Freelance Writing Direct with Estelle: Conversations with authors, journalists, agents, novelists, memoirists, niche writers, publishers, writing teachers, assigning editors and media experts.

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, published by Scribners in November 2024. In this episode: Abigail's new book, Still Life at Eighty, now published by Scribner [1:11] What gravitas means to Abby [3:44] Why Abby's go to reference is always the dictionary [3:59] The gifts Abby sees in aging [9:06] The meaning of ambition and weaving [7:04] How guilt grows up and becomes regret and how Abby really feels about guilt [15:02] What compels her to write [18:27] Using a person's voice as a framing device [25:43] The importance of vulnerability and creativity in your writing [27:22] The meaning of her two tattoos and the third one she wants to get [31:30] Connect with Abigail Thomas: Website: https://www.abigailthomas.net Substack Abigail Thomas/What Comes Next?: https://abigailthomas.substack.com Abigail on the Joe Donahue podcast https://www.wamc.org/podcast/the-roundtable/2024-11-20/abigail-thomass-still-life-at-80 Estelle's prior Episode #83 with Abby https://estelleserasmus.com/83-writing-your-way-into-an-engaging-and-enthralling-story-featuring-abigail-thomas/ Connect with Estelle Erasmus Check out Estelle's latest Substack post Debunking The Myths of Writing https://open.substack.com/pub/estelleserasmus/p/debunking-the-myths-of-writing Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle's help with. ​​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 Personal Essay Class for Writer's Digest https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals Sign up for Estelle's NYU Classes https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0 Order Her Audiobook: https://shorturl.at/4uG2P Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSerasmus BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/estelleserasmus.bsky.social

Deborah Copperud is a freelance writer, independent podcast producer, and former reference librarian. Her writing has been published in Glamour, Racket, Defenestration, Great River Review, Potomac Review, Door Is A Jar, Another Chicago Magazine, and Blue Earth Review, and her Substack newsletter Deborah Copperud Shops at Target. Her work is forthcoming in The Rumpus and Good Tape. She co-hosts the It's My Screen Time Too and Spock Talk podcasts and teaches podcasting for Minneapolis Community Education. Copperud is currently at work on an essay collection about volunteering, a subject she's uniquely qualified to cover, having volunteered as a preschool choir accompanist, Democratic party activist, elementary school library book shelver, rock band cellist, potluck block party organizer, and Chess Club scorekeeper. Copperud holds a B.A. in English from the University of Minnesota and a master's in Library and Information Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She enjoys jogging and biking around the Chain of Lakes in Minneapolis, where she lives with her husband and three children. In This Episode: What lane to choose when there are so many? An exercise that Estelle suggests to do for clarity Why information is power and how to accrue it Building an information network Finding agents by thinking outside the box Changing your mindset to a positive one Finding the hook in your writing Framing a story in a timely way Adding in layers to create depth in an essay Using mind mapping to find your focus Getting the SEO juice in your title Connect with Deborah Substack: https://deborahcopperud.substack.com/ Deborah's piece for Glamour Best Acne Podcasts: Treating Acne Through the Ears https://www.glamour.com/story/best-acne-podcasts Episode Mentioned Coaching Episode #84 Estelle's Edge: Coaching to Get Your Writing Noticed with Anna Medaris https://estelleserasmus.com/84-estelles-edge-live-coaching-to-get-your-writing-noticed/ Estelle's article on the AARP/The Ethel How Penny Marshall's "Laverne" Was the Role Model That Saved Me https://www.aarpethel.com/fulfillment/why-penny-marshalls-laverne-was-the-role-model-that-saved-me Connect with Estelle Erasmus Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle's help with. ​​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 Personal Essay Class for Writer's Digest https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals Sign up for Estelle's NYU Classes https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0 Order Her Audiobook: https://shorturl.at/4uG2P Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSerasmus BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/estelleserasmus.bsky.social

