Featured 2026 Women in Publishing Summit Day 1 Speakers

We are thrilled to introduce you to the speakers for Day One of the 2026 Women in Publishing Summit.

We are bringing in best-selling authors, writing experts, and publishing professionals to speak on a variety of topics—inspiration, encouragement, and collaboration advice.

The Women in Publishing Summit is a four-day virtual publishing conference for women, running March 8–11. All sessions are recorded, and you can rewatch them as many times as you’d like through the end of the year. We also have networking, community-building events, and special bonus sessions, plus a Virtual Sponsor Booth session to meet with our sponsors and learn about the best products and services for authors and publishing professionals. 

The best part is that you get to be a part of the WIP community all year long with free webinars, monthly networking sessions, and access to sponsor discounts.

Be sure to get your ticket today so you can enjoy all of the conference sessions and revisit the recorded content all year!

And now, we will introduce the speakers for Day One of the 2026 Women in Publishing Summit.

Day 1 (3:00–3:55 PM ET/NY): Fireside Chat

“Three Founders, One Vision: Lessons from Building an Impact-Driven Writing Community” with Sage Moreaux, Katherine Suzette, Zinzi Bree

What happens when three writers decide to stop working in isolation and start building something bigger than themselves? In this inspiring session, the founders of Book Dragon Ink share their journey from individual writers struggling with creative blocks to collaborative entrepreneurs who’ve grown a thriving podcast and online writing retreat business from little more than a dream.

During this talk they’ll discuss many of the challenges they faced (and continue to manage) including:

• How to align multiple founders around core values and mission while honoring individual strengths and perspectives.
• Strategies for staying strong and motivated when facing external obstacles like financial constraints, market uncertainty, and imposter syndrome.
• How they maintain team cohesion and authentic collaboration when internal pressures arise.

Aspiring creative entrepreneurs will discover proven collaboration frameworks and authentic growth strategies from three founders who built a thriving writing community business from scratch.

Katherine, Zinzi, and Sage are the co-founders of Book Dragon Ink, a women-owned business that seeks to transform writing experiences around the globe through online and in-person retreats, coaching, and a supportive, creative community.

Sage Moreaux is a speculative fiction author, professional book content reviewer, book coach in-training, literacy advocate, podcast co-host for Book Dragon Banter, and co-founder of Book Dragon Ink. Her experience and love of well-written stories that touch the minds and hearts of readers has instilled a passion for bringing her love of story and writing skills to her own bookish communities.

Katherine Suzette writes all things sassy and strange from her mental menagerie in the realm of speculative fiction. She is a book editor and coach for her business Book Dragon Editorial, co-host of the podcast Book Dragon Banter, and co-founder of Book Dragon Ink. Her passions lead her to helping her community of writers create books they’re proud to share.

Zinzi Bree is a cozy fantasy writer, host of “Write With Me, Zinzi Bree,” which meets multiple times a week for writing sprints, as well as lead host for the podcast Book Dragon Banter and co-founder of Book Dragon Ink. Her passion (outside of her family) is building like-minded community around her favorite things: writing and books.

Day 1 (4:00–5:00 PM ET/NY): Keynote Message

“A Latina Warrior’s Journey: Moving Beyond Trauma to Empowerment” with Lisa Carrington Firmin

This session will provide real lived examples of how one can move beyond trauma using prose, poetry, and the arts to be empowered to help heal yourself and others.

In “A Latina Warrior’s Journey,” Lisa will provide insights into her healing journey from her experiences in the military (combat in Iraq), higher education, and as an entrepreneur.

What makes this presentation even more powerful is that Lisa had to navigate these institutions/systems as an underrepresented woman, as a Latina who experienced sexual assault, sexual harassment, and gender and ethnic discrimination. It took 10 years after she retired from the military for her to finally confront her lived experiences and to admit she had PTSD and was ready to meet her demons of sexual assault head-on.

She wrote about her healing journey in her autobiography, Latina Warrior, in a unique format of poems, prose and art. She collaborated with another woman combat veteran who illustrated the 50 poems in Latina Warrior, a partnership that evolved into a business and lasting bond.

