WE VALUE
Community
All book profits after formatting, printing & shipping go to a Boston-based literacy charity.
We recently sponsored a Little Free Library in Roslindale, MA using profits from the
books our students published!
Sustainability
We’re conscious of a book’s footprint.
We won’t fill your garage with books. We care about the environment and all books are
printed on demand.
Our Founder, Jacky Lamenzo Sinha
I was determined to be the best Kindergarten teacher in the game. Little did I know that my path was going to be a bit zig-zaggier than expected. After graduating with my degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Hartford in Connecticut, I was offered a teaching job a bit further from home than expected… in Beijing, China. The only thing holding me back was the fact that I was a VERY picky eater. My “safe list” consisted of mac and cheese, peanut butter sandwiches and grilled cheese. Essentially the items you’d find on a kid’s menu. But, the traveler in me was determined to not let that hold me back from this opportunity.
So off I went to China, and I was open to changes. My life changed when I got there because for the first time I was open to trying all sorts of new foods. No one was watching me and waiting for me to like or not like something (to then tease me with an “I told you so!”) So I tried #allthethings, and to everyone's surprise, I loved them all.
This change had me thinking a lot about my life and what I wanted to do with it. I realized I could help others with the same fear of trying new foods.
I channeled my teaching background and wrote my story as a children’s book in order to share my food story with more people. Addy Wants to Fit In was first drafted in Austin, Texas in January of 2017. The process was long and the book wasn’t officially in my hands until 2 years later. Through lots of trial and error, I learned the steps it took to self-publish it through Amazon’s KDP Print-on-Demand platform.
As soon as my book was out in the world, doors started opening for me. I organized my first book tour in the Boston area and was reminded how much I loved working with elementary students. I also was asked by many friends and family what the self-publishing process was like and started helping others with their books.
That led to opening my doors to coaching writers who wanted to self-publish their books with the launch of my first self-publishing course in August of 2019. In January 2020, I ran a pilot program with nine 5th-6th grade girls in Needham. It was a hit, with the exception of the last class being canceled the night before Friday, March 13th, 2020, the day the world shut down due to COVID-19. I pivoted to online teaching and two years later, we have over 200 students’ books on Amazon.
I have loved partnering with Storytime Crafts, The Writer’s Block, and Hummingbird Books — all while growing our LHP team. I am continuously grateful for the growth we’ve seen, and the children we’ve gotten to work with.
I currently spend my time working on my own children’s book series, teaching writers of all ages who are looking to write their own books and self-publish, and visiting schools for author visits and writing workshops. And I have a baby on the way in Spring 2023!
Our Team
Rebeca Barbagallo - Teacher
My name is Beca and I am proud to be a part of the Lemon House Publishing team. I have been a teacher in a variety of settings for 10 years. I have taught Pre-K, Kindergarten, and first grade as well as taught English as a second language in Italy. Through Lemon House Publishing, I was able to write my own children’s book called You Can't Make Me Go! Coming up with an idea for the story and illustrating the pictures was not an easy task, but with Jacky’s encouragement and positive feedback from other classmates, I was able to achieve my goal. I look forward to writing with your child!
Emma Kondrotas - Teacher
My name is Emma Kondrotas and I am so excited to join Lemon House Publishing! I am currently working as a teacher for Wellesley Public Schools. I have graduated from Endicott College with my bachelor degree in Early Childhood Education with and without Disabilities, as well as my Masters in Reading and Literacy. I've been teaching Kindergarten for 6 years and have a broad range of teaching experience, working with students from Kindergarten - 8th grade. I can't wait to work with your writers and support them as they create their own amazing stories.
Susi Clark - Book Designer
My name is Susi and I am so happy to be part of the Lemon House Publishing team. I am bi-lingual, fluent in German and English, originally from Germany, and I moved to the US in 1999. I have a Bachelor′s Degree in Visual Arts — Graphic Design and have been a professional Graphic Designer for more than 15 years. My extensive book design and publishing experience comes from working for a large publishing company as the Art Director for 13 years, and I now run a full-service design company, called Creative Blueprint Design, where I help authors design, layout and self-publish their books. Notable long-standing client: Yamaha Boston Music School. I have always enjoyed working with children and now being able to combine that with my book publishing experience is very exciting to help our students’ stories come to life!