hype house where a prominent member of the group has gone missing.

If that sounds ridiculous and surreal, just know I haven’t yet mentioned the tarot card readings, the debauched online behavior, the debauched IRL behavior, or the adorable pet rabbit named Owen Wilson.

In addition to being laugh out loud funny, the novel examines the decline of traditional media, explores the anxieties of aging millennials, and demystifies the uncanny algorithms and utter madness of “the platform.”

As a special treat for my subscribers, I'll send a free copy of If You're Seeing This, It's Meant For You to the first three people who reply to this email!

UPDATE: All three copies have been claimed!

Subscribe to Attention Economy

If you’re an artist or content creator of any kind, Leigh’s fantastic newsletter Attention Economy is worth every cent. I’m a paid subscriber myself, but you can see what the hype’s about by clicking HERE.

Follow Leigh on Social Media

If you’re broke AF and/or cheap AF, you can follow Leigh on TikTok and Instagram. She’s a social media maestro and you’ll learn a ton about creating content by consuming her content.

Happy reading!