Freelance Writing Direct: Conversations with authors, journalists, agents, novelists, memoirists, niche writers, agents, publ Estelle Erasmus

Joanna Rakoff is the author of the international bestselling memoir My Salinger Year and the bestselling novel A Fortunate Age, winner of the Goldberg Prize for Fiction and the Elle Readers’ Prize. Rakoff’s books have been translated into twenty languages, and the film adaptation of My Salinger Year opened in theaters worldwide in 2021 and is now streaming. She has been the recipient of fellowships and residencies from MacDowell, Sewanee, Bread Loaf, Jerome Foundation, Authors’ Guild, PEN, Ragdale Foundation, Art OMI/Ledig House, and Saltonstall; and has taught at Columbia University, Brooklyn College, and Aspen Words. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, O: The Oprah Magazine, Vogue, Elle, Porter, and elsewhere, and her new memoir, The Fifth Passenger, is forthcoming from Little, Brown in 2024.
 
The film adaptation of My Salinger Year stars Margaret Qualley as Joanna and Sigourney Weaver as her boss. Directed by Oscar-nominee Philippe Falardeau, the film opened in sixty-five countries in 2021, and is available for streaming wherever you rent movies.
 
In this episode:
Discovering the real theme of your memoir 
The game Joanna plays with herself to make her stories come alive
How to build out every character in your memoir so they are not one dimensional
The experience of having your writing adapted into a movie
Why it’s essential to add research into your memoir 
The fine art of excavating memories 
The power of fear to bring out creativity when writing
Tips for writers on how to write without distraction 
 
Connect with Joanna:
Instagram: @Joanna Rakoff  https://www.instagram.com/JoannaRakoff
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoannaRakoffAuthor/ 
 
Order My Salinger Year on Estelle’s Bookshop
https://bookshop.org/p/books/my-salinger-year-joanna-rakoff/9799872?ean=9780307947987
 
Other Episodes Mentioned 
Episode #39 Kelly McMasters: The Literary Gifts of the Leaving Season
https://estelleserasmus.com/39-the-literary-gifts-of-the-leaving-season/
Episode #81 The Art of Shaping a Compelling Story Featuring  Maggie Smith
https://estelleserasmus.com/81-the-art-of-shaping-a-compelling-story-featuring-maggie-smith/
 
Connect with Estelle:
 
​​FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at 
https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter.
 
Get on the Waiting List for Estelle’s online Editor-on-Call Event in Partnership with NYU on June 13
“Making the Cut” with editor for The Cut, Jen Ortiz
https://events.nyu.edu/event/327843-editor-on-call-making-the-cut-with-your-writing
 
Sign up for Estelle’s Personal Essay Class for Writer’s Digest 
https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals
 
See Estelle’s latest blog post with news
https://estelleserasmus.com/a-few-pieces-of-exciting-news/



Get Her Book 
Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0
 
Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities)
 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus
 
Estelle’s Latest Articles
I’m Learning to Listen in New Ways (Shondaland)
https://www.shondaland.com/live/family/a46102451/im-learning-to-listen-in-new-ways/



What to Do PreLaunch to Get Your Book Noticed (Writer’s Digest)
https://www.writersdigest.com/getting-published/what-to-do-pre-launch-to-get-your-book-noticed
 
How to Resist the Temptation of AI When Writing (Wired)
https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-resist-ai-temptation-writing/

Bob Eckstein (he/him) is an award-winning illustrator, writer, and cartoonist for the New Yorker, New York Times, Reader's Digest, Smithsonian Magazine, Atlas Obscura, and many others. His Footnotes from the World's Greatest Bookstores was a New York Times bestseller and made many ‘Best Of’ 2016 lists and continues to be an ‘Amazon Most Wished for Title’ years later. He is also the author of The History of the Snowman, The Illustrated History of the Snowman, and The Complete Book of Cat Names (That Your Cat Won't Answer to Anyway). 
His work has been exhibited in the Cartoon Art Museum of San Francisco, Smithsonian Institute, The Cartoon Museum of London, and many others. Eckstein has spoke in over a 200 TV and radio shows like Good Morning America and places like NYPL, Miami Book Fair, The Norman Rockwell Museum, and The Grolier Club. He teaches writing and cartooning around the world including School of Visual Arts, New York University, Pratt Institute and Yonsei University in South Korea. His new book is Footnotes from the Most Fascinating Museums: Stories and Memorable Moments from People Who Love Museums. 
 
