Industry Expert
26 Years of Book Publishing
I spent 12+ years in traditional publishing houses (2000-2012) and the last 15 years trailblazing the way for hybrid publishing. I write a weekly Substack newsletter, “Writerly Things,” which focuses publishing and memoir. I’m a past regular contributor to Publishers Weekly and The Huffington Post books section.
I speak on panels, present keynotes, and teach nationally on subjects including the state of the industry, hybrid publishing, memoir, women in the publishing industry, and more. I’ve interviewed more authors than I can count in person and on my weekly podcast, Memoir Nation.
Weekly Podcast
My weekly podcast, co-hosted with Grant Faulkner, former Executive Director of National Novel Writing Month, has been offering weekly inspiration to writers and readers since 2018. Each week we interview an author or a publishing expert on topics that support and inspire. We end each podcast with an industry trend. Subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Speaking
I speak and teach regularly—in person and online:
- Conferences
- Small writers’ groups and clubs
- Festivals and book events
- Online events of all sorts
Interviewing
I have had the great privilege to interview onstage:
- Mary Karr, Tayari Jones, Eve Ensler, Naomi Klein, Rachel Cusk, Mark Nepo, and others
- Favorites from my podcast include: Kiese Laymon, Piper Kerman, Liz Gilbert, Ashley C. Ford, Abigail Thomas, and countless others. See a full list of memoirists who’ve been on Memoir Nation here.
Writing
- Since 2023, I’ve been writing a weekly newsletter on Substack at “Writerly Things.” I cover book publishing and memoir writing, and occasionally offer some personal stories and writing of my own.
- I am a former regular contributor to Publishers Weekly. You can find past articles here.
- My six-month memoir intensive, Write Your Memoir in Six Months, has been in The New York Times and The Mercury News.
- I was featured in The Mercury News in 2021 for a story called: “Writing through COVID-19: Berkeley memoir coach explains how tough times spur great storytelling.”
- I’m a regular interviewer for both the Bay Area Book Festival and LitQuake, and I’ve interviewed on-stage Eve Ensler, Rachel Cusk, Tayari Jones, Naomi Klein, Nicole Chung, and many others.
- Brooke was a regular blogger for Huffington Post, for years before they closed their contributor platform. You can find her archived articles on publishing, the industry, writing, author platform, and more.
Books
Authored by Brooke
Brooke Warner was a literary activist for diversity and equality before it was a movement. As an author-advocate she continues to champion alternatives to publishing's business-as-usual offerings in a straightforward and passionate manner. She was a keynote speaker at the 2020 San Francisco Writers Conference and she blew everyone away!
Recent Insights
Hybrid Publishing: From Frontier to Mainstream
This post from April 2025 covers the origins of hybrid publishing, and some of my observations about why hybrid publishing is officially and finally mainstream.
