About Ja-lene Clark

Early Life

As a child, I had a passion for books and aspired to become a writer. However, after completing high school, I decided not to pursue college. Instead, I started working in the restaurant industry as a food server. I was eventually promoted and worked my way up to become the general manager of Black-eyed Pea restaurants. For 13 years, I assisted the business in expanding from 10 restaurants to over 500. My colleagues knew me as a troubleshooter, and I was tasked with managing more than a dozen troubled units in Texas and Oklahoma. Through my leadership, I was able to help these units overcome issues such as store profitability, sales deficits, employee training, and high turnover rates.

^{Ja-lene, about age 4.}

Publishing Roots

I met Sally Dennison, who was the co-founder of Council Oak Books, during a Tuesday Writer’s Club meeting. Sally saw something special in me and invited me to join Council Oak Books. I accepted the offer and followed my dream despite the hefty pay cut.

At Council Oak Books, I was able to learn every aspect of publishing, just like I had in the restaurant industry. I was able to master each publishing position and understand how all the pieces fit together. From 1995 to 1999, I received salary increases as I moved up from an office manager to sales and production manager. I became responsible for all financial operations and the direction of new book projects, from acquisitions to editorial, art direction, package concept, and marketing, as well as ancillary development of series and sideline concepts. I also managed a sales force of 65 independent reps in the gift and trade market.

^{Second edition redesign.}

Leading the Growth at Council Oak

In May 2002, I accepted the position of Associate Publisher at Council Oak. I was given more freedom to act as a leader, and within 12 months, I increased our sales by 150% and achieved the first profitable year in the company’s 20-year history.

During my time at Council Oak, I oversaw the creation of a virtual network that connected the computer systems of the fulfillment center in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and satellite offices in San Francisco and Tulsa. I was also responsible for setting up Council Oak’s first eCommerce site, hiring freelance developers, and managing the site’s launch. As part of our growth strategy, I played a key role in the acquisition and merger of Wildcat Canyon Publishing House by Council Oak. In addition, I acquired 24 titles from Beyond Words, a trade publisher. Under my direction, the Council Oak list grew from 50 titles to 300 titles between 2002 and 2006.

I am proud to have produced and marketed 70 titles, including books by three “Oprah” authors: Tamara Traeder, author of Girlfriends: Invisible Bonds, Enduring Ties (52 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list); Brenda Kinsel, author of 40 Over 40: 40 Things Every Woman Over 40 Needs to Know About Getting Dressed; and Don Miguel Ruiz, author of The Four Agreements. My acquisitions taste ranged from mainstream projects that empowered women, such as the Hip Girls Handbook by Jennifer Musselman, to original concepts like Hogs On 66: The Best Feed And Hangouts for Road Trips On Route 66 by Michael Wallis (the voice of the Sheriff in Pixar’s animated feature Cars) and Marion Clark. I also co-developed Survivor Vanuatu cast member Scout Cloud Lee’s book Sworn to Fun, developed the New York Times bestselling author Don Miguel Ruiz’s book The Toltec Prophecies, as well as fundraising books for The Nature Conservancy Big Bluestem: A Journey into the Tall Grass and for the City of Tulsa, Tulsa: A Biography of an American City.

^{Ghostwriting and art direction of Toltec Prophecies of don Miguel Ruiz.}

^{Developing books with Oprah author Brenda Kinsel .}

Freelance Work

In 2006, I found myself feeling creatively stifled by the constraints of traditional publishing. I knew that the industry was in need of revitalization, and I felt compelled to be a part of that change. So, I left my comfortable job as associate publisher at Council Oak and began working more closely with authors. I helped them write, market, and sell their books through traditional or self-publishing. Over the course of the next decade, I drew on my experience as a graphic designer, web designer, and marketer to collaborate on developing concepts for mainly self-help and self-improvement books.

^{Melissa Harris projects.}

Champion

From 2009 to January 2016, I worked with Mary Lyn Hammer and Champion College Services as a book developer on two projects. From February 2016 to November 2023, I continued my association with Champion on staff as Marketing and Communications Manager. My job responsibilities included developing marketing and sales materials, producing and designing graphics for online courses, plus developing and maintaining nine websites.  I also wrote, edited, and published press releases and white papers as part of my job.

^{Developing websites with shopping carts.}

My Creative Soul

Between 2014 and 2023, my husband and I had the sacred duty of raising two of our grandchildren. Due to this and my work with Champion, I had very little time left to pursue my creativity. I felt like there was something missing in my life, and I needed to write again to feel complete. I finally found the time to create my own website to share my creative musings. Afterward, I realized how much I missed working with authors, and I decided to leave my post at Champion to focus on working with writers.

I am currently completing my book about the writing process, The Journey of the Visionary Writer: An Exploration of the Five Phases of Experiential Writing, which will be released in the fall of 2024. I am excited about future projects and look forward to assisting others in crafting and creating their own works!

^{Ja-lene with a great niece in 2020.}