Bryan Thomas Schmidt

Bryan Thomas Schmidt is a Hugo Award-nominated editor and author.

What led you to start working in digital/media publishing?

I have always been making up stories since I was very young. My mother said I never played with a toy the same way twice and would get frustrated when toys couldn’t do the things I saw them doing in my head. From that natural drive to storytelling, finding a medium took a bit of a journey from screenwriting and playwriting to journalism then prose but digital is where we are now so that came naturally.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I wake up to do social media, email, etc. then I play my day and usually begin with writing in the morning, then editing late morning to early afternoon. More rest and social media/email. Then I write and edit again in the evening as deadlines dictate.

What’s your work setup like?

I use Scrivener for first drafts of novels and Word for everything else, including polishing drafts. I use TypeItIn for saving common editorial notes and explanations. I use Chrome for browsing, Outlook for email, and then my smartphone which is Android. My laptop is a Dell. That’s the bulk of it.

What do you do to get inspired?

Read, watch TV, observe people, go out and have adventures and experience life, research—all this and more. Whatever works. I do have a lot of ideas backed up ready to work on, which also helps.

What’s your favorite piece of writing or quote?

Lord Valentine’s Castle by Robert Silverberg would be high on the list, along with The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien, The Chronicle of Distant Worlds by Mike Resnick would be another.

What is the passionate problem you are tackling at the moment?

Lord Valentine’s Castle by Robert Silverberg would be high on the list, along with The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien, The Chronicle of Distant Worlds by Mike Resnick would be another.

Do you have any advice for ambitious digital publishing and media professionals who are just starting out?

Networking is everything. It will open more doors and lead you to more opportunities than anything else. Learn to network, learn to talk about yourself and your work without feeling like you are bragging, and learn to be respectful and kind and relatable to people, whether they share your politics, religion, and other beliefs or not. That will do more for your success than anything else.