I’m thrilled to welcome
to the pod this week! In this interview, Kathleen shares how hostessing and waiting tables prepared her for future careers in public relations and book publishing.Kathleen has ALL the scoop on what’s happening in publishing and is an immensely helpful and generous resource for those looking to learn about the book biz or get published. So, I was particularly excited to hear that we had something in common—that she was making ends meet at the beginning of her career by working in the service industry.
I had such a lovely time getting to know Kathleen, and I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did!
“Hostessing and waitressing really prepared me for doing PR because all you're doing is dealing with a million different personalities, and you have to be able to think on your feet. You have to be able to do conflict resolution very diplomatically. I picked up a lot of those skills … and I took them with me.”
In this episode, we talk about:
Kathleen’s experience working in the service industry while attending college
Her preference for waitressing over hosting
Customer pet peeves
Her decision to start her own PR company and her successful Substack newsletter,
, where she demystifies the publishing industry.Some tips for aspiring writers including the importance of doing research and educating oneself about the publishing industry
Questions that come up the most during her consultations with authors
Advice on how to take care of yourself in your work life and how it's not your business what other people think of you.
Dating people you work with (or rather, NOT doing that)
“Do your homework. There's a lot of information available about the publishing industry and a lot of information about what it's like to try to get an agent. Read everything you can about that because you don't want to get into the industry and then all of a sudden be surprised that it doesn't pay as well as you had imagined. That information is available.”
About Kathleen Schmidt
Formally employed at: Waitress and hostess at South Street Trattoria in Morristown, NJ.
Author of:
on SubstackFavorite writing ritual: Sitting at Starbucks with a venti cappuccino
Favorite cocktail to order from the bar: Mojito
Favorite meal to order: Sushi or excellent Italian food
What you do for work now: Publishing Consultant
Bio: Kathleen Schmidt is the Founder of Kathleen Schmidt Public Relations. She’s previously worked in all aspects of the industry, as a literary agent, acquisitions editor, and ghostwriter. Her career encompasses 30 years of creating and directing impactful and strategic global media, marketing, and branding campaigns for politicians, A-List celebrities, athletes, and high-profile personalities. To date, she has worked on 50 New York Times bestsellers, and her clients have continuously appeared in top-tier national print, broadcast, and radio outlets.
You just have to understand like the amount of pressure some people are under, especially on the busiest nights. But there's no reason in the world to be rude. That's my biggest pet peeve. And when I see anyone at a restaurant, still to this day, the rudeness just kind of astounds me. You have to check your privilege. Those people are not working for you. They're trying to serve you because you have the privilege of going out to eat somewhere.
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"I may not be able to tell you where anybody I've ever hired went to college, but I can tell you if they worked in the service industry or not because I tend to favor that on resumes."