Listen:
Welcome to all my new subscribers. It’s great to have you here.
I met Jane Friedman years ago when I interviewed her for ASJA. Later, we also connected at Writer’s Digest and Erma Bombeck conferences where we were both speaking. She also excerpted a chapter of my book on How To Successfully Publish Op-Eds and Timely Cultural Pieces in her newsletter, and it was the most popular post for the month.
Jane is a true publishing guru who offers solid advice to writers grounded in her decades of experience. I’m astounded at the deep connections she shares with almost everyone I know in top positions in publishing.
Jane has made an impact and is a force because she is smart, savvy and above all, realistic.
If you don’t know about her, now is the time to learn from a master. I loved our discussion here where we covered so much about what I feel and see and know about publishing and our current turbulent climate.
In this episode:
- The ever changing publishing climate [3:52]
- How not to be a supplicant with agents or gatekeepers [5:14]
- Deciding on University or small presses and what they offer [13:33]
- What does hybrid publishing really mean and how to vet a company [14:27]
- The truth behind the costs of publishing [17:46]
- The rapid ascendance of audiobooks and what it means for authors [27:35]
- How AI is transforming the industry of audiobook production [30:39]
- The dark side of AI generated materials on Amazon and Jane’s role in the fight against it [33:47]
- The potential struggles of selling a memoir and how to navigate them [20:02]
- What platform means for a writer and how to creatively work it [44:42]
- How to thrive as an entrepreneur in the new creator economy [44:03]
Watch on YouTube (And Sign up to Get Clips as They Come Out)
About Jane
Jane Friedman has spent nearly 25 years working in the book publishing industry, with a focus on author education and trend reporting. She is the editor of The Hot Sheet, the essential publishing industry newsletter for authors, and was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World in 2023. Her latest book is THE BUSINESS OF BEING A WRITER (University of Chicago Press), which received a starred review from Library Journal. In addition to serving on grant panels for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Creative Work Fund, she works with organizations such as The Authors Guild to bring transparency to the business of publishing.
Connect with Jane
Pieces from Jane’s Site Mentioned in the Episode
Writing Lessons from Jane Austen
Crafting Memoir with a Message
Connect with Estelle
Watch Estelle’s solo episode #90 on the U.S. Book Show (mentioned in this episode).
Get My Book: Writing That Gets Noticed
Sign up for my 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
Sign up for My Class at NYU: Writing About Your Life Through Memoir, Essays and Articles
Sign up for my Personal Essay Class for Writer’s Digest
On the Horizon
I will be the closing session of the ASJA virtual conference on September 26th with my friend and renowned memoirist Abigail Thomas. Read 8 Things You Didn’t Know about Abigail Thomas and Estelle Erasmus where we talk tarot, smells, seeing the sea turtle’s hatch, going through the slush pile and more and sign up for the conference. There is still time.
Join me for my CRAFT TALKS webinar, Tantalizing Titles, to learn to write compelling headlines and titles for successful pitches to—and publication in—mainstream media. 3PM Eastern time October 2nd ($15 early bird) October 2. Register here and get the early bird rate.
Read
I wrote a piece for Brevity called A Good Title is Vital: Getting the Hang of Writing Headlines. Read it here
Want to Get Into The Cut? My latest Substack post covers all you need to know about writing for New York Magazine’s The Cut, based on my popular NYU Editor-on-call series, where I spoke with the deputy editor. Read it here and sign up for craft advice, and for paid subscribers, bonus clips and editing opportunities with yours truly.
Listen
I was on the brilliant Aliza Licht’s podcast Leave Your Mark talking about voice, pitching, making an impact with your writing, and more. Listen here and follow her podcast. More on me and lots of takeaway tips from my episode on her LinkedIn page.
Follow Me
