Della A. Yannuzzi’s Followers (1)

Della A. Yannuzzi

Della Yannuzzi's dreams for children are a lot like her own life--don't get discouraged, you can achieve whatever you want. Della's optimistic, never-give-up personality has brought her far in her writing career. In talking with her, right away one can see the twinkle in her eye that spells love for what she does--write every day, set goals, research the markets and send out proposals over and over again. "Eventually, if you really love it and you persevere, you will publish," is her advice to anyone who dreams of a career as a writer.

Della began writing for the adult market, trying out different genres and submitting stories and articles to local publications and mainstream magazine markets. At the same time, she finished her degree and be Della Yannuzzi's dreams for children are a lot like her own life--don't get discouraged, you can achieve whatever you want. Della's optimistic, never-give-up personality has brought her far in her writing career. In talking with her, right away one can see the twinkle in her eye that spells love for what she does--write every day, set goals, research the markets and send out proposals over and over again. "Eventually, if you really love it and you persevere, you will publish," is her advice to anyone who dreams of a career as a writer.

Della began writing for the adult market, trying out different genres and submitting stories and articles to local publications and mainstream magazine markets. At the same time, she finished her degree and began teaching in early childhood education. After selling many stories and articles a nice break came, as she describes it--her first publication in Highlights for Children. The article, "A Visit to Old Quebec," in 1975, was followed by a feature in Highlights on Native American Susette La Flesch, which Della then turned into a book. While that book didn't sell, she persisted, selling stories to Cobblestone, Young World, New Moon and other magazines. Writing for children had now become her greatest love, especially non-fiction and biographies.

When asked how she decided to pursue biographies, Della points out that most of her work began with articles and stories. In 1990, her story on Native American Olympic runner Billy Mills was published in Highlights for Children and received the Highlights Sports Feature of the Year award. Della proceeded to turn the Billy Mills story into a book and this time, a rejection slip from the publisher was accompanied by a winning idea--write the biography of Native American Wilma Mankiller. Della took up the challenge and published her first biography, Wilma Mankiller-Leader of the Cherokee Nation.

Biographies intrigue her, as she enjoys studying people's lives to understand how they accomplish what they have done, especially under adverse conditions. She sometimes relates their lives to her own--by looking at how they reached their goals and comparing her own progress. "They are role models for me," she says. Della believes strongly that if the people she writes about affect her in that way, children should feel the same challenge from reading her biographies. "I want children to pick up my books and get the message that it's possible to overcome obstacles, to keep trying."

To start a biography, she looks first for people who have overcome great odds to succeed, generally selecting from publishers' suggested lists. She does extensive research to be sure there is enough information available, by searching library collections, the Internet and pursuing interviews. With the personal decision made, she writes an outline, drafts a first chapter and sends these off for consideration.

Della is a "multi-tasker," able to keep many things going at once. She describes her work as a balanced day, mixing up her writing with research, market analysis, and exploring new ideas. She has multiple book or story projects going at once, and when a contract comes through, settles into that single project to meet deadlines. ...more

Combine Editions
Della A. Yannuzzi’s books

Average rating: 3.75 · 56 ratings · 12 reviews · 9 distinct works

	New Elements: The Story of Marie Curie 3.60 avg rating — 15 ratings — published 2006	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Gregor Mendel: Genetics Pioneer 4.09 avg rating — 11 ratings — published 2004 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Zora Neale Hurston: Southern Storyteller 3.80 avg rating — 10 ratings — published 1996	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Madam C.J. Walker: Self-Made Businesswoman 3.71 avg rating — 7 ratings — published 2000	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ernest Hemingway: Writer and Adventurer (People to Know) 3.80 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 1998	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mae Jemison: A Space Biography 3.60 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 1998	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Aldo Leopold: Protector of the Wild really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2002	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Life of Zora Neale Hurston: Author and Folklorist really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2015 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Wilma Mankiller: Leader of the Cherokee Nation (People to Know) it was ok 2.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 1994	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars