Write My Story

Hi friend,

Today was the third LIVE interview for the Publishing & Money series! We had nearly 100 people (!!) join us live for a great conversation.

I had the privilege of chatting with Kathleen Schmidt, a well-respected voice in book publishing with 30 years of experience in the industry. To date, she has worked on 50 New York Times bestsellers. Her fast-growing Substack newsletter, Publishing Confidential, is a must-read and subscribe for following the latest insider tips on the industry.

Kathleen generously gave her time to share her hot takes on the current state of publishing and practical tips for where authors should invest in publicity. Here are just a few of the highlights:

* The importance of building a platform and defining your audience

* Understanding your goals as an author for the publication of your book

* How to best work with a publicist

* A new advertising initiative in Times Square

* Traditional, hybrid, and self-publishing—what’s next

* AI’s impact on the publishing industry

* Trends to look for in publishing in 2027

* …and so much more.

Links mentioned:

* Ashley’s book

* Kathleen’s website

* Publishing Confidential on Substack

* National Author’s Day 2026 Times Square billboards

The Publishing & Money series LIVE interviews are open for everyone to listen live and enjoy the recordings later. If you would like to support the ongoing production of this series, please consider becoming a paid subscriber.

Write My Story is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Thank you The Madam Editor, Tammi, Melissa Naomi, kimilynwrites, Linda Saraceno, and many others for tuning into my live video with Kathleen Schmidt!

I hope you will join me in asking the tough questions about what’s next for the state of the publishing industry.

More soon,

Ashley

P.S. Catch up on my previous interviews with Brooke Warner and Jane Friedman.

Next up… I’ll be LIVE with Amy Suto on Thursday, November 12 at 12 PM ET!

🗓️ Add it to your calendar here.

Hi friend,

Yesterday was the second LIVE interview for the Publishing & Money series! Thank you to the nearly 90 people who joined us live! I try to imagine 90 people sitting in a room listening to our conversation—and WOW, what a great crowd. 😊 If you missed it, go back and listen (here!) to the first in the series with Brooke Warner.

For those who have studied publishing industry trends for many years, you may have felt like me—a little star struck to talk to Jane Friedman. Jane is widely known as “the most trusted voice in publishing.” She is the author of The Business of Being a Writer (which I tend to carry with me everywhere). Jane writes and publishes two long-running newsletters, Electric Speed and Bottom Line.

Jane generously gave her time to share her wisdom on building a sustainable career as a writer and the current state of the publishing industry. Here are just a few of the highlights:

* What to do if you can’t shake the urge to write memoir

* When to make investments in platform building (and what a “platform” even means)

* How to have a market-driven perspective as a writer

* The value of uncovering your personal goals in writing and publishing

* Deciding whether MFA programs and literary magazine publishing is the right path for you

* The taboo topic of what you earn and making income streams visible

* The unique approach and mindset that Jane has taken in her own personal career

* Changing perceptions on what is considered “prestigious”

* How writers should choose to engage in the conversation about AI

* …and so much more. (We truly covered so much that it’s impossible to list it all! Give this one a listen.)

Links mentioned:

* Ashley’s book

* Jane’s book

* Jane’s website

* Jane’s Publishing Industry Update: First Half of 2026

* The Key Book Publishing Paths

* “Where My Money Comes From”

The Publishing & Money series LIVE interviews will be open for everyone to join live and watch the recordings later. I’ve decided not to reserve the recordings for behind the paywall. They’re just too good and I want everyone to listen! If you would like to support the ongoing production of this series, please consider becoming a paid subscriber.

Thank you Liz Ryan, Pastor Scott, Holly Rizzuto Palker, Tammi, and many others for tuning into my live video with Jane Friedman!

I hope you will join me in pushing the boundaries to ask the “taboo” questions.

More soon,

Ashley

P.S. If you’re new here, Write My Story is a newsletter about the craft of writing personal stories & paving your own path in publishing. Come get cozy in the Craft Corner or check out the open call for submissions in our Featured Writing section! (Check out our very first Featured Writer, Liz Ryan!)

Next up… I’ll be LIVE with Kathleen Schmidt on Thursday, October 22 at 12 PM ET!

🗓️ Add it to your calendar here.

Hi friend,

If you missed it, submissions are open to be published on Write My Story in the Featured Writing section! Head over here to read the full submission guidelines.

On Friday, I went LIVE with Liz Ryan, our first Featured Writer. Liz is a writer, coach, and a professional hype woman who helps people realign their time with what matters most. She has a wonderful Substack called journals on the journey. In October, she’s hosting a Time Tracking Challenge and a workshop on Values-Based Time Management if you’re like me and your calendar + values could use a little reset this fall.

Our conversation covered writing process in early motherhood, questions about making money publishing our work, and Liz even read her lovely piece! Here are just a few of the highlights:

* Call for submissions for various forms of personal stories!

* Realigning our time with what matters most

* Writing process with young children

* Shifting goals of artistic expression and monetizing our art

* …and so much more.

Want to be considered for publication in the Featured Writing section to share your work with a new audience? You must be a paid subscriber to submit your work for consideration for publication. There are no rules for how long you must be a paid subscriber! Feel free to pay for one month, submit your work, and then go back to a free subscription.

Write My Story is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

I hope you will feel inspired to write in any pockets of time today.

More soon,

Ashley

P.S. If you’re new here, Write My Story is a newsletter about the craft of writing personal stories & paving your own path in publishing. Join me in a posture of curiosity and learning from experts who I admire in our Craft Corner—recently, we dug into foggy brains and vulnerability hangovers.

On Thursday, September 17 @ 12PM EST, I went LIVE with Brooke Warner for the first interview in the new series, Publishing & Money.

🎥 Watch our full interview here.

Next up… I’ll be LIVE with Jane Friedman on Thursday, October 8 @ 12PM EST. The live session will be open to everyone and the full recording will be available to all paid subscribers.

🗓️ Add it to your calendar here.

Hi friend,

Welcome to the first in the new series called Publishing & Money. Thank you to everyone who stuck with us through some challenging technical issues!

Today I had the privilege of speaking with Brooke Warner. Brooke is publisher of She Writes Press, author of six books on the subjects of publishing and memoir, and the cohost of Memoir Nation with Grant Faulkner. She also writes a weekly Substack newsletter called Writerly Things with Brooke Warner.

This conversation covered many topics that I haven’t heard discussed in other places. Brooke gave us in-depth insight into her personal career choices and the publishing landscape. Here are just a few of the highlights:

* Creative control and transparency in hybrid publishing that is often a blind spot in traditional publishing

* How the love of the craft and money making can work together

* The Catch-22 of book publishing: you need a platform to publish a book, but you need a book to build a platform

* What happens when authors come to publishing with a 1950s mindset

* Traditional publishers who shut authors out

* AI’s threat to human expression

* …and so much more.

The Publishing & Money series LIVE interviews will be open for everyone to join, with recordings reserved for paid subscribers. Because we had so many technical issues with the audio and had to reboot a few times (!!), I am sending this full recording of our interview out to all subscribers — paid and free. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to continue to support the work it takes to prep for this series!

Write My Story is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Thank you Holly Sneeringer, Emily K. Michael, Writer, and many others for tuning into my live video with Brooke Warner! Join me for my next live video in the app.

I hope you will join me in this posture of curiosity and learning.

More soon,

Ashley

P.S. If you’re new here, Write My Story is a newsletter about the craft of writing personal stories & paving your own path in publishing. Last week, we learned about voice and vulnerability from Beth Ann Fennelly.

Join me in October when I chat with Jane Friedman and Kathleen Schmidt for the next in our Publishing & Money series.