This week I sat down with Janae Marks, the critically acclaimed author of middle grade novels From the Desk of Zoe Washington and A Soft Place to Land. We get to hear about her journey from writing as a side hustle to becoming a full time author. Now, her best selling book is soon to be a Disney Original movie, produced by Kerry Washington!  In episode 328 Janae shares: How impactful and important her novels are for young Black kids  How to get started as a new author and the reality of how long the process all takes The pros and cons of self-publishing vs pitching a publishing house  How Disney Channel picked up her novel to become an original movie, executive produced by Kerry Washington Check out this episode and others on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube  This episode is brought to you by:  HubSpot Podcast Network- The audio destination for business professionals with content designed to help you listen, learn, and grow. Listen to Side Hustle Pro and more shows on the HubSpot Podcast Network, at https://www.hubspot.com/podcastnetwork.  Links mentioned in this episode Tufts University: https://www.tufts.edu/  The New School Masters Program: https://www.newschool.edu/writing/  Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators: https://www.scbwi.org/ Simon and Schuster: https://www.simonandschuster.com/  Harper Collins: https://www.harpercollins.com/  Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rss Announcements Join our Facebook Community If you’re looking for a community of supportive side hustlers who are all working to take our businesses to the next level, join us here: http://sidehustlepro.co/facebook Guest Social Media Info Janae’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janaemarksbooks/  Janae’s Website: http://www.janaemarks.com