Cynsations is celebrating its 20th anniversary by switching to a quarterly publishing schedule, featuring in-depth interviews and articles. Thank you for your ongoing support and enthusiasm!
Janet Nolan is a successful children’s author with a long, distinguished career.
In children’s-YA writing, maintaining an active publishing career is arguably an even bigger challenge than breaking into the field. Reflecting on your personal journey (creatively, career-wise, and your writer’s heart), what bumps did you encounter and how have you managed to defy the odds to achieve continued success?
Picture books take readers on a journey, and my career as a writer has been no different.
I’ve experienced twists and turns, highs and lows, setbacks, and unexpected bumps along the way, just as any good plot demands.
I never planned on becoming a writer. Instead, I stumbled in. I was working in the environmental field when my boss asked me to write a recycling brochure for children. I wrote the brochure at work. At home, I wrote a recycling story that thankfully has never seen the light of day. The story was terrible, but the writing was fun, so I wrote another. And then another, and another. I considered my stories the artistic equivalent of singing in the shower—harmless, but fun!
I kept my day job, but I didn’t stop writing stories. Along the way, I joined SCBWI, found a critique group, started submitting, and, after countless rejections, I sold my first picture book, The St. Patrick’s Day Shillelagh, illustrated by Ben Stahl (Albert Whitman, 2002).
It would be nice to say it’s been smooth sailing ever since, but I’m not an unreliable narrator.
One particularly memorable low coincided with the release of my nonfiction picture book, The Firehouse Light, illustrated by Marie LaFrance (Tricycle Press/Random House, 2010). The Firehouse Light tells the true story of a 4-watt light bulb that has continuously burned in a firehouse in Livermore, California since 1901. (See Janet’s previous Cynsations post about researching The Firehouse Light.)
Random House bought Tricycle Press, and the imprint was shut down. The Firehouse Light got lost in the transition. I love that book and feel terrible that it never got the support it needed to succeed.
I could focus on the negative, and (trust me) I often do. The rejections. The gaps between book sales. And the books that did not do as well as I’d hoped. I’ve thought about quitting. I’ve tried quitting. But the writing always calls me back.
Instead, I choose to focus on the positive. The books I’ve written. The illustrators I’ve been fortunate to work with. The editors who’ve taught me how to be a better writer. The readers I’ve touched. The students I’ve spoken to. The books I’m working on, and the books I hope to write. This is what fills my writer’s heart.
So, I kept going and wrote more books.
One of my cherished highs was having my nonfiction book, Seven and a Half Tons of Steel: A Post-9/11 Story of Hope and Transformation, illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez (Peachtree Publishers, 2019), selected for the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.
Seven and a Half Tons of Steel tells the true story of the USS New York, a Navy ship whose bow contains 71/2 tons of steel from a World Trade Center Tower’s beam. Attending the festival with Thomas Gonzalez, who did a masterful job with the illustrations, was a true career highlight.
To answer your question, there have been bumps along the way, but “staying the course” is a matter of perspective when it comes to defying the odds.
If you had it to do all over again, what – if anything – would you do differently?
If I had to do it over again, I would have understood:
- If I don’t take myself seriously, no one else will.
- If I don’t carve out time for writing, no one will carve it out for me.
- If I don’t take a risk, no one will take one for me.
The above might sound easy enough, but (at least for me), they were hard-fought lessons. The struggle comes from owning one’s identity. I had to decide:
- Am I a writer?
- Or am I someone who dabbles in writing when I get around to making time?
If I wanted to define myself as a writer, I had to accept what comes with the definition:
- Being open to feedback from my critique group, editors, and agents.
- Accepting that rejections come with the craft.
- Learning that selling a book is not the ending. It is the beginning.
The field and body of literature are always evolving. For you, what have been the stand-out changes in the world of children’s-YA writing, literature, and publishing? What do you think of them and why?
I love the range of narrative nonfiction picture books being published. Readers can explore scientific discoveries, natural habitats, ecosystems, history, technological advances, and more through books with engaging text and captivating illustrations.
I’m impressed by the authors and illustrators who’ve created beautiful nonfiction picture books, often addressing complex topics, in innovative and compelling ways. Their stories ignite imaginations, spark curiosity, and encourage learning.
I’m proud to have made a small contribution to the field of narrative nonfiction with four of my books:
- The Firehouse Light
- PB&J Hooray! Your Sandwiches Amazing Journey from Farm to Table [illustrated by Julia Patton (Albert Whitman, 2014)]
- Seven and a Half Tons of Steel: A Post-9/11 Story of Hope and Transformation
- Bats Beneath the Bridge [illustrated by Emily Cox (Albert Whitman, 2024)]
As a big fan of narrative nonfiction, I love the trend and hope it continues.