In this episode:
How Bob started his unlikely career in writing 
Advice for writing stories from a different lens
Pivoting in your career to discover new forums for your work 
Bob’s live drawing process and how to learn, and grow, while remaining authentic
Emerging into a state of playfulness with your work
Bob and Estelle’s actionable tips for writers 
 
Connect with Bob:
Website: https://eckstein2.wixsite.com/mysite-1
Book: https://www.amazon.com/Footnotes-Most-Fascinating-Museums-Memorable/dp/1797224395/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bob_eckstein/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BobEckstein?lang=en
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bobeckstein1?lang=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bob.eckstein
Substack: https://thebob.substack.com
Podcast: The Cartoon Pad: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cartoon-pad/id1561378159
 
If you purchase Bob’s new book, Footnotes from the Most Fascinating Museums this month (May 2024), as a thanks, you will receive a free lifetime subscription to his popular humor newsletter The Bob. You need to notify him by email you bought a copy at snowmanexpert@gmail.com—he is using the honor system. 



FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at 
https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter.
 
Sign up for Estelle’s Micro Memoir Workshop with Writer’s Digest on May 23
https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/making-your-mark-with-micro-memoir
 
Sign up for Estelle’s online Editor-on-Call Event in Partnership with NYU on June 13
“Making the Cut” with editor for The Cut, Jen Ortiz
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/editor-on-call-making-the-cut-with-estelle-erasmus-and-jen-ortiz-tickets-860897576827
 
Sign up for Estelle’s Writing Parenthood Class for NYU
https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/courses/WRIT1-CE9225-writing-parenthood.html
 
Sign up for Estelle’s Personal Essay Class for Writer’s Digest 
https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals



Connect with Estelle:
Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://estelleserasmus.com/books/writing-that-gets-noticed/
 
Sign up for her  Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities)
 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus 



Episodes mentioned on the program:
 
Episode #79: Being Vulnerable on the Page and Finding Empathy in Your Heart Featuring Amy Ferris
https://estelleserasmus.com/79-being-vulnerable-on-the-page-and-finding-empathy-in-your-heart/
 
Episode #77: Writing Personal Stories with HuffPost’s Noah Michelson

Oregon-based journalist Melissa Hart is the author of seven books, including the award-winning middle-grade novels Avenging the Owl and Daisy Woodworm Changes the World, and the memoirs Gringa: A Contradictory Girlhood and Wild Within: How Rescuing Owls Inspired a Family. Her articles and essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian, CNN, Slate, The Washington Post, and numerous other publications. She teaches for the MFA in Creative Writing Program at Southern New Hampshire University In 2025, Sourcebooks will publish her nonfiction book Down Syndrome Out Loud: 20+ Stories to Change Your Mind about Disability.
 
In this episode:
When it’s ok to switch genres in writing [6:00]
Melissa’s framework for writing and researching her new book [9:27]
The positive and negative aspects of writing a historical piece [15:47]
Melissa’s advice on how to write old topics from new perspectives [16:51]
Tips for submitting, moderating and titling panels [28:06]
Encouraging advice for writers at all levels [32:38]
 
Connect with Melissa:
Website: https://melissahart.com
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wildmelissahart
Instagram: https://instagram.com/WildMelissaHart
 
Melissa’s story for the LA Times
What a Quail Taught Me About Grief By Joining a Flock of Turkeys
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-05-03/quail-turkey-birds-grief
 
Melissa’s article for Hidden Compass
The Vaudevillian Ghosts of Liberty
https://hiddencompass.net/story/the-vaudevillian-ghosts-of-liberty/
 
Estelle’s article that Melissa teaches
Singing My Dad Back to Me
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/13/well/family/singing-my-dad-back-to-me.html
 
Sign up for Estelle’s Micro Memoir Workshop with Writer’s Digest on May 23
https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/making-your-mark-with-micro-memoir
 
FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at 
https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter.
 
Sign up for Estelle’s Writing Parenthood Class for NYU
https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/courses/WRIT1-CE9225-writing-parenthood.html
 
Sign up for Estelle’s Personal Essay Class for Writer’s Digest 
https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals



Connect with Estelle:
Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://estelleserasmus.com/books/writing-that-gets-noticed/
 
Sign up for her  Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities)
 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus 



For another episode focused on historical writing, check out episode #58, Writing About Historical Subjects
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/freelance-writing-direct-conversations-with-authors/id1647429472?i=1000633432856



Estelle’s Latest Articles
I’m Learning to Listen in New Ways (Shondaland)
https://www.shondaland.com/live/family/a46102451/im-learning-to-listen-in-new-ways/



What to Do PreLaunch to Get Your Book Noticed (Writer’s Digest)
https://www.writersdigest.com/getting-published/what-to-do-pre-launch-to-get-your-book-noticed
 
How to Resist the Temptation of AI When Writing (Wired)
https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-resist-ai-temptation-writing/

This is a new element to the show, where Estelle will do episodes where she taps into her 3 decades of publishing experience and  live coaches writers at every stage of their career on the next steps to take to elevate their work and navigate through issues facing writers. 
 
