We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Melissa Rooney. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Melissa below.

Hi Melissa, thanks for joining us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

Am I earning a full-time income from my writing? That’s a great question, and it’s one that has been central to my growing perception of myself as a writer.

I’ve always wanted to write meaningful, wanna-keep picture-books; but the adults in my life rightly insisted that this would not support a family, which was important to me because my mother was a single parent. Paying the bills was always at the top of my educational priorities.

So I got a BS in Chemistry alongside my BA in English and, because I’d get paid to do so, my Ph.D. in Chemistry. I taught and did research for three years at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and returned to the states in 2002, six-months after my daughter was born.

While I stayed home with my (eventually 3) children, I became a contract scientific editor for American Journal Experts. Though often tedious and boring, it’s steady work, utilizes my Ph.D., focusses on writing rather than lab work, and enforces brevity and clarity in my own writing.

During this time, I self-published several picture books, mostly for my own kids. I sold “Eddie the Electron” to Amberjack Publishing for $800 outright–in large part because my husband had told me, “if they offer you $25 for it, take it.” It was a lose-lose decision in that 1) I got no share of future book profits, and 2) it minimized my creative input and marketing efforts, because I didn’t have any skin in the game.

For the sequel, “Eddie the Electron Moves Out,” Amberjack paid me $2500 outright plus a small percentage of royalties. Unfortunately, it was the last picture book Amberjack would publish before being sold to Chicago Review Press (CRP), which doesn’t publish picture books. Since my advance payment, I don’t think I’ve made more than $200 off the sales of that book.

As a result, I hybrid published my sustainability-related picture book, “The Fate of the Frog,” paying for the first batch of printed books (and their storage), myself. Though “The Fate of the Frog” won several awards, including the Beverly Hills Book Award for Children’s Fiction, I actually ended up losing 1 cent/book sold by Amazon (the bulk of my sales) because of their policies at the time.

I became a Durham CAPS artist (Culture and Arts in the Public and Private Schools, https://www.durhamartsnetwork.org/organization/melissa-rooney-melissarooneywriting/), building my hands-on elementary-school STEM workshops around “Eddie the Electron” (electronic circuits) and “The Fate of the Frog” (conservation and sustainability).

Via my profile with the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (https://www.scbwi.org/members/melissa-rooney), I was contacted by a school in Winston Salem, NC, and started doing writing residencies for their third-grade classes. Last year, partnering with teachers in my home town, I received grant funding to conduct writing residencies for 6 public elementary-school classes in Durham, NC. This year, I am expanding the program to an entire eighth-grade class (300 students) at a Durham middle school.

I also work part-time writing grants for Urban Sustainability Solutions (https://www.urbanss.org/), a nonprofit that trains highschool teachers and students and then pays them to design and install sustainable stormwater management practices (raingardens, cisterns, streambank restorations) on properties in Raleigh, Durham, and Orange counties (NC) that are experiencing flooding and erosion. I’m committed to USS’s mission and its people, making it a synergystic means of supplementing my income.

The take-home message is that I don’t get paid a heap of money for the picture books I publish. But I’ve learned not to let that stop me from creating and submitting them to agents and publishers. It’s taken me years to determine that it doesn’t undermine my identity as a writer to receive income from sources not directly related to my desired creative output.

I’ve never met a creative writer who isn’t also a hustler. Sure, there are staff writers for news and serial publications, political campaigns, marketing interests, etc.; but for the creative writer, these are just day jobs that, without caution, will devour the time and energy that was once available to write creatively. As media and publishing industry expert Jane Friedman succinctly put it:

“Can I earn a living from publishers’ advances and royalty checks, while I focus solely on writing more books? … For the majority of traditionally published authors, most of the time, no. You should not expect this today. Yes, it happens. But without some other support or income (a spouse, a day job), it’s tough.”

I feel fortunate that the combined ways I’ve found to make money not only involve writing, but benefit causes that are important to me and leave me time to continue writing and submitting creatively.

Melissa, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Just about everything you’d want to know about me is available via my webpage: https://www.melissarooneywriting.com/about. My entire CV can be viewed here: https://www.melissarooneywriting.com/s/MBR_CV_Lit_2024-5cx6.pdf .

I am a woman in Science (Ph.D. Chemistry); Australian-U.S. citizen; and scientific and literary editor, author, and educator. I have written for the Raleigh News and Observer and the Durham Herald Sun (NC) and published several children’s books as well as stories and verses in Highlights Children’s Magazine, Bay Leaves, and other serials, My picture books “Eddie the Electron,” “Eddie the Electron Moves Out,” and “The Fate of The Frog” form the basis of two workshops I offer through the Durham Arts Council’s Culture and Arts in the Public Schools program (https://www.durhamartsnetwork.org/organization/melissa-rooney-melissarooneywriting/), through which I teach elementary and middle school students about electrons and atoms or sustainability and rhyme, respectively.

For the last three years, I have conducted 6-session writing residencies for public and private elementary- and middle-school students in Winston Salem and Durham, NC.

My latest STEM-based picture book, Larry the Roanoke Logperch (2024, FrowardPress.com) was commissioned by the Kiwanis Club of Roanoke, Virginia, to educate the public about the Nature Park they have constructed in an area near the habitat of these adorable endangered fish. To inquire about receiving your own (free) copy of the book, see https://www.melissarooneywriting.com/books/p/larry-the-roanoke-logperch.