Betsy Lerner is the author of the recently released novel, Shred Sisters (Grove Press, October 2024). She is also the author The Bridge Ladies, The Forest for the Trees and Food and Loathing. With Temple Grandin, she is the co-author of the New York Times bestseller Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns and Abstractions. She received an MFA from Columbia University in Poetry where she was selected as one of PEN's Emerging Writers. She also received the Tony Godwin Publishing Prize for Editors. After working as an editor for 15 years, she became an agent and is currently a partner with Dunow, Carlson and Lerner Literary Agency. The surprising origin of the Shred Sisters and the reason a temporary title became so much more [3:51] How Betsy's life informed the book's backstory and is reflected in multiple characters [7:16] Writing a coming of age story with a twist [7:22] The difference between writing fiction and nonfiction, and why Betsy enjoys this latest genre so much [7:57] The value of good transitions to move the reader along and hook them into the story [10:46] Betsy's 'acorn' theory and how she dropped seeds throughout her book [15:22] The key to structure and why many writers struggle with it [21:51] What Betsy really thinks about the process of revision and why slowing down is essential [24:06] The other side of her work, acting as a literary agent [25:01] How Betsy ended up going viral on TikTok and becoming a book influencer [26:28] Betsy's dream for her book, and who she would cast in the movie [32:50] Why a writer should never write for an audience [36:32] Connect with Betsy Photo Credit: Maryana Karayim Website: https://betsylerner.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@betsylerner The New York Times Book Review of Shred Sisters https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/30/books/review/shred-sisters-betsy-lerner.html Connect with Estelle Erasmus ​​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 Personal Essay Class for Writer's Digest https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals Sign up for Estelle's NYU Classes https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0 Order Her Audiobook: https://shorturl.at/4uG2P Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSerasmus

Kristi Coulter is the author of EXIT INTERVIEW: THE LIFE & DEATH OF MY AMBITIOUS CAREER, out now in paperback. Her previous book, the memoir-in-essays NOTHING GOOD CAN COME FROM THIS, was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award. Kristi's work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Paris Review, Elle, Longreads, and many other publications. Her Substack newsletter, Loose Canon, offers personal and irreverent commentary on film and music. She is a former resident at Ragdale and the Mineral School and has taught writing at the University of Washington, University of Michigan, Hugo House, and the Work Room. Kristi lives in Seattle and Los Angeles. In this episode: Picking the perfect title and a trick on how to do it [2:48] Why Kristi wrote her book using the present tense and the challenges that imposed [6:27] Deciding what to leave in and what to take out [12:42] How Kristi incorporated historical context into her book to make a point without preaching to the reader [13:41] Incorporating humor in memoir writing and playing with forms [18:34] Finding the perfect equation between scene and summary [21:42] Making the narrator relatable, not likable [23:29] Kristi's advice for aspiring Memoir Writers [27:52] The benefits of writing chapters out of sequence [28:05] Understanding the meaning of that first "Discovery Draft" [28:28] Selling a book on proposal. What you need to know [30:56] The art of writing a synopsis [32:36] The impact Kristi's book is having on women at Amazon and beyond [33:59] Connect with Kristi Instagram: https://instagram.com/kristi.c.coulter Threads: @kristiccoulter; Facebook: https://facebook.com/kristicoulter Podcast Guests Mentioned in This Episode #52 Claire Dederer https://estelleserasmus.com/a-conversation-with-claire-dederer-about-monsters/ #101 Elissa Bassist https://estelleserasmus.com/101-the-makings-of-a-hysterical-story-featuring-elissa-bassist/ Connect with Estelle Erasmus ​​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 Personal Essay Class for Writer's Digest https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals Sign up for Estelle's NYU Classes https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0 Order Her Audiobook: https://shorturl.at/4uG2P Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSerasmus

