Her Story
About Jennie
I've been teaching for 21 years, and my main focus is as a 5th grade teacher where I teach math, science, and social studies. I have a master's degree in education, and I went on to earn an additional 30 graduate credits in literacy and technology to advance in my school district. Publishing my first children's book in July of last year was a huge milestone for me - it took about 3 years from start to finish, including writing, illustration, and finding a publisher. I wanted the feeling of having a publisher and not doing it all myself, at least for the first one. Now I'm actively promoting the book through elementary school assemblies and author visits - I've done about 6 or 7 so far, and I have two more scheduled. Over the summer, I did a lot of library visits and bookstore visits just to meet people and get the book out there. Most of my time now is spent focused on promoting the book and looking into book festivals in the New York, New Jersey area to get more exposure. I'm also working with my illustrator to get Book 2 out there and trying to figure out how to get my book to Scholastic for school book fairs. Beyond my professional work, I serve as PTO president at my daughter's school.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Jennie
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to really putting a lot of hard work and effort into everything I do. My grandparents kind of instilled that in me - that nothing comes for free or without working for it. My grandfather was a very hard worker, and he just set that example that if you work for things, you get what you want. Those qualities they taught me have carried through both my teaching career and my journey as an author.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I don't know if it's anything that I've ever received from someone else, but career advice that I've come to learn is that if you really want something, it takes a lot of hard work and dedication. And you have to be able to accept no, and even ghosting. I got hundreds of no's from publishers, but all you need is one yes. You can get 100 no's, but all you need is one publisher to say yes to you.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't give up. All you need is one yes. You can get 100 no's, but all you need is one yes. I got hundreds of no's before I found my publisher, but I only needed one publisher to say yes to me. Keep going and don't let rejection stop you.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge in publishing is finding a publisher. That's one of the hardest parts - researching different publishing companies that are accepting unsolicited manuscripts, writing personalized cover letters to everyone so it's not just a cookie-cutter thing, and then dealing with the fact that so many people don't even bother to respond. As for teaching, I think one of the biggest challenges is the lack of respect for teachers. I feel like the profession is no longer respected the way that it used to be, by kids and parents, and even by administration. They just kind of dump so much onto all of us, and the expectations are completely unrealistic for what we're given.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Being dedicated and trustworthy are the most important values to me. Those qualities go into both of my professions. You have to love what you do to be able to keep doing it, and you have to trust the people that you're working with and speaking with. Dedication and trust are essential in everything I do.
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