For 10+ years, I have provided contract scientific editing services independently and for American Journal Experts (https://www.aje.com/services/editing/) for researchers and college/graduate students, as well as freelance editing for literary authors (https://www.melissarooneywriting.com/editing-services).

I also review picture books for the New York Journal of Books and theatre and music productions for Triangle Theater Review.

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In terms of my services and how readers can contact me::

1) I conduct single, 40-75-minute workshops for elementary and middle schools about

a) “Eddie the Electron” and Your Future in Science: After reading “Eddie The Electron” aloud together, students experiment with electronic snap circuits and magnets while discussing how a STEM-based education can help them make a living doing what interests them. Each class receives a copy of the book to keep (additional copies can be purchased for each student).

b) Your Water Resources and “The Fate of a Frog”: After reading “The Fate of a Frog” together, students make plush tadpoles from recycled materials and discuss *their* watershed, stormwater management, and how the vitality of tadpoles and other water animals indicates water health. This workshop is great for Earth Day and Seuss events. Each class receives a copy of the book to keep (students can purchase additional copies ahead of time).

c) The Australian Didgeridoo and the Science of Sound: Experience and discuss the science of sound-waves, frequencies, and resonance via the Australian Didgeridoo and home-made instruments. Discuss the 75,000-years-old, living culture of Australian Aborigines and the importance of music and art to human survival. If desired, schedule a second class to make dot-art paintings (supplies provided).

For info about pricing and/or to schedule a workshop, see: https://durhamarts.org/product/melissa-rooney/ or https://www.melissarooneywriting.com/for-parents-teachers.

2) I conduct 6-session (40-60 minutes/session) writing residencies for public school students (elementary through highschool) that culminate in release parties at which each student receives a professionally published and printed copy of the anthology to which they contribute. To inquire about pricing and/or to schedule a writing residency, see: https://www.melissarooneywriting.com/books/p/writing-residency-anthologies.

3) I have been providing scientific and literary editing services for 10+ years. To learn more about my services and prices, see https://www.melissarooneywriting.com/editing-services.

4) I am looking for an agent or publisher for my poetic, LGBTQ+-supporting, illustrated STEAM picture book “Summer Dreaming,” which was inspired by a cankerworm infestation in Durham, NC, and the bands that were put around trees to keep these native inch-worms from destroying them. I taught myself a little more about the cankerworm, and I have come to believe that the winter moths they become are magical. What’s most inspiring is the fact that only males of this species grow wings, contradicting our human association of shimmering beauty with the female gender. If you are or know an agent or publisher who might be interested in helping me get this book out there, please contact me using the form at https://www.melissarooneywriting.com/contact-me.

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What am I most proud of? Hmmm…. I think I’m most proud of the fact that, despite the inevitable (sometimes seemingly incessant) rejection letters and the pittance I’ve made via traditional publishing so far, I have not stopped creating and submitting my work. I’m also proud–and relieved, truth be told–that I have found other ways to make money that utilize my creative, educational, and child-loving talents and skills. (I’ve always dreaded the thought of working for Big Pharma.)
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Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I used to think there was.

I’d like to bring Love, Scientific Literacy, and Environmental Sustainability to our youth as early as possible. I think the way my life has unfolded demonstrates my (sometimes unconscious) commitment in this regard..

Of course, I’d also like to make money serving this mission–at least enough that I can keep doing it.

As I get older I am realizing that, despite the hard-wired way society wants to deliver it, creativity–the real kind– jumps around indiscriminately, regardless of goals and monetary concerns. Most creative artists who have “made it,” will tell you that following your heart will get you farther than following the money..

To quote Elizabeth Gilbert (Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear):

“To yell at your creativity, saying, “You must earn money for me!” is sort of like yelling at a cat; it has no idea what you’re talking about, and all you’re doing is scaring it away, because you’re making really loud noises and your face looks weird when you do that.”

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Though it is technically a business, “MelissaRooneyWriting” is just me—that is, the sum of all my writing- and education-related sources of income.

I did try to build a brand years ago. I was engaged on Instagram and Twitter and participated in conversations in all kinds of Facebook Groups. I started a YouTube channel and a TikTok account. I tried to keep up with whatever young parents were watching (and letting their children watch).

But improving scientific literacy and ELA in public-school students and publishing (and selling) illustrated picture books is not the same as selling a new clothing design or kitchen accessory.

I’ve been back and forth with the mass-marketing versus door-to-door approaches and decided that the latter is for me. Indeed, it seems that every time my creative work takes a step forward is because of on-the-ground work I am doing with teachers and students—not because I got 450,000 hits on my last TikTok post.

Perhaps more importantly, I’ve decided that, even if it means less money, I’d rather greatly influence a smaller number of young people than minimally influence a larger one.

It is this kind of presence and personal attention that continues to build my reputation with schools, parents, and the literary community.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.melissarooneywriting.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissarooneywriting/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melissa.rooney.182/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-rooney-7529a51/
• Twitter: https://x.com/rooneywriting
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@melissarooneywriting
• Other: https://www.durhamartsnetwork.org/organization/melissa-rooney-melissarooneywriting/

  www.frowardpress.com

  https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/reviewer/melissa-rooney

  https://www.scbwi.org/members/melissa-rooney