Wise Ink Co-Founder Amy Quale Selected as “40 Under 40” Honoree
Wise Ink co-founder and chief publishing officer Amy Quale was honored as one of the 40 Under 40 in the Minneapolis/ St. Paul Business Journal! We are so proud of Amy’s visionary work in publishing every day.
We got the chance to interview her about this milestone moment!
Q: You were just selected for the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” honorees. How does it feel to be recognized as one of the most influential business and community leaders in the Twin Cities?
Really humbling. It feels amazing, and I’m so grateful for the honor. It’s certainly not a result of my efforts alone—my incredible business partner, Dara Beevas, and our entire team has brought about this recognition. It was just taking one step at a time every day for ten years, staying focused on the goal of creating social impact through publishing. This recognition represents the cumulative efforts of our whole team over the past decade since Wise Ink launched as a scrappy little blog on February 1, 2012!
Q: This award recognizes leaders who exemplify professional success—but more importantly, it recognizes leaders who contribute to their communities. What Wise Ink community initiatives are you the most proud of?
I’m so proud of our efforts to diversify the publishing industry through our Pathway to Publishing Fellowship. The idea originally came from our editorial director Alyssa Bluhm in June of 2020, right after the murder of George Floyd. We knew we wanted to have a hand in creating a more equitable future, and the industry in which we operated has always been notoriously white. This matters because, as we know, books and media are responsible for recording history, and when the lens through which those words are written, selected, edited, and marketed is all through the white lens, our history is literally being documented through one cultural lens. This fellowship provides scholarships for editing certificates, professional mentorship, and paid industry experience to diverse candidates. I’m also extremely proud of our work from 2017 – 2019 with the Arbor Day Foundation and Neighborhood Forest to offset our carbon footprint with reforestation projects and providing trees and education to kids through schools.
Q: There were over 350 nominations for this award. What about your experience do you think made you stand out?
Dara and I decided early on that corporate responsibility would be a critical component to our organization from day one. We have focused on creating change since our inception, even in the earliest days as we bootstrapped our business. We didn’t have any angel investors or other capital, but we chose to invest in causes we care about in the ways that we could even when we were a two-person organization with only a handful of clients. I think it was a unique approach to building a small business.
Q: Oftentimes the work publishers do is behind-the-scenes, uplifting authors without sharing the spotlight. How does it feel to have your contributions recognized in a public way?
I like being behind the scenes! In all honesty, I’m stepping out of my comfort zone with this recognition, but I definitely feel like it’s representative of the collective contributions on our team. But I do feel like my work in the world is to be a bridge that allows other changemakers reach their full impact—I love being a pathway for others create change.
Q: How has your role in the Twin Cities evolved since you founded Wise Ink in 2013?
We’ve worked with all different kinds of corporations, nonprofits, and individual authors over the years. I have personally loved leaning into the message that books are a tool to create impact—for the author, for the individual readers, and for the world at large. I feel like my role in the industry has been to provide a space for books to be created with the quality and resources of a traditional press for clients who desire independence, but to build every book from the ground up with a mission-centered approach. My magic in the world really lies in helping authors at all levels navigate the writing process with ease, baby steps, and intentionality.
Q: If I know you, your work is just getting started. What do you look forward to creating in the next five years?
We are significantly expanding our writing support and marketing support for authors this year! In 2023, we have plans to unveil two new departments that will support authors and their work for the entirety of their author journey. This will mean a transition from just being a publishing company to being a full media company. In the next five years, I see our work in the world expanding significantly beyond the Midwest and even internationally.