Photos by Rowe Portrait Studios (which I highly recommend for author photos)

“The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he’s always doing both.” (James A. Michener)


THE QUICK PROFESSIONAL TAKE
I am the publisher and editorial director of the Writer’s Digest community at F+W Media in Cincinnati, Ohio, where I oversee Writer’s Digest magazine, Writer’s Digest Books, and the Writer’s Market series—as well as related online media, education, events, and competitions. I function as strategic leader for the business, and am on a passionate mission to develop the best content and experiences for writers from all walks of life.

If you’re not familiar with Writer’s Digest, since 1920 it has been dedicated to serving writers by providing helpful and authoritative reference guides and services—including the No. 1 magazine for writers, Writer’s Digest, as well as the best-selling annual guide Writer’s Market.

I am the author of the Beginning Writer’s Answer Book, keep a blog on the industry at There Are No Rules, and serve on the advisory board of Digital Book World.

I earned my BFA in creative writing from the University of Evansville (Indiana), and I also have an MA in English from Xavier University (Cincinnati).


THE MORE PERSONAL TAKE
I am a vegetarian, bourbon-drinking editor, at least mostly sane. I live life forward, even though you can only understand it backward.

To the outside observer, I’m obsessed with writing, reading, editing, teaching, and speaking. More broadly, I’m concerned with people, passion, and connecting the two.

I’m open to just about any adventure, and even a whole lot of situations (or conversations) that most people would consider boring.

I am an unashamed Zen-inspired intellectual who tests INXP on the Myers-Briggs and Type 4 on the Enneagram. I care about joy and beauty, in a broad sense. I’m occasionally even fun to be around.

I’m passionate about things big and small: how a good book changes your experience of the world or how a one-second glance from a stranger across the room can alter the day’s landscape.

Since 1998, I have worked within the Midwest Publishing Empire, otherwise known as F+W Media in Cincinnati, Ohio. I started out as an associate editor, working on step-by-step craft books (see my first project here), and now serve as the creative leader and strategic manager of Writer’s Digest, which generates millions in revenue each year through its services to writers, and has a devoted and passionate staff of about twenty members.

One of the best parts of my job is speaking to writers across the world (both online and in-person), and educating people on how the publishing industry is changing and evolving through transformational technologies. Since 2002, I’ve spoken at more than 100 events in the United Sates, Canada, plus once in Jamaica—and please note I strongly encourage and welcome speaking invites from all island nations. I am particularly keen on Tasmania.

I have been called Sweet Jane, Plain Jane, The Other Jane, Not-That Jane, and Smiling Jane.

I’ve also been called a dream crusher, a hopeless idealist (or just plain naive, depending), a risk taker, an adventurer, a fierce independent, and the one who knows how to turn this thing around.


FROM THE BEGINNING
I grew up in Oakland City, Ind., a small farm town where every year they still crown Little Miss Sweet Corn. My Indiana-born mother was trained as an artist; my Russian Jewish father was a typesetter at Empire Typography in New York City and a professional calligrapher.

I left home at age 15 to attend the Indiana Academy, a residential high school on Ball State University campus. I went to college at the University of Evansville (Ind.), earning a BFA in Creative Writing. While there, I served as editor in chief of the college newspaper as well as the Evansville Review, an award-winning literary journal. I also spent a year studying in England at Harlaxton College and Cambridge University—where I also worked on the newspaper.

After graduation, I joined F+W Media as an associate editor at North Light Books. While at North Light, I also completed my MA in English at Xavier University, which involved a two-year stint as graduate director of the university writing center. My master’s studies focused on composition/rhetoric and postmodern literature.

In 2001, I joined Writer’s Digest magazine as managing editor; in 2003, I transitioned to Writer’s Digest Books as its lead editor and later managed several other imprints, such as HOW Books (design/humor), TOW Books (humor), and Betterway Books (sports).

In 2008, the corporate parent of Writer’s Digest (F+W Media) decided to restructure the company into special-interest communities, a progressive and forward-thinking move that was covered by trade industry magazine Publishers Weekly. I was named publisher of the Writer’s Digest community, which means I lead all aspects of the brand, including editorial, design, sales, marketing, public relations, social media, and events—plus all the forecasting and budgeting that go along with it.

As part of my job, I also maintain a blog (There Are No Rules)—about 20,000 unique visits each month—am active on Twitter and Facebook, and teach online classes through WritersOnlineWorkshops.com. I also participate in all Writer’s Digest events, including the annual BEA conference.



ALL THE OTHER STUFF THAT I COULDN’T FIT INTO THE ABOVE NARRATIVE

Other gigs

Notable speaking engagements

  • BookExpo America
  • Aspen Summer Words
  • Willamette Writers
  • Surrey Writers Conference
  • North Carolina Writers Network
  • South Carolina Writers Workshop
  • Harriette Austin Writers Conference
  • Pennwriters Conference
  • Midwest Literary Festival
  • Midwest Writers Workshop
  • 2001 Indiana Academy graduation ceremony


Some authors I’ve worked with (alpha order)

  • James Scott Bell
  • Sage Cohen
  • Sammie Crawford
  • Hallie Ephron
  • Claudine Hellmuth
  • Michael Jacobs
  • Jerry B. Jenkins
  • Christina Katz
  • NM Kelby
  • Sherrilyn Kenyon
  • Michael Larsen
  • Tim Lemire
  • Donald Maass
  • Eric Maisel
  • Evan Marshall
  • Michael Martone
  • Sandy McCall
  • MaryJo McGraw
  • Ridley Pearson
  • Dan Poynter
  • M.J. Rose
  • Mike Sacks
  • Peter Selgin
  • Heather Sellers
  • John Warner

Awards

  • 2008 Dorothy Hamilton Award, Midwest Writers Workshop
  • 2004 Instructor of the Quarter, Beckfield College
  • 1999, 2000 Xavier University Poetry Award
  • 1997 University of Evansville Vision Award

Selected print publication credits

  • “International Dimension: A Fulfilled Prophecy.” UE Magazine 99.3 (2004): 4-5.
  • Interview with Lisel Mueller, Poet’s Market (2004)
  • Interview with Jeffrey Eugenides, Writer’s Digest (2001)
  • Interview with Alice Sebold, Writer’s Digest (2000)
  • Interview with Richard Russo, Writer’s Digest (2001)
  • “Moralities and Indelibilities.” The Evansville Review 13.1 (2003): 122-125.
  • “Passionate Persistence: English Majors at Work.” UE Magazine 98.1 (2002): 6-9.
  • Interview with Elizabeth Spires. The Evansville Review 7.1 (1997): 45-53.
  • “Insider’s Report: Ploughshares.” 1997 Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market
  • “Books.” The Formalist 13.1 (2002): 52.
  • “Lying in Bed.” The Formalist 10.1 (1999): 40.
  • “Letter From an Erstwhile Boyfriend.” The Formalist 9.2 (1998): 87.
  • “Front Oval.” The Formalist 9.1 (1998): 55.

Shh! Jane’s Embarrassing College Poetry

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“This is my living faith, an active faith, a faith of verbs: to question, explore, experiment, experience, walk, run, dance, play, eat, love, learn, dare, taste, touch, smell, listen, argue, speak, write, read, draw, provoke, emote, scream, sin, repent, cry, kneel, pray, bow, rise, stand, look, laugh, cajole, create, confront, confound, walk back, walk forward, circle, hide, and seek. To seek: to embrace the questions, be wary of answers.” (Terry Tempest Williams)