
Want to get published or land a book deal? Join TEDx speaker and author Estelle Erasmus for smart writing tips, publishing insights, and behind-the-scenes advice for fiction writers, memoirists, and authors at every stage. Winner of the 2026 Podcast of the Year (Business) and the 2025 Podcast of the Year (Education) from the American Writing Awards, Freelance Writing Direct is your go-to podcast f... more
| Publishes | Weekly | Episodes | 187 | Founded | 4 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | EntrepreneurshipSelf-ImprovementBusinessEducation | |||

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 ... more
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 Association of American L... more
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 c... more
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 r... more
People also subscribe to these shows.





As someone who came to writing after another profession and felt behind the curve, this podcast was an essential part of my learning process. The interviews are packed with thoughtful questions about craft and process from writers of diverse backgrounds and paths to publication. After writing for years now, I still learn so much on every episode. Estelle’s podcast is a must-listen for writers at any stage!
After listening to Freelance Writing Direct and then having the honor of being a guest, I can say that Estelle Erasmus is an excellent interviewer. Not only does she bring passion and charm to each episode, but she is thoughtful and really takes her time with the material, yielding a rich discussion. As a writer I always learn something new from listening, something that I think about for a few days after… the mark of time well spent.
This podcast is fascinating for writers who are just getting started and those who are more seasoned. The discussions about craft, content, and all the nuances of the publishing industry are priceless. Host Estelle Erasmus is a font of knowledge and has a lot of valuable experience in this realm, so her questions are always insightful.
Such a generous episode with Abigail Thomas—thank you!
I’m a huge fan of this podcast and can say it has definitely helped with my publishing career while being entertained. I have recommended Estelle’s words of wisdom to many writing friends.
Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.
How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.
Apple Podcasts | #104 | |
Apple Podcasts | #152 | |
Apple Podcasts | #31 | |
Apple Podcasts | #190 |
Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.
Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.
| Listeners per Episode | |
|---|---|
| Gender Skew | |
| Location | |
| Interests | |
| Professions | |
| Age Range | |
| Household Income | |
| Social Media Reach |
This podcast offers a wealth of insights for writers looking to enhance their careers across various genres, including essays, memoirs, and novels. Discussions often revolve around practical writing tips, publishing strategies, and candid talks with industry insiders, making it ideal for both emerging and established writers. Additional themes include finding an agent, understanding what editors seek, and how to effectively pitch stories to leading publications. Unique in its approach, the show provides not only expert guidance but also personal stories that resonate with listeners, blending expertise with relatability.
Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to this podcast and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.
Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for this podcast, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.
Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for this podcast, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.
To see how many followers or subscribers this podcast has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.
These podcasts share a similar audience with this podcast:
1. The Shit No One Tells You About Writing
2. Kelly Corrigan Wonders
3. Everything Happens with Kate Bowler
4. Totally Booked with Zibby
5. Let’s Talk Memoir
this podcast launched 4 years ago and published 187 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.
Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for this podcast from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.
View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.
Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of this podcast. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.
Recent guests on this podcast include:
1. Dinty W. Moore
2. Casey Mulligan Walsh
3. Jackie Goldschneider
4. Joëlle Delbourgo
5. Hannah Selinger
6. Amy Wilson
7. Nicole Graev Lipson
8. Bonny Reichert
To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.