Mompreneurs: Living The Dream As A Bestselling Author With Tiffany D. Jackson
Tiffany D. Jackson joined the Mompreneurs podcast to share her experience as a full-time author and a new mom. The New York Times bestselling author is a force in the publishing world, with a body of work featuring young adult (YA) thrillers and picture books including her latest release with Marvel, Storm: Dawn of a Goddess.
Jackson sat down with Mompreneurs host and fellow author, Nancy Redd, to unpack the inspiring journey that brought her here. She gave up fear and doubt to pursue her dream of becoming a writer, and discovered that a successful career doing what she loves was possible all along.
The Howard University alum started out with a career in TV and film, where she established herself for over a decade. While her passion for prose began at a young age, Jackson nor her family saw writing as a viable career path. But wherever she went, her love for writing was undeniable. Jackson eventually left TV and film to pursue her dream of becoming a writer. “Writing has always called me home,” Jackson told Redd. “That was something that I was always meant to do, is to be an author. I think I fought against that for so many years. I probably would have been an author much sooner if I wasn’t operating in fear.”
Source: Tiffany D. Jackson / Tiffany D. Jackson
Authors and rappers have a lot in common.
Working as a full-time author is very much an entrepreneur’s journey. “I’m my own HR, my own accountant. I run my own payroll, I’m my own assistant,” Jackson said. It’s no simple feat to run your own empire and writing is no different.
“I equate being an author to having a rap career,” Jackson said. “You get an advance payment, then you make the album, then you sell the album, then you go on tour. A lot of the marketing is on you. Even though you have a label that supports you — like authors have publishers that support us — a lot of the marketing and the legwork is on us. You’re out here marketing yourself. You’re going to conferences, you’re flying all over the country trying to sell this book.”
The grind is undeniable. At one point, Jackson was flying out to at least three speaking engagements a week, visiting colleges, high schools, and even prisons and juvenile halls all over the country. It’s her way of embodying the representation that she craved as a young aspiring writer, by showing young people that they too can be successful in this industry.
As she navigates the world of publishing, Jackson spoke on the greatest lesson from her experience thus far — there’s strength in community. “When you network across, you’re bringing everyone up together. So one of the things that we learned as authors — especially coming in an industry where there’s not a lot of Black women to begin with, and certainly not in my genres — is to make sure that we support each other.”
Jackson is ready to enjoy being a new mom.
The years of hard work paid off. Jackson is a New York Times bestselling author, a fixture of YA fiction, winner of the Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe New Talent Award and NAACP Image Award nominee. Her books — including her acclaimed 2017 debut YA mystery Allegedly, as well as Monday’s Not Coming, White Smoke and The Weight of Blood — have captivated readers.
Now with a brand new baby girl by her side, Jackson is enjoying the next chapter of her life: motherhood. The first-time mom gave birth to daughter Brooklyn in January, lovingly named after the author’s native New York City borough.
Jackson discussed the various ways that becoming a mom has transformed her lifestyle. Motherhood gave Jackson a reason to slow down and be more selective when considering new opportunities. After years of working hard to build her writing career, she’s ready to focus on being a mom. “Maybe the ‘now’ is me just enjoying my life, reaping what I’ve carefully curated and sowed,” she said. “I want to be able to reap the benefits of what I have done and lay that foundation and spend my royalty checks creating a magical girlhood for my daughter.”
Also in this episode, Jackson discussed dealing with book bans, how she stays grounded, and future endeavors she is looking forward to in her next chapter.
Catch new episodes of Mompreneurs every Monday on MadameNoire’s YouTube channel. Or listen to the podcast online at Urban1Podcasts.com.
