Freelance Writing Direct with Estelle
Winner of the 2026 American Writing Award for Podcast of the Year (Business), Freelance Writing Direct with Estelle is an award-winning podcast featuring candid conversations with bestselling authors, literary agents, editors, and publishing insiders about writing craft, memoir, publishing, platform-building, and getting noticed. Hosted and curated by Estelle Erasmus, TEDx speaker, NYU writing professor, former magazine editor-in-chief, and author of Writing That Gets Noticed, the show delivers practical strategies, publishing insight, and creative inspiration for writers at every stage. Whether you're pitching essays, shaping a memoir, building your platform, or pursuing a book deal, you'll find actionable advice, coaching insights, and behind-the-scenes industry conversations to help move your writing career forward. Learn more at EstelleErasmus.com and subscribe to Estelle's newsletter at Estelle's Substack: https://estelleserasmus.substack.com
Episodes
Before we begin, an announcement: I'm so excited to be speaking with celebrity makeup artist Ramy Gafni today in the next episode of my Substack Live series, Musings on Magazines: The Story Behind the Story. Join us today, July 30, at 4 p.m. ET as we go behind the scenes of magazine m...
Before we begin an announcment: I'm so excited to be speaking with celebrity makeup artist Ramy Gafni in the next episode of my Substack Live series, Musings on Magazines: The Story Behind the Story. Join us on Thursday, July 30, at 4 p.m. ET as we go behind the scenes of magazine makeovers, beauty photo shoots, and editorial life in the '90s and early 2000s, when print was king and I was a magazine e...
Welcome to the 200th episode of Freelance Writing Direct! I'm incredibly grateful to every guest who has generously shared their wisdom over the years, and to all of you who listen, watch, subscribe, review, and support the show. Reaching this milestone has been a joy, and I'm excite...
Welcome to new subscribers.
First, an announcement:
My first Substack Live in my new series Musings on Magazines: The Story Behind the Story was with former Chatelaine Editor-in-Chief Rona Maynard. Here is the link to the video of our fun and fearless discussion:of our lives in magazines in the 90s and early aughts. https://estelleserasmus.subst...
Welcome to new subscribers.
First, an announcement:
My first Substack Live in my new series Musings on Magazines: The Story Behind the Story was with former Chatelaine Editor-in-Chief Rona Maynard. Here is the link to the video of our fun and fearless discussion:of our lives in magazines in the 90s and early aughts. https://estelleserasmus.subst...
Welcome to new subscribers.
First, an announcement:
My first Substack Live will be with former Chatelaine Editor-in-Chief Rona Maynard on June 25 at 4 p.m. ET. Here is the link to the post: Musings on Magazines: The Story Behind the Story. https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/musings-on-magazines-the-story-behind
Sign up and dive into the m...
In this episode of Freelance Writing Direct, Estelle Erasmus talks with acclaimed author Dionne Ford about her memoir Go Back and Get It, a powerful exploration of family history, ancestry, and identity. Dionne shares how journalistic research, personal reflection, and historical investigation came together to help her u...
What happens when you wake up one day dizzy and it never stops?
In this episode of Freelance Writing Direct, Estelle Erasmus talks with acclaimed author Rachel Weaver about her powerful new memoir, Dizzy. Rachel shares how she navigated nearly two decades of chronic illness before finding relief, and how she transformed that experience into a compelling braided ...
Just in time for Pride month, in this heartfelt and often hilarious conversation, Estelle Erasmus talks with USA Today bestselling author Wade Rouse and his husband, Gary Edwards, about Wade's deeply personal new novel, That's What Friends Are For.
After publishing bestselling novels under the pen name Viola Shipman, Wade shares why he felt compelled to write this story under his ow...
In this episode of Freelance Writing Direct, Estelle Erasmus speaks with Carolyn Roy-Bornstein about restorative writing, burnout, and healing through storytelling.
Carolyn shares how writing became a lifeline after her son survived a devastating car accident that left him with a traumatic brain injury. She explains...
How to Get Published in The Persistent with Features Editor Paula Derrow
What makes a pitch stand out in today's crowded publishing landscape? And what exactly are editors looking for from writers right now?
In this episode of Freelance Writing Direct, Estelle Erasmus speaks with writer and editor Paula Derrow, Features Editor at The Persistent, the feminist...
What makes readers care about flawed characters making questionable decisions? In this episode of Freelance Writing Direct, Estelle Erasmus talks with bestselling author Vanessa Hua about her new novel Coyoteland and the craft behind creating emotionally layered fiction filled with tension, community, family dynamics, and difficult choices.
They discuss:
• Writing omniscient and...
In this episode of Freelance Writing Direct, Estelle Erasmus speaks with author Jacque Gorelick about her debut memoir Map of a Heart: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Finding the Way Home, a powerful, braided narrative that weaves a present-day medical crisis with a deeply personal exp...
Freelance Writing Direct chats with Tia Levings about writing a memoir of escape, and how strong scenes, structure, and editorial choices turn personal experience into a powerful narrative.
Tia Levings is the New York Times bestselling author of A Well-Tr...
In this episode, Estelle Erasmus talks with Kerry Docherty, author of Selfish: Unlearning, Reclaiming, and Telling the Truth, about what it really takes to write a bold, emotionally honest memoir.
They dive into:
In this episode of Freelance Writing Direct, Estelle Erasmus sits down with literary agent Sally Ekus, senior agent at the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency, where she leads a boutique division specializing i...
The words people use tell you exactly who they are, if you know how to read them.
Estelle Erasmus sits down with Jennie Young, a professor of rhetoric whose "Burn the Haystack" method and Facebook group sparked a powerful movement, now captured in her book Burn the Haystack. She flips the traditional dating narrative on its ...
What does the rise of authorpreneurship mean for writers today?
In this episode of Freelance Writing Direct, Estelle Erasmus sits down with Regina Brooks, founder and CEO of Serendipity Literary Agency and president of the
What does it take to write about a life-altering trauma decades after it happened?
In this episode, Estelle Erasmus chats with Mimi Nichter about the long arc from lived experience to the page, and what it means to revisit a moment of crisis with clarity. They talk about writing through memory, shaping a narrative around a defining event, and the emotional and cr...
Ghostwriting isn't dead. It's just napping. The smart writers know exactly where to wake it up.
It can be one of the most lucrative paths for writers, but not all ghostwriting opportunities are created equal. In this solo episode, Estelle Erasmus reveals which ghostwriting gigs are thriving in 2026 and which ones are quietly disappearing.
If you've ever been curious about ghostwriting (or you'...
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