Attendees will learn:

• It is never too late to confront trauma and to start a healing journey.
• One’s vulnerability can actually become a superpower of empowerment and authenticity.
• How to own your narrative, write your story, flip the trauma to work for you, take a stand, and impact individuals, systems, and institutions. 
• The power of collaboration in healing.
• How to collaborate with others to be a voice for the voiceless.
• How to write and speak from both scars and wounds and thrive instead of just surviving. 

Lisa Carrington Firmin is a Bronze Star-decorated, U.S. Air Force combat veteran, award-winning author, international best-selling co-author, poet, and entrepreneur. A proud Latina and founder of multiple initiatives supporting women veterans, Lisa is the author of Latina Warrior (2023), a powerful collection of poems, prose, and art chronicling her journey through trauma, resilience, and empowerment. Her work—featured by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Library of Congress, and the Military Women’s Memorial—uses storytelling and creativity as tools for recovery and advocacy.

Honored with a Legacy Pioneer Award from Shield of Sisters for her groundbreaking work to educate and prevent Military Sexual Trauma (MST), Lisa continues to keynote nationally, lead Writing to Heal workshops, and serve on the VA Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans. Through her writing, speaking, and mentorship, she inspires others to turn pain into purpose and to use story as a bridge for healing, understanding, and collective strength.

Thanks to our 2026 Speaker Selection Committee!

Our selection committee spent hours pouring over hundreds of submissions, looking at our requirements, and trying to balance the schedule so we have great content for authors and publishing professionals. They do this voluntarily and in service to the community.

So please, help me recognize:

Pam Sheppard, a seasoned and sought-after guest expert. Pam spent over 25 years in Sales and Marketing with Big Five publishers: Simon & Schuster, Random House, and Crown Publishers. She spent 9 more years selling for over 40 mid-sized and small publishers as a commissioned representative, which overlapped with 20 years of editing and consulting new and experienced writers for their independent or traditional publishing projects. New applications of her COMP Analysis reports have supported the marketing efforts of authors and independent publishers alike. Pam now uses her vast knowledge to help authors by: developing an idea, evaluating a manuscript in any stage of its development, designing a formal book proposal, or offering a deep dive into a COMP marketing analysis. Learn more at https://www.shepedits.com/

Danielle Butler, a purpose-driven ghostwriter, author, creative strategist, and social justice warrior. Danielle is a seven-times independently published author. Her award-winning children’s book series, The Adventures of Zoe & Zachary, has landed her in the midst of industry and corporate conversations on diversity in the children’s publishing space. Danielle’s ghostwriting has supported the goals of individuals, organizations, and brands. Learn more at https://www.edaniellebutler.com/

Linda Ruggeri, a bilingual editor, an award-winning author, and a full-service freelance nonfiction editor based in Los Angeles. Linda is skilled in all areas of publishing: writing, developmental editing, line editing, copyediting, translating, self-publishing, and book marketing. Her specialty is memoir (historical, family, medical, professional, travel, spiritual, cultural), cookbooks, gardening books, and how-to guides. Her clients include first-time authors, experienced writers, ghostwriters, as well as publishers. Learn more at https://www.theinsightfuleditor.com/

Alesha Brown, CEO of Fruition Publishing Concierge Services®, Editor-in-Chief of Published! Magazine™, and Producer at Alesha Brown Production is an award-winning entrepreneur, publisher, and visibility strategist. She specializes in helping authors transform books into sustainable businesses by creating multiple revenue streams, securing media features, and building long-term influence. Through her Profitable Author Association and Published! Magazine™, she equips authors and publishing professionals with the systems, strategies, and media readiness tools to thrive in today’s competitive and AI-driven landscape. Learn more at https://fruitionpublishing.com/ 

We owe them a HUGE thank you for the hard work and time spent pulling together this incredible lineup of speakers!

The 2026 Women In Publishing Summit virtual conference will open with Lisa’s keynote address on International Women’s Day and run March 8–11. Tickets are on sale and available at https://womeninpublishingsummit.com.