We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Vincent Taylor. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Vincent below.
Alright, Vincent thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?
My first dollars earned happened as I stood as a vendor at an educational conference in Tampa, Florida. The venue was replete with over 1,000 educators, and I could not wait to share my first published book, Rhythmic Reading with Rap which is a supplemental resource to support students with reading comprehension. Well, seven long hours standing behind my 6-foot-long table only resulted in three books sold ($60). I refused to be discouraged, so I applied to be a speaker at an upcoming conference in Jacksonville, FL. Let me just add that I had never stood in front of an audience in my life and just the thought of doing so keep me anxious. However, I knew that I had a great resource for students because this methodology of teaching and learning had been implemented with my own students for years. So, it was finally the day of the conference, and I took the stage like a veteran even though I was nervous inside. After the presentation, I received a standing ovation at this 2-day conference. I sold the same book after my presentation had concluded and made $2,000. The following day I made an additional $1,000 even though I did not present. The word evidently got out about my presentation and book.
Vincent, 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?
My story begins with Hip Hop and ends with me publishing twelve books. Growing up an introvert and extremely shy individual throughout my middle school/high school years, I discovered the extrovert in me when Hip Hop music found me in 12th grade. It was the affinity I had for the music that led me to write my own raps and strive to be a rapper like me favorite group RUN-DMC.
Years passed and I became a fifth grade teacher at John Love Elementary, an inner-city school on the East side of Jacksonville. As I catered my instruction to the way many of my students learned, I found myself revisiting my passion for music by writing educational raps for students to help them prepare for their state test. This methodology continued throughout the year which produced amazing results on class assessments as well as district and state tests. Since I was receiving requests to share my educational songs with other teachers, I decided to turn this content into a book and get it published. Well, in 2001, getting a book published was just as hard or even harder than signing to a major record label. With that said, I chose to publish Rhythmic Reading with Rap myself in 2001 since this had been a proven practice with my students.
Fast forward three years, I saw the disconnect my students, especially my young boys, had with literacy. It made me think of something I learned while pursuing my bachelor’s degree at the University of North Florida. Students excel academically in reading when they see themselves. I was determined my students, which were 97% African American, would see themselves in text. It was one thing to be a teacher, but I knew through research that being a culturally responsive teacher was imperative to their education. So, I decided to write a chapter book called Cornbread. He is the fourth grade African American male protagonist in this 6-book series that children all over the country have grown to love.
It is a surreal feeling when I speak of writing twelve books, because reading comprehension was a challenge for me in elementary school. I was that kid terrified when the teacher would call on me to read aloud knowing that this would bring a lot of snickering and laughter from the other students because of my lack of fluency. Today when I see students crave over any book in the Cornbread series, I know it has the potential of having them fall in love with literacy. The testimonials I receive from principals and teachers regarding their quantitative data and how test scores have soared as a result of introducing their students to the series is mind-blowing; however, it is that qualitative feedback that I simply love because it is parents and teachers sharing how Cornbread has totally changed their children’s feelings toward reading. One parent says, wherever her child goes there is a Cornbread book with him. Another parent stated that her child goes to bed reading her book, a child who previously despised reading. As a teacher of twenty-seven plus years, I realize that students reach their optimal potential when they have their parents there to support them academically. So, I created the Cornbread Home Learning Set, which is a resource they can use to help their child. It includes 4 Cornbread chapter books, a comprehension workbook that has questions for every chapter, an answer key for parents to reference, and a Cornbread backpack.
I was very intentional about writing the series. I wanted students to see a strong family nucleus. With that said, every Cornbread book has a chapter that includes his sister, mom, and dad. This is what I experienced as a child, so I wrote what I knew about. Secondly, each book highlights a positive character education trait such as sportsmanship, integrity, confidence, courage, self-control, and determination. And finally, because I write for my readers and not as a teacher, I make sure that every book is humorous and suspenseful so that students will love the stories first.
Understanding that sometimes it is going to take more than a child seeing themselves represented in text to spark an interest in the area of reading, I decided to bring Cornbread to life by creating a life-size mascot of him. I get an opportunity to travel the country sharing this 6 ft tall character with a room full of children. This interactive and highly engaging presentation has brought smiles to students all over the country. I have been blessed to share my presentations to over 70,000 individuals from Florida to California. Students AND adults love Cornbread!
As an educator, I know the importance of teacher collaboration. It allows iron to sharpen iron. Ten years as a classroom teacher and seventeen as an academic coach, I decided to share student engagement strategies that helped me become a successful educator over the years. So, I penned a professional development book for teachers called “If Instruction Isn’t Engaging, I Quit.” I choose this title because I realize that if we as educators are not able to engage our students, they will quit on us. This quitting could look like an 11th grader dropping out of school or a third grade having no interest in school. When we stand before our students, we must ensure that we have thought long and hard about how we will engage them, engage them in a way that compels them to listen to our instruction.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
When I started TriEclipse Publishing, inc. 25 years ago, there was no blueprint or no mentors to guide me. I had to research every tiny detail about running a publishing company. It was exhausting because it took me away from the area I most enjoyed, writing.
There was so much I did not know as I tried to expand my publishing into an educational speaking business. In 2002, I decided to have a one-man educational conference in Tampa, FL. I had never done this type of conference before where I had to produce everything from the presentation, the expensive glossy flyers, renting the hotel conference room, follow up, etc. Well, I spent about $3,000 on everything only to have two teachers sign up for my $95 conference.
Again, moving with haste, I decided to drive to a school district two hours away without first setting up a meeting. I was so confident in the superintendent and everyone else being ecstatic my material that I drove there anyway. This was not the best thing to do especially since I only had enough gas to get to the district office. So, during my trip there, I would literally stop at the red lights, roll my window down to see if the person would buy my $20 book. This became more than just a sell; this was going to be my gas money back home. Luckily, I was able to make one sell. And of course, I was not able to meet with anyone at the school district. As challenging as it was, it is those days I will never forget. It made me the author and businessman I am today. I would not trade those experiences for anything.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
Excellence is a word that is a constant in my vocabulary. I work extremely hard to deliver the best products and services to students and adults so that they will find true value in it. I truly take to heart the saying that ‘you only get one chance to make a first impression.’ With that said, the release of any new product or presentation is done with care and many considerations before it is viewed by others.
As a businessman, I work relentlessly to complete every goal I set for myself keeping ‘excellence’ in mind in my pursuit. Also, I understand the significance of time and how valuable it is, so I do not believe in wasting it. Whenever I have a goal, I am laser focused on seeing it to fruition. I am most proud of the impact I have seen my books and presentations have on children and teacher’s lives.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.CornbreadSeries.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cornbreadseries/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CornbreadSeries/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincethewriter/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/cornbreadseries
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_lLXCYOH3D_UNbMUpauP6w