When central Ohio journalist and author Sherry Paprocki first met New York-based writer Estelle Erasmus in 2016, Paprocki had a plan for tapping into Erasmus’s incredible organizational and networking skills. Paprocki had just been elected president of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and she eyed Erasmus to chair the organization’s next annual writer’s conference in New York City.
Erasmus accepted the challenge, but not before checking Paprocki’s sun sign to ensure the pair could work well together. “I got a kick out of that,” said Paprocki.
Paprocki has enjoyed a varied and successful freelance life, as has Erasmus. On January 3, 2022, Paprocki released her 15th book, Freelance Fancy: Your Guide to Capturing Spiritual Health, Wealth and Happiness from Gig Work.
For her part, Erasmus’s non-fiction book tapping into her years of experience as a magazine editor, author, and freelance writer will be published in 2023. The book, Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published is aimed at writers at all levels of their writing career.
A podcast was born
Not only was Paprocki’s latest book released on January 3, but Erasmus also happened to call her that same day to discuss the possibility of the two experts and friends hosting a podcast about freelance writing. After months of planning, the pair released the first episode of ‘Freelance Writing Direct’ on October 6. New episodes drop every Thursday and can be found on Spotify and iTunes, to name a few.
Still in its infancy, Freelance Writing Direct is quickly proving its popularity. It has already earned honors to be among the top 15% of new downloads in the podcast world.
In describing the podcast, Erasmus said the pair combines their years of experience writing about the craft, creating and implementing writing strategies and assessing their own writing and suggestions for viable article ideas and even book topics.
“Our goal, in general, is to educate anyone interested in a freelance writing career,” said Paprocki. The podcast’s target audience ranges from listeners just considering freelancing, people newly embarking on a freelance career to even the full-time writer.
The news literally hot off the presses is that Paprocki lured the publisher of the Dispatch Magazines, owned by Gannett Co., to join her decade-old PR firm, R.S. Rock Media, on Oct. 31. In making his announcement that he is leaving that top post, Ray Paprocki wrote of his excitement to be joining his wife’s journalistic venture.
A parting piece of advice
If Erasmus could offer freelance writers one tidbit of advice, it would be “Never give up! Writing is a marathon, not a race.” Paprocki urged freelance writers to understand their financial worth. “Value yourself as a writer: set a price and stick to it. If you have three or four years of writing experience, eliminate any job that’s not paying you at least $60 an hour because you are worth at least that much, and probably more.”