Caroline Leavitt is the New York Times bestselling author of 13 novels, most recently Days of Wonder, which was a CBS/Mary Calvi bookclub pick, the recipient of a MidAtlantic Arts Foundation grant, and which was translated into Russia and has a shopping agreement for film. The co-founder of A Mighty Blaze, the book program begun the day of lockdown, she writes a column blog "Runs in the Family" for Psychology Today, and is a book critic for people and the recipient of a New York Foundation of the Arts Fellowship. She teaches story structure for the novel at UCLA Writers Program Extension and works with private clients. Her work has appeared in the New York Times "Modern Love," New York Magazine, Salon, Lit Hub, The Millions and many anthologies. Annabelle Gurwitch is a New York Times Bestselling author, actress and activist whose most recent collection of essays "You're Leaving When? Adventures in Downward Mobility" is a 2021 New York Times Favorite Book for Healthy Living, a Good Morning America Must Read and a finalist for The Thurber Prize for American Humor Writing 2022. She's written for The New Yorker, New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine, and Hadassah amongst other publications. Her five books include the New York Times bestseller and Thurber Prize finalist "I See You Made an Effort." She's written and developed adaptations of her books for HBO, F/X, NBC, Lifetime networks. She's currently writing a film for the Hallmark Channel with Emmy winning tv producer Neena Beber based on "You're Leaving When?" for Andi MacDowell to star in. Annabelle has been chronicling living with stage iv lung cancer and inequities in healthcare in the New York Times and Washington Post since her out-of-the-blue diagnosis during covid. In this episode: Caroline Leavitt and Annabelle Gurwitch's essays for the anthology [3:20] Caroline and Annabelle's experiences with anti-Semitism [4:27] The impact of a children's storyteller on Caroline's understanding of what it means to be Jewish [8:16] The importance of art and storytelling in fostering empathy and understanding [12:41] The call of our ancestral DNA during this fraught moment [22:24] Advice for jewish writers navigating this challenging and important time in Jewish history [24:36] The power of three little words [29:09] Connect with Caroline Leavitt Twitter. @leavittnovelist Instagram https://www.instagram.com/carolineleavitt/ Threads https://www.threads.net/@carolineleavitt?hl=en Facebook https://www.facebook.com/carolineleavitt TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@carowriter99 Website: Https://www.carolineleavitt.com Connect with Annabelle Gurwitch photo credit jeff vespa Facebook https://www.facebook.com/annabellegurwitchauthor/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annabellegurwitch1/ X: https://x.com/lagurwitch?lang=en Website: https://www.annabellegurwitch.com/ About On Being Jewish Now Zibby Owens has edited a new anthology, which Zibby Books is publishing, called On Being Jewish Now: Reflections from Authors and Advocates. Profits will be donated to Artists Against Antisemitism, a 501(c)(3) founded by Alison Hammer that Zibby joined as a Founding Member after the attacks on October 7th, 2023. On Being Jewish Now (coming 10/1) is a collection of essays about what it means to be Jewish and how Jewish life has changed since October 7th. Zibby came up with the idea for this anthology in response to feeling powerless against the spread of antisemitism. "Writing — and reading — is how so many of us process and make sense of the world," she said. And so Zibby thought, I'll ask writers to reflect on what it means to be Jewish now. Seventy-five contributors came together in four weeks to share their stories of love, family, joy, fear, and pain, and the common threads that course through the Jewish people: resilience and humor. Contributors include Mark Feuerstein, Jill Zarin, Steve Leder, Joanna Rakoff, Amy Ephron, Lisa Barr, Annabelle Gurwitch, Daphne Merkin, Bradley Tusk, Sharon Brous, Jenny Mollen, Nicola Kraus, Caroline Leavitt, and many others. Among them: descendants of Holocaust survivors, several Israelis, and one author who lost a cousin in the war. There are men and women, multiple bookstore owners, several celebrities, and some female founders. One African American contributor shares his thoughts on being a Jewish Black man. The e-book and audiobook, narrated by the contributors, was published on October 1st, the trade paperback on November 1st. "This is about healing," says Zibby. "About coping and connecting. In the only way I know how." Zibby Owen's episode #36 on Freelance Writing Direct https://estelleserasmus.com/36-zibby-owens-is-upending-the-publishing-world/ Connect with Estelle Erasmus ​​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 Personal Essay Class for Writer's Digest https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals Sign up for Estelle's NYU Classes https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0 Order Her Audiobook: https://shorturl.at/4uG2P Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSerasmus

Lisa Cooper Ellison, a trauma-informed writing coach and podcast host, dives deep into the emotional landscape of writing about trauma. She shares her transformative journey from personal pain to guiding others in crafting their stories. The impact of writing on the nervous system and the importance of self-care are discussed extensively. Lisa candidly reflects on her own memoir, emphasizing the necessity of emotional distance. Listeners learn about structuring narratives and the vital role of community in the healing process through storytelling.