Tell us about your latest and/or upcoming books! How did they come to be? What were the joys and challenges of bringing them to life?
I have two books out in my Get Ready series. Get Ready for School, illustrated by Marie Neradova (Albert Whitman, 2023) came out last fall.
The next in the series, Get Ready for Halloween, illustrated by Amy Zhing (Albert Whitman), comes out in September 2024.
The concept for Get Ready is that planning and preparing can be as fun and exciting as the event itself. I worked on the Get Ready concept (books that capture the excitement and anticipation that builds before something begins) for years before (finally) getting it right. What was missing was the joy and sense of community. I had the details, but not the partnership of everyone working together to make something magical happen.
Also released this fall is a nonfiction picture book.
Bats Beneath the Bridge, illustrated by Emily Cox (Albert Whitman, 2024) this true story chronicles how the people of Austin overcame their fear of the over one million bats nesting under the Congress Avenue Bridge and learned to love their nocturnal neighbors.
Dr. Merlin Tuttle, a renowned bat biologist and conservationist, played a pivotal role in educating residents about the environmental benefits of Mexican free-tail bats.
In late August, I traveled to Austin to celebrate bats! I had the best time launching Bats Beneath the Bridge at BookPeople Bookstore alongside moderators Melissa Donnelly, Merlin Tuttle Bat Conservation science specialist, and author Evan Griffith.
I also loved presenting Bats Beneath the Bridge, about Dr. Merlin Tuttle and his team’s efforts to save the Congress Avenue Bridge bats, to Dr. Merlin Tuttle on Austin’s official Merlin Tuttle Day! My hope for this book is for readers to understand that education has the power to change hearts and minds.
What advice would you give to your beginning self, if that version of you was a debut author this year?
Be patient, that’s for sure. Things go slow in publishing, sometimes incredibly slow, until they go fast.
Enjoy the ride without worrying about what comes next.
Do what you can to promote your book, but understand you can’t do everything.
Ask for help. I don’t have the skills to design a website or create a book trailer. Thankfully, I found an amazing person who could.
If I were a debut author, I would say, “Celebrate! You’ve published a book!”
How about for those in their writing apprenticeships, at the start of their writing journeys? What craft and career advice could you share?
Join SCBWI. Go to conferences.
Join a critique group, but make sure it’s the right critique group for you. Find writing partners who help bring out the best in your writing, rather than push their writing style onto you. Critiquing is not an easy skill. It takes time to learn how to critique and be critiqued.
And trust me, don’t delete your first draft. I say this from personal experience. Whatever you wrote in that (often terrible) first draft contains a kernel of an idea, a word, or a phrase that will make it into your final draft.
Another thing I can say, with some authority, is children’s writers are the nicest, kindest, most supportive people you’ll ever meet. Truly!
What do you wish for children’s-YA writers and readers, looking to the future?
- Children will always find themselves in a book.
- Book banning will end.
- Teachers and librarians will be valued for their work in literacy and their ability to foster a love of reading and storytelling.
- Thought-provoking, mind-expanding, beautiful books will continue to be published. Children deserve to read the very best literature has to offer.
As a writer, what do you wish for yourself in the future?
I want to continue writing and publishing good books.
I want to continue presenting at schools. I love engaging with students. Their energy fuels my creativity and school visits remind me of why I write. It’s for them, the readers.
I have found a place for myself in the world of children’s literature, and I’d love to stay a while longer.
Cynsational Notes
Janet Nolan loves the collaborative art of the picture book — how a writer’s words and an illustrator’s art come together to create something magical. As an award-winning author, her picture books range from fiction to nonfiction to historical fiction. She searches for stories that haven’t been told and fresh perspectives on events that bind us all together.
Janet lives in Oak Park, Illinois. She has a B.A. from The Evergreen State College and a master’s degree in urban planning and policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Janet is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).
Gayleen Rabakukk holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts and an undergraduate degree in Journalism from the University of Central Oklahoma. She has published numerous newspaper and magazine articles, and two regional interest books for adults. She is represented by Terrie Wolf of AKA Literary Management.
She serves as board member for Lago Vista’s Friends of the Library and also leads a book club for young readers at the library. She’s active in Austin SCBWI and has taught creative writing workshops for the Austin Public Library Foundation. She loves inspiring curiosity in young readers through stories of hope and adventure. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter.