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

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/
 

Maggie Smith is the New York Times bestselling author of seven books of poetry and prose, including You Could Make This Place Beautiful, Good Bones, Goldenrod, Lamp of the Body, The Well Speaks of Its Own Poison, and Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity, and Change. Her newest book is My Thoughts Have Wings, a picture book for children, illustrated by Leanne Hatch. Smith’s poems and essays have appeared in the New York Times, The New Yorker, The Paris Review, TIME, The Nation, The Atlantic, and The Best American Poetry. She lives with her two children in Columbus, Ohio.



In this episode: 
How Maggie came up with the idea for her children's book
The metaphor that Maggie used throughout the book
Finding collaboration in every stage of the process
Maggie’s writing and structuring process for her works 
Surprising writing advice for memoirists or writers working their craft  
 
Connect with Maggie:
Website: https://maggiesmithpoet.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/maggiesmithpoet
X: https://twitter.com/maggiesmithpoet
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maggiesmithpoet
Substack: https://maggiesmith.substack.com
Get her books: https://bookshop.org/lists/authors-who-have-appeared-on-freelance-writing-direct



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.
 
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 



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/



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

Amy Collins is an agent with the Talcott Notch Literary Services agency. She has over 30 years in the publishing industry and  is a USA TODAY and WALL STREET JOURNAL bestselling author. She has spent her career working with Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, Target, Costco, Wal-Mart, as well as independent bookstores and libraries. Collins is a trusted speaker, and teacher, featured at conferences and in articles across the globe. In her agent role, Collins focuses on fantasy, horror, sci-fi, & romance. She lives and travels in a 40’ bus and rides her motorcycle to meetings with editors and authors. 



In this episode:
Amy’s genre picks and why they work for her/her clients [3:59]
The number one tool Estelle recommends her students use to research agents [6:02]
The genre Amy finds tricky to work in and why [9:37]
Her most successful books [11:55]
Red flags that Amy notices before she signs someone [21:05]
The specific areas Amy can assist when working with contracts and during the negotiation process [24:17]
The ultimate rule for success in a creative field [30:34]
 
Connect with Amy:
Website:  www.amysadvice.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/askamycollins
X: https://twitter.com/askamycollins



FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode #76 at https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for my newsletter.
 
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 



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/



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