The Write Spxt is a weekly newsletter from a book marketer with a decade of experience at two Big Five publishers. It’s for writers seeking publishing tools, readers looking for great recs, and humans who love to journal, observe, and reflect.
Today, Amanda Armstrong-Frank serves as the Senior Director of Workplace Culture & Diversity Initiatives at Simon & Schuster. But over the course of her 30-year career in book publishing, she has filled many roles, transforming many lives.
More than ten years ago, I found Amanda on LinkedIn. I was living in South Florida, trying to figure out how to work with books. My approach back then was simple: find familiar faces in publishing and ask if they’d be open to me asking them a few questions.
It didn’t work. No one knew who I was and time is precious.
So, I packed my bags and moved to the publishing capital of the world: New York. I told my husband, “I need to put a face to my name!” A year of hustling later, when I finally walked through the doors of a Big Five publisher, it was Amanda’s office I went looking for.
In this conversation, Amanda speaks the kind of truth that changes lives, including my own. It’s the work done behind the scenes: patiently and intentionally.
In this chat, we dive into…
* what real DEI work looks like behind the scenes
* how to build a purpose-driven career that lasts
* why staying can be as powerful as speaking up
Media mentioned while chatting with Amanda
* “Worse than Slavery” by David M. Oshinsky READ
* The Coldest Winter by Sister Souljah READ
* 50 Cent Publisher Page BROWSE
* Spike Lee Publisher Page BROWSE
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