Have you ever considered leaving your day job for a life of reading and writing professionally? No doubt you have a passion for publishing, but what courageous steps have you taken to elevate it’s priority in your life? How much time are you carving out to reach you goals? In this interview with traditionally published author, Kaitlin Scirri, see what barriers she chose to overcome and what life is like on the other side of the publishing curtain.

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Kait, it’s an honor to have you for an interview. You’ve had your finger on the pulse of the publishing industry for years and publish a unique type of work ranging from the biographical to technology trends and social impacts thereof. Before we dive into your current projects, catch us up on who the Kait behind Kait’s Bookshelf is. What started the literary spark for you and what pushes you to keep writing?

Hi Rhys! Thank you for having me for an interview. Some of my earliest memories are of books and reading. I remember being excited to learn to read so I could dive into books all by myself any time I wanted to. Childhood favorites included Frog and Toad and Nancy Drew. Once I learned to write, I began writing stories of my own. I loved – and still love – getting lost in words, made-up worlds, and creating new adventures. My passion for books has continued into my adult life and fueled me to leave my career in customer service behind to pursue a career in writing. In 2014, I became a college freshman at age 31! In 2016, I launched my website, http://KaitsBookshelf.com, to have a place to write about books and connect with the reading and writing community. In 2017, I received my bachelor’s in writing with a minor in religious studies, and my days have been filled with reading and writing ever since.

Wow, leaving your career behind must have been a massive transition. How did you know it was the right time to take such a giant leap into prioritizing your literary pursuits? Many consider this idea a dream yet most keep holding off. What have been the biggest challenges and greatest joys of making the switch?

While I was very good at my job and had begun building a successful career, I just wasn’t satisfied. I liked my job well enough and was grateful for it, but I didn’t enjoy it. I found myself spending most of my free time reading, writing, and thinking up story ideas. I realized I was happiest doing that and wanted more time to devote to it. I started searching for a job in the publishing industry doing anything related to reading, writing, or editing. But I quickly realized I’d need a degree and experience to get a foot in the door. That’s when the idea of going back to school came up.

With the encouragement and support of my husband, I applied to college, got accepted, and quit my day job. It was definitely a difficult transition for both of us. I went from working a 9-5 Monday through Friday job to taking classes all day and working nights and weekends. I never had a free second to devote to reading for fun and forget about finding time to work on my story ideas! But by my junior and senior years, I was able to take some great creative writing classes and started developing my portfolio. As difficult as the transition was, it was so worth it. There is no better feeling than getting a story idea down on paper after it’s been bouncing around in my head for days, weeks, months, or even years! I’m excited about my work every day, and that keeps me going.

You’ve written a couple biographical books in the series, Great American Entrepreneurs, with a focus on Andrew Carnegie and Thomas Edison. How did the selection of those two historical figures come about and did you gleam anything from their life that has impacted your own? Did any of their habits or philosophies impact you enough to affect any of your habits?

That’s a great question! When my editor emailed me the list of people being profiled in the series, I jumped at the chance to write about Andrew Carnegie. I’m a huge advocate for public libraries and have always been appreciative of the role Carnegie played in encouraging literacy through establishing his libraries. I’m also fascinated by his philanthropy and his legacy of giving away his fortune. As for Thomas Edison, I was, and still am, intrigued by him. He had such a uniquely creative and inventive mind and sacrificed a lot, like his family life, to bring us incredible technological inventions like the motion picture camera and the phonograph. I sometimes catch myself wondering what Edison would think of my cell phone as I capture a short video or use voice-to-text. A big take away from that project for me was Edison’s philosophy of learning from his mistakes and not dwelling on his failures. I try to emulate this in my own career as a writer.

That’s very insightful and couldn’t be more applicable to the journey authors and illustrators take in the publishing industry. “Learning from his mistakes and not dwelling on his failures.” It’s a simple yet difficult truth to accept and live by. How has this manifested itself in your life visibly? What literary mistakes do you seek to learn from and what literary failures (though it’s such a strong word to use) propel you towards improving as a writer?

Well I think like most writers, the excitement of completing a manuscript has led me to query and pitch well before it was ready. I cringe now when I think about some of the sloppy copies that I’ve submitted over the years! Revision has become my best friend, but it is very hard to have the patience to put a work away for a bit and come back to it later with fresh eyes. But that’s where the discipline and craft of writing come into play. I try to learn from my mistakes and do that much better next time. As for rejections, well, we can view them as failures, but really it’s a part of the process. I like to look at my rejections as just one step closer to getting that “yes!” that I know is out there.

What you say rings so true and is echo’d by many successful authors and illustrators. Every no is taking us to the yes. And every rejection is guiding us in the direction we ultimately needed to go. I also look back on some queries I sent in that eager euphoria of a first draft I thought was perfect and just cover my eyes in embarrassment! And yet, those experiences are necessary for us to really grow and learn and hopefully help guide the next generation of eager, euphoric writers in their quest for publishing. As a published author, you’ve stepped across a very tangible, scary, tough line that although many others have crossed, many more feel defeated by. Is life different on the published-side of the line? In what ways has it been the same? Do you feel like your attitude or personality has changed when you grew from as-yet-unpublished to published? What would you say to your younger self, or those out there trying their hardest to cross the line but meeting that cold sting of rejections?

