Meet Nancy Tupper Ling

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nancy Tupper Ling. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Nancy, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.

As an author, I keep my creativity alive by jotting down my ideas for stories and poems wherever I go. Whether I’m waiting in a line at the grocery store or on a walk in the woods, I’m constantly observing the world around me and taking notes about specific details that stand out (like the petals on Queen Anne’s Lace or the smell of the wild Concord grapes in my backyard). Someday these observations will work their way into my words, whether a creative piece for others to read or my own journal.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I’m a children’s author, poet, book seller and librarian. Basically, I surround myself with books! My most recent publications are HEARTS IN MY POCKET (Union Square Books) and an anthology I co-authored with my mentor, June Cotner, entitled BLESS THE EARTH: A Collection of Poetry for Children to Celebrate and Care for Our World (Convergent/Penguin Random House). Ever since I was young, I’ve loved to write. Still, it has taken years to hone these skills. The journey to publication has had many ups and downs, but it’s been rewarding as well. Often, I draw my inspiration from the multicultural background of my family. Some of my more recent book awards have been the Florida Authors and Publishers Association Award and the Northern Light Book Awards.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

For anyone hoping to break into the world of publishing, here are three pieces of advice I’ve found to be helpful after all these years.

1. Ask Questions . . . Many authors, like myself, are on the introverted side. Sometimes this makes us hesitant to approach other authors who have been successful. Perhaps they won’t have time to help out a newbie with advice, or so we think. Still, I’ve discovered that one or two questions can make all the difference in your writing career. You never know where the answer may lead.

2. Be Willing to Listen . . . I’ve had many people ask me questions about how best to get a book published. That said, not everyone wants to hear about the hard work that goes into the revision of your writing. It takes commitment to A) write a manuscript and B) take those suggestions you’ve received to heart. Sure, it’s easy to believe our first drafts are perfect and ready for print, but it might take several more rewrites and some elbow grease to get published. Certainly, a good listener will go far.

3. Write Anything and Everything . . . I have said this often enough when I speak to other writers, but it’s so important to submit all kinds of writing to all types of publishers. Of course, it’s important to sharpen one’s craft, but it’s also essential to practice writing in more than one genre and style. You never know, a poem might become a picture book, or a short story might lead to a novel. All of this is building your artistic resume.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?

While creativity comes fairly easily to me, the need to market my books after they’ve been published is a difficult task. I’d prefer to move onto my next project, but book sales are important, and so is getting the word out. Even with a book that is traditionally published, much of the marketing is left to the author. This takes a whole other skill set than the creative writing piece. Using my librarian skills, I’ve been able to research the sectors that might be most interested in my work, and I’ve connected with them (online or in person). I’ve also realized that I need the help of others, so I’ve hired experts like Melissa Taylor with Imagination Soup Consulting to put my work into the hands of book reviewers so librarians, teachers, and families will learn about my books.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Stacy Murphy Photography

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