Dr. Nancy Nichols has worked in education for over thirty years. She is experienced in teaching preschool through high school and college. She has also served as a juvenile facility administrator and director of therapy.
Dr. Nichols has authored original research related to reading, confidentiality in schools, academic underachievement, and bilingual issues. She holds multiple lifelong certifications in education, administration, and the helping professions. Dr. Nichols is a highly qualified and motivated counselor and educator, and a gadfly for educational causes.
Dr. Nichols has authored many educational resource materials, including the Elements Curriculum, a high school curriculum for seriously at-risk students who are reading at a second grade level. She is also the author of over 60 educational quick-reference “wheels,” including the RTI Modifications and Accommodations Wheel, the Intervention Strategies Wheel, and the Learning Styles/Multisensory Wheel.
When not working with children in the classroom or presenting educational seminars throughout the U.S., Nancy can be found tending her farm in East Texas and enjoying the fruits of her labors. Along with being the mother of seven and grandmother of nine, she enjoys spending time with her greatest supporter, her husband Michael Nichols.
Learning is a lifetime adventure! Dr. Nancy Nichols
RARA: Why did you decide to publish?
Nancy: This is a story of midnight madness!
It was a dark and lonely night . . . in the wee hours one winter morning I found myself writing recommendations for a teacher to use with her struggling student. This was the umpteenth time I had written modifications over the years. Suddenly, I went berserk! I found myself climbing in the kitchen cupboards searching for a 10″ plate, and then typing like a maniac. Just before dawn, I woke my husband with, “Mike, oh Mike, are you awake??? I need help!” With Mike’s ingenuity, we had a finished prototype by noon. The Modifications Wheel is a simple tool, a spinning wheel (hence the need for the plate) with hundreds of strategies that address challenging behaviors and academic hiccups.
We showed the Mod Wheel to a group of educators, and they literally jumped out of their chairs to grab the wheel! No more thick books to read to figure out what to do with a problem situation. Here was success at their fingertips!
Within a year, the Mod Wheel and its companion, the Intervention Wheel, generated more than $1.5 million in sales. That was quite a beginning, right?
RARA: What titles have you published to date?
Nancy:
- The Elements Curriculum, which is high school curriculum written at a grade 2—4 level. That’s 13 books + practice books, tests, and projects for each subject.
- The EduREALM Math and EduREALM Reading Language Arts books, which are for grades K—8. That’s 16 books + the tests. These are now on Interactive CDs too.
- RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION: WHAT ABOUT BEHAVIOR? A Teacher’s Guide is an easy-to-read book for teachers and parents. It explains how behavior affects success in school, how to address challenges, and the formal intervention process.
RARA: How are you currently marketing your book and what has given you the best results?
Nancy: Firelight Books markets all of my books. Firelight Books has sales representatives in almost every state. Catalog drops, website and email blasts, and conference exposure are marketing strategies.
RARA: Are there any books or websites that you have found the most useful?
Nancy: Not really.
RARA: What has been your greatest challenge in self publishing?
Nancy: Proofing, proofing, proofing.
RARA: What is the best advice or tip you can give a new and aspiring author?
Nancy:
- Expect the proofing process to take 10 times longer than the composition.
- Expect the overall cost to be more than expected!
- Take time to pat yourself on the back when the book is completed. It’s an accomplishment to be proud of!
Thanks for taking a break and reading about one of our authors. If you would like to be included in the series, please contact me at jill@mirabooksmart.com.
And in case I don’t see ya… good afternoon, good evening and good night.
real answers real authors 