Being published is an incredible feeling for sure! The thrill of seeing my name on the cover of a book is something I dreamed of for years and still get excited about with each new book. My seventh and eighth books just released in January, and I experienced the same excitement all over again. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t still struggle just like other writers. For every work that gets published, I have several others that got rejected. While I love writing juvenile nonfiction, I’ve yet to cross the line into published fiction. So in many ways, things are still the same as I strive to achieve new goals in my writing career. As for my personality or attitude, I’m definitely more confident.

It’s a wonderful feeling when querying agents or editors to be able to provide a list of my published books. I’ve also been told by those close to me that I seem much happier since I’ve pursued writing full time. So I guess if I could say anything to my younger self or to those trying to cross the line, it would be don’t give up!! You’ll never make it across the finish line if you quit the race. I would also say to keep an open mind when it comes to publishing, especially when receiving feedback from agents and editors. They aren’t suggesting changes to your manuscript to be unkind. They are doing it because they think it will improve your manuscript. Having an open mind and a willingness to revise are essential for anyone working to become a published author.

Great insight and a wonderful reminder to not give up! What projects are you currently working on that are taking up most of your time and how did they come to be?

I’m currently working on a nonfiction children’s book for Cavendish Square publishing, scheduled for release Spring 2021. I was fortunate to get published with them while I was still in school, authoring a children’s book teaching civic values to grades two through five. I’ve been authoring for them ever since. My seventh and eighth books for them, biographies of Misty Copeland and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, just released in January 2020. Last month, an editor with Capstone Publishing reached out to me about authoring two titles in a new nonfiction series, also scheduled for publication Spring 2021. In addition to these nonfiction projects, I have a number of fiction picture books that I’m starting to query. It’s exciting to be expanding my portfolio!

Wow, very exciting! How do you go about writing your biographical pieces? Are there certain elements you look for when researching? Any particular areas you tend to stay away from?

My approach to biographical pieces depends largely on the audience. I’ve written biographies for readers as young as first grade all the way up through high school. For the older readers, the background information is more complex. I’ll often dig into the time period the subject lived in and provide some historical information. With younger readers, I want to make the subject’s story interesting and accessible to them. I always look for some interesting fact about the person, something intriguing that will engage readers and encourage them to learn more.

For example, with Misty Copeland, I found it interesting that she took her first ballet class in shorts, a t-shirt, and socks because she couldn’t afford ballet clothes like a leotard or shoes. An intriguing fact like that shows the humble background Copeland came from and makes her story and success even more inspiring. As for staying away from any areas, not really. I think it’s important to include both the positive and negative when writing about someone’s life or any subject really. With Andrew Carnegie, I obviously focused on his philanthropy but also pointed out that there were many who found him to be a corrupt businessman. There are two sides to every story, and I think it’s important that kids get the full picture so they can make up their own minds regarding a particular subject.

Fascinating! Now I want to read more about Misty Copeland! You’re clearly gifted at sifting through the facts and shining a necessary spotlight on just the right information for the target audience. Has your style been influenced by any authors who’s books you treasure and appreciate? Is there anyone you admire for how they wrote biographies?

Thank you! That’s a very nice compliment. And you should read more about Misty Copeland – she is simply phenomenal! I wouldn’t say my style has been influenced by any author in particular. I sort of just found my own voice when it comes to children’s nonfiction. But since I’ve started writing it, I’ve definitely found myself reading more of it, and there are definitely authors and series whose style I admire.

Brad Meltzer’s series of biographies for kids, Ordinary People Change the World, is just incredible. He also fills his biographies with interesting, little-known facts about his subjects, so I consider him a kindred spirit when it comes to writing juvenile biographies!

I also love the Who Was / What Was series from Penguin Random House. Those books always make the subjects seem so relatable. The Who Was Mister Rogers? title just released in October and brought up so many feelings for me. He was a personal favorite of mine growing up!

Would you ever write an autobiography or have you already started one? And if you get to pick the title for your own personal history book…what would it be?

Interesting question! No, I haven’t started an autobiography. Maybe someday though. As for a title, I have no idea! Maybe a play on Kait’s Bookshelf like Kait’s BookSELF. If and when the time is ever right to write about my life, I’m sure I’ll know and I’m sure the title will come then.

Ha! Very witty! Let’s look ahead for you. What could we expect to see from your work in the next 1-2 years? Any goals are stars you’re reaching for 3-5 years from now? And, how might we best keep up to date and connect with you and all of your projects?

In the next 1-2 years I would say be on the lookout for more children’s nonfiction involving social media trends, world cultures, and more biographies. I also hope to add some High Interest Low Reading Level books to my published portfolio. Hi Lo books play such a critical role in literacy. I would absolutely love to help struggling readers find books and characters they can connect with through books that are interesting and accessible to them at their level. In the next 3-5 years I would love to cross-over into children’s fiction as well as nonfiction.

For info on my latest projects, feel free to connect on Twitter @KaitsBookshelf or on Instagram @kaits.bookshelf. You can also subscribe to my blog at http://KaitsBookshelf.com where I post regular book reviews for adult, YA, middle grade, and children’s titles.

Thank you, Kait, for sharing your publishing journey with us!

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Thank you for reading and as always, happy writing!

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