Anna Medaris is a freelance health and lifestyle journalist with nearly 15 years of experience writing features, narratives, explainers, profiles, and news hits for publications including the Washington Post, Business Insider, Cosmopolitan, Women’s Health, US News & World Report, Vox, Everyday Health, Monitor on Psychology, and others. She left staff jobs to go freelance full-time for the first time in June 2023. Anna is passionate about, and skilled in, telling sensitive human-interest stories (from heartbreaking tales of maternal suicide to light-hearted exposes of runners' digestive issues), critiquing quirky cultural trends (from White Claw to cold plunges to "biological age" tests), and answering questions you didn't know you had (what does "skoliosexual" mean? Can you cure an "emotional hangover?" Is "resting bitch face" real?). Anna has appeared as a health expert and commentator on the "TODAY Show," "Good Morning America," Hulu’s “Age of Influence," and many local TV and radio stations. A champion for journalism and community, she serves as the New York City chapter lead of the Association of Healthcare Journalists; the VP of Communications for the Deadline Club, the Society of Professional Journalists’ local chapter; and as a writing coach through the New York Writing Room. Anna is a proud University of Michigan alum, recreational triathlete, and beer enthusiast who lives in Brooklyn with her husband and basset hound, Lou Longbody.



In this episode:
Estelle delves into 3 issues that Anna Medaris is confronting at the mid-point of her career [1:18]
Anna’s present and future publishing goals [6:41]
How she found guidance and community through Freelance Writing Direct  [6:47]
Estelle Edge on showing voice, expanding publishing opportunities, navigating through a day to day job, and finding joy in the work [10:11]
 
Connect with Anna
Website: www.annamedaris.com
Twitter, Instagram: @annamedaris
Twitter: https://twitter.com/annamedaris
Instagram: https://instagram.com/annamedaris
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-medaris/
 
FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode  at 
https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for my newsletter.
 
Sign up for Estelle’s Micro Memoir Workshop with Writer’s Digest on May 23
https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/making-your-mark-with-micro-memoir
 
Sign up for Estelle’s NYU class Writing Parenthood. She will work with you on articles, essays and pitches, plus offer editor intel.
https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/courses/WRIT1-CE9225-writing-parenthood.html



Connect with Estelle:
Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://estelleserasmus.com/books/writing-that-gets-noticed/
 
Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities)
 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus 
 
For a media-focused episode try Episode #67  How to Be a Media-Friendly Author
https://estelleserasmus.com/67-how-to-be-a-media-friendly-author-with-paula-rizzo/
 
Read Estelle’s latest blog post: A View from the Erma Bombeck Writer’s Workshop
https://estelleserasmus.com/a-view-from-the-erma-bombeck-writers-workshop/



Estelle’s Latest Articles
I’m Learning to Listen in New Ways (Shondaland)
https://www.shondaland.com/live/family/a46102451/im-learning-to-listen-in-new-ways/



What to Do PreLaunch to Get Your Book Noticed (Writer’s Digest)
https://www.writersdigest.com/getting-published/what-t

Abigail Thomas has four children,12 grandchildren, two great grandchildren, eleven books, and a high school education. She was asked to leave Bryn Mawr freshman year when she told the Dean she was pregnant, and she never went back.  She had always wanted to be a writer, but for a long time the closest she came was bopping around her kitchen to Paperback Writer, by the Beatles. When she was forty-eight, after an interesting adventure, when she got home, she left her ego outside, and began to write a story. It didn't work, but instead of crumpling it up saying "who do you think you are?" sat in a different chair, and another, and at the end of the afternoon, she had written a story. It was published in the Columbia Journal of Poetry and Prose. She had learned you have to keep at it. Writing is work of the best kind.
She has written two short story collections, one novel and four works of non-fiction, including the memoirs Safekeeping; A Three Dog Life; What Comes Next and How to Like It; and a book about writing, Thinking about Memoir. Still Life at Eighty: The Next Interesting Thing is her latest memoir.
 