Carinn Jade is a lawyer, writer, and cohost of the Pop Fiction Women podcast. Her essays have been published in the New York Times, Daily Worth, and Motherwell. She has attended the GrubStreet Novel Generator, Yale Writers' Conference, and the Northern California Writers' Retreat. Carinn grew up on the North Fork of Long Island and lives with her family in New York City. The Astrology House is her first novel. In this episode: The origin of this thriller based around an astrology-themed retreat [3:21] Her use of time constraints as a plot device to build dramatic tension [8:36] Books Carinn read that informed her idea of the book's structure and premise [8:48 Carinn's process of writing multiple POVS in short chapters [11:00] How her literary go-to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and other realityTV was one of many touchstones and guided her in writing dramatic scenes[11:43] How she dropped clues to characters throughout the book [12:54] Why she included astrology cheat sheets as a plot device and touchstone [15:28] How much of Carinn is in her novel [18:21] Building tension and twists into each page [19:44] The art of writing authentic dialogue [22:01] The process of revision and what that required [23:11] Carinn's querying journey and how she found her agent [26:16] The synchronicities between being a lawyer and a writer [31:09] Photo credit: Erin Schiffman Connect with Carinn Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carinnjade/ X: https://x.com/carinnjade?lang=en Pop Fiction Women website: https://popfictionwomen.com/about-us/ Buy Her Book on Estelle's Bookshop https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-astrology-house-carinn-jade/20704948?aid=98827&ean=9781668045961&listref=authors-who-have-appeared-on-freelance-writing-direct& 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. Sign up for Estelle's Personal Essay Class for Writer's Digest https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals Sign up for Estelle's NYU Classes https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0 Order Her Audiobook: https://shorturl.at/4uG2P Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSerasmus

Priscilla Gilman is the author of two memoirs, The Anti-Romantic Child (Harper, 2011) and The Critic's Daughter (Norton, 2023) and a former professor of English literature at Yale University and Vassar College. The Critic's Daughter was a Washington Post Best Book of 2023, a New York Times Book Critics' Favorite Book of 2023, a Good Morning America Must-Read, one of the Los Angeles Times' book critic and Book Maven Bethanne Patrick's Top 10 Non-Fiction Books of 2023, one of the "18 Books Lilith magazine Loved in 2023," and 3rd on Bookreporter's Harvey Freedenburg's Favorite Books of 2023. Nick Hornby called The Critic's Daughter "beautiful: honest, raw, careful, soulful, brave and incredibly readable," and Kiese Laymon declared: "The Critic's Daughter is an exquisite and rare example of how the memoir needs as much inventiveness in scope and form as our most lush fiction and poetry…I've read few books in my life as skillfully executed and willfully conceived as The Critic's Daughter." Gilman's writing has appeared in the New York Times, O, the Oprah Magazine, and elsewhere. She lives in New York City. In this episode: Priscilla's search for her father as the genesis for 'The Critic's Daughter' Outlining the ways she lost her father throughout her life Her hypervigilance as a result of a childhood spent with famous and powerful parents Crafting an elegy for a lost New York "Streaks of love" and loss as throughlines of her book Setting up the book as a series of acts straight from the theater Reflecting on the brilliance of her father's writing and power as a critic while writing her own story The challenges of navigating a personal and public persona Priscilla's journey to processing grief and healing as she "brought her father back" and gained clarity on his life through research and writing his story Connect with Priscilla Website: www.priscillagilman.com Episode #52 Mentioned in this podcast A Conversation with Claire Dederer About Monsters https://estelleserasmus.com/a-conversation-with-claire-dederer-about-monsters/ 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. Sign up for Estelle's Personal Essay Class for Writer's Digest https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals Sign up for Estelle's NYU Classes https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0 Order Her Audiobook: https://shorturl.at/4uG2P Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSerasmus

