We were lucky to catch up with Justine Green recently and have shared our conversation below.

Justine, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What can you share with us about the story behind how you found your key vendors?

My husband and I founded Green Rose Publishing LLC during COVID shutdown where everything went remote. The plus side to remote work is that many people were now reachable by email or online. After I wrote “Completely Me”, I wanted to find the best illustrator for my vision. I searched and searched before finding Luísa on instagram. She lives in Portugal and I live in Florida. We’re both very responsive by email, Whatsapp and we communicate openly. Our mentalities, work ethics, creative ideas, and personal disabilities made us great together. Once the books were ready to be printed, we wanted to focus on a local printer to give back to our community. We researched printers in the area and found one that we have been using ever since.

Stay true to yourself. Local artists that I interviewed did not have the vision for my story that brought “Completely Me” to life. Finding Luísa took longer but ended up being the right move for me. I also spent time figuring out which publishing platform I wanted to use and KDP with Amazon aligned more with my goals. Take the time to research before making a big decision for your company and your future.

Justine, 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?

I was born with Atresia and Microtia. Microtia is a condition where the outer ear does not develop properly and Atresia is the absence of the ear canal, leaving me deaf in my left ear. Knowing I was different from birth, and boasting three reconstructive surgeries under my belt, I learned to read lips and worked hard through school. I used my disability as motivation, and ultimately found my life’s purpose through these challenges.

I earned my Bachelor of Science in Elementary and Special Education from the University of Miami, a Master of Arts in Education, Policy and Social Analysis from Teachers College, Columbia University and my Doctorate in Education in Higher Education Leadership focusing on students with disabilities. Throughout all of this, I found time to devote myself to motherhood, having two children while earning my doctorate. As an educator, I have taught in inclusive classrooms, worked as a learning specialist at an Office of Disability Services, and as the Principal of an elementary school. Now, I’m an award-winning children’s book author.

My passion for inspiring others moved me to write a story based on my own life and disability, “Completely Me”, to teach readers to love themselves and others, and that everyone’s imperfections are what make them perfect. “Completely Me” has won 5 awards since its publication in 2020 and I have released three more books in the series. Each book is based on a real child with a real disability and includes some of their own words from an interview with me.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I believe my personal experience helped build my reputation within my market. I am an expert in the field of education, specifically people with disabilities and I have a disability as well. I wrote about my own life and experience in addition to my knowledge from the field. Those two aspects together help create a true understanding and passion that built my reputation into what it is today.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.

We utilize Amazon and KDP for selling our books because it is straightforward, clear and quick. The process to publish books is easy to follow and allows you to create the marketing plan that works for your business. The analytics around the book sales and the marketing tools allow you to adjust and try new strategies. It’s also very nice not having to fulfill the orders yourself. I am a mother of two little ones and the convenience of Amazon is helpful. The negative is that the royalties are only a small percentage of the price you pay online. I am getting a small percentage of what you pay per book sale.

Contact Info:

• Website: greenrosepublishing.com
• Instagram: drmommygreen
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/completelymebook
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justine-green-ed-d-21749599/
• Twitter: drmommygreen
• Youtube: youtube.com/drmommygreen
• Other: https://linktr.ee/drmommygreen