In this episode:
Finding inspiration in unlikely places [4:13]
The allure of getting older [10:49]
Deciding on writing from a side door to deal with difficult material [18:18]
Abigail’s go-to source for analyzing words [23:49]
Tips for editing your work [28:29]
Writing exercises she gives to her students [36:40]
The requirement of ruthlessness in memoir [40:59]
 
Connect with Abigail Thomas:
Website: https://www.abigailthomas.net
Books: https://www.abigailthomas.net/books/
Photo Credit : Jennifer Waddell
 
FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at 
https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter.
 
Sign up for Estelle’s Micro Memoir Workshop with Writer’s Digest on May 23
https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/making-your-mark-with-micro-memoir
 
Sign up for Estelle’s Writing Parenthood Class for NYU
https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/courses/WRIT1-CE9225-writing-parenthood.html
 
Sign up for Estelle’s Personal Essay Class for Writer’s Digest 
https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals



Connect with Estelle:
Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://estelleserasmus.com/books/writing-that-gets-noticed/ 
Sign up for her  Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities) 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus
 
For another episode focused on a top memoirist, episode #81 The Art of Shaping a Compelling Story Featuring Maggie Smith 
https://estelleserasmus.com/81-the-art-of-shaping-a-compelling-story-featuring-maggie-smith/



Estelle’s New Articles
I’m Learning to Listen in New Ways (Shondaland)
https://www.shondaland.com/live/family/a46102451/im-learning-to-listen-in-new-ways/



What to Do PreLaunch to Get Your Book Noticed (Writer’s Digest)
https://www.writersdigest.com/getting-published/what-to-do-pre-launch-to-get-your-book-noticed
 
How to Resist the Temptation of AI When Writing (Wired)
https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-resist-ai-temptation-writing/
 

Kim Rittberg is an award-winning digital marketer and thought leader who helps professionals become thought leaders and businesses become brands through video & podcasts. She is the founder of Video Boot Camp and spent 15 years as a media executive at Netflix, PEOPLE Magazine, in TV News and launched the first-ever video unit for Us Weekly magazine and was integral in its $100 million sale. She now applies that to business owners to grow their income, leads & credibility. Kim has been featured in Business Insider and Forbes and contributes to Fast Company, is a speaker across the country including at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Convention, Fast Company Innovation Festival and guest lectures at Syracuse University. She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Annenberg School. She also hosts the top 1% podcast The Exit Interview with Kim Rittberg and is a judge for the Webbys and Anthem Awards. Kim’s podcast was spurred by her decision to quit corporate and launch her own business after working in the hospital while giving birth to her second child. The podcast helps self-employed people bet on themselves and win with founders’ stories and tangible concrete advice as well as solo mini-masterclass marketing episodes. Fun fact: Kim spent a year backpacking solo and used to perform improv comedy. Not at the same time obliviously. She also speaks Spanish. 



In this episode: 
How writers and authors should be leveraging video
Common mistakes that writers and authors make 
How to pull wisdom nuggets from every genre to video
The “Fast C’s” to making content that connect with people 
Kim’s PATCH method 



Connect with Kim:
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimrittberg/ 
YouTube http://youtube.com/@kimrittbergcontent?sub_confirmation=1 
Instagram: http://instagram.com/kimrittberg/
Grab Kim’s Free Tips to Make Magnetic Video that Grows Your Revenue + a bonus How to Be Confident on Camera & Public Speaking: https://www.kimrittberg.com/newsletter 
Kim’s Podcast: Listen to The Exit Interview with Kim Rittberg here: https://link.chtbl.com/NQd2mLmU 
Kim’s website: https://www.kimrittberg.com/



FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode #81 at 
https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for my newsletter.
 
Sign up for Estelle’s Micro Memoir Workshop with Writer’s Digest on May 23
https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/making-your-mark-with-micro-memoir
 
Estelle’s Episode on The Exit Interview with Kim Rittberg
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-exit-interview-with-kim-rittberg/id1629467633?i=1000651296866
 
Connect with Estelle:
Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://estelleserasmus.com/books/writing-that-gets-noticed/
 
Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities)
 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus 



For another media-focused episode try Episode #67  How to Be a Media-Friendly Author
https://estelleserasmus.com/67-how-to-be-a-media-friendly-author-with-paula-rizzo/



Estelle’s New Articles
I’m Learning to Listen in New Ways (Shondaland)
https://www.shondaland.com/live/family/a46102451/im-learning-to-listen-in-new-ways/



What to Do PreLaunch to Get Your Book Noticed (Writer’s Digest)
https://www.writersdigest.com/getting-published/what-to-do-pre-launch-to-get-your-book-noticed
 
How to Resist the Temptation of AI When Writing (Wired)
https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-resist-ai-temptation-writing/