Robin Finn, MPH, MA, is an award-winning writer, teacher, and coach, and the founder of Heart. Soul. Pen.® women's writing workshops and Hot Writing™ where midlife and menopause inspire the desire to say what you mean without apologizing. She is the author of the new book, Heart. Soul. Pen.: Find Your Voice on the Page and in Your Life and the novel, Restless in L.A. Robin's writing has appeared in national and international press, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the L.A. Times. A cum laude graduate of UCLA, she holds master's degrees in public health from Columbia University and in spiritual psychology from the University of Santa Monica. Robin teaches workshops across the U.S. and beyond to help women unleash their radical self-expression and grow, heal, and connect through writing. She lives in Los Angeles with her family and is a longtime advocate for children with ADHD and learning differences. In this episode: The importance of spiritual psychology in writing [2:37] How beliefs impact our writing and revealing ourselves [5:39] Designing a writing ritual that works for you [9:42] Finding talismans for your creative work [13:00] Anchoring to your intention when putting words on paper [13:29] Diving into the promise of "trigger lines" [16:04] Art School Trauma and how to avoid it [17:59] At what point should writers get critical feedback? [19:57] Advice for memoirists on telling your stories and radical self expression [21:46] How to find inspiration through story prompts [23:48] Connect with Robin Website: https://www.robinfinn.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/robinfinnauthor Facebook: https://facebook.com/robinfinnauthor 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. Sign up for Estelle's Personal Essay Class for Writer's Digest https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0 Order Her Audiobook: https://shorturl.at/4uG2P Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSerasmus

ALIZA LICHT is an award-winning marketer, bestselling author, podcaster, personal branding expert, and the founder of LEAVE YOUR MARK, a multimedia brand and consultancy. She advises businesses and mentors individuals on brand building and career development. Licht leverages over two decades of expertise in marketing, communications, and digital strategy in the fashion industry. She was named one of "America's Next Top Mentors" by The New York Times and Business Insider's "Top 20 Most Innovative Career Coaches." As a social media pioneer and one of the first fashion influencers, Licht created and was the voice of the anonymous social media phenomenon DKNY PR GIRL. Licht is a sought-after keynote speaker and sits on several industry boards. Her first book, Leave Your Mark, was published in 2015. Her new book, On Brand: Shape Your Narrative. Share Your Vision. Shift Their Perception is a comprehensive roadmap to building your personal brand. She lives in New York City with her husband, two children, and two dogs. Find her online at alizalicht.com and @alizalichtxo. In this episode: The importance of personal branding in a chaotic publishing terrain The evolution of Aliza's "DKNY PR Girl" brand on old-school Twitter Being the first fashion influencer Creating a micro brand and brand guardrails Finding permission to play Addressing Founder and last name syndrome Navigating the complex algorithms of social media Advice on platform building for aspiring authors Creative branding social media strategies to hook your audience Does controversy sell? The way Aliza worked branding and a signature look into her social media posting How Aliza became an accidental activist when it comes to addressing the scourge of anti-semitism Measuring each step you take against your own personal values. Connect with Aliza Website: https://alizalicht.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/alizalichtxo TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@alizalichtxo X: https://twitter.com/alizalicht Threads: https://www.threads.net/@alizalichtxo Mentioned On the Podcast Liz Elting's episode #68 on Freelance Writing Direct Dream Big and Win with Liz Elting https://estelleserasmus.com/68-dream-big-and-win-with-liz-elting/ Aliza's Linkedin Post that she references Being a Jewish Activist Wasn't On Brand for Me https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/being-jewish-activist-wasnt-brand-me-aliza-licht-jjpse/ Estelle's article on Shondaland I'm Learning to Listen in New Ways https://www.shondaland.com/live/family/a46102451/im-learning-to-listen-in-new-ways/ 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. Sign up for Estelle's Personal Essay Class for Writer's Digest https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0 Order Her Audiobook: https://shorturl.at/4uG2P Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSerasmus