50 Word Bio

Janae Marks is the New York Times bestselling author of From the Desk of Zoe Washington, A Soft Place to Land, and On Air with Zoe Washington. She has an MFA in Writing for Children from The New School, and lives in Connecticut with her family. Learn more at janaemarks.com.

150 Word Bio

Janae Marks is the New York Times bestselling author of middle grade novels From the Desk of Zoe Washington, A Soft Place to Land, and On Air with Zoe Washington. She is also part of the middle grade anthology Hope Wins, edited by Rose Brock. Her novels have been named Best Book of the Year by Parents Magazine, Chicago Public Library, the Boston Globe, the Bank Street College of Education, and others. From the Desk of Zoe Washington is currently in development with Disney Branded Television to become an original movie, executive produced by Kerry Washington.
 
Janae grew up in the New York City suburbs, where she loved to read and write. She holds a B.A. in English Literature from Tufts University and a Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children from The New School. She lives in Connecticut with her family. Learn more about her at janaemarks.com.

How to Pronounce Janae's Name

Awards and Accolades

Janae was named one of Connecticut Magazine's 40 Under 40 in 2022.
From the desk of zoe washington
  • ​Indie Bestseller
  • 4 starred reviews (Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, School Library Journal)
  • Named a Best Book of the Year by Parents Magazine, Book Riot, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, Chicago Public Library, the Boston Globe and the Bank Street College of Education
  • NPR 100 Favorite Books for Young Readers
  • #1 Kids' Indie Next List Title
  • Junior Library Guild Selection
  • Project LIT Book Club Selection
  • ​2020 Cybils Award Winner
  • 2021 Edgar Award Nominee
  • 2021 Agatha Award Nominee
  • ​2021 Anthony Award Nominee
  • Finalist, NEIBA New England Book Award (2020)
  • Finalist, Connecticut Book Award (2021)
  • Finalist, GoodReads Choice Awards (2020)
  • ​Amazon Best Book of the Month and Teachers' Pick
  • 2021-2022 Lectio Book Award Nominee

State Honors:
  • Arkansas: 2022-23 Charlie May Simon Book Award nominee
  • ​Connecticut: 2023 Intermediate Nutmeg Book Award nominee
  • Florida: 2021-22 Sunshine State Young Readers Award nominee
  • Georgia: 2022 Georgia Children's Book Award runner up
  • Illinois: 2022 Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award nominee
  • Indiana: 2021-22 Young Hoosier Book Award nominee
  • Iowa: 2021-2022 Children's Choice Award List
  • Louisiana: 2022-23 Reader's Choice Award nominee
  • Maine: 2021-22 Student Book Award reading list 
  • Michigan: 2021-22 Great Lakes Great Book Award honor book
  • Nebraska: 2021-22 Golden Sower Award nominee
  • Oklahoma: 2022 Children’s Sequoyah Masterlist
  • Oregon: 2022-23 Battle of the Books title
  • Pennsylvania: 2021-22 Young Readers Choice Award nominee
  • Rhode Island: 2022 Rhode Island Children’s Book Award nominee
  • South Carolina : 2021-22 Junior Book Award nominee
  • Texas: 2022 Lone Star Reading List
A soft place to land
  • 2 starred reviews (Publishers Weekly, Booklist)
  • September/October 2021 Kids Indie Next Pick
  • 2021 Project Lit Book Club Selection
  • 2022 Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Books of the Year
ON AIR WITH ZOE WASHINGTON
  • Instant New York Times bestseller
  • Indie bestseller
  • Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Hi-res Headshot and Cover Images

Book Specs

FROM THE DESK OF ZOE WASHINGTON
  • Age range: 8-12
  • Pages: 304
  • Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins
  • Language: English
  • Hardcover ISBN-13: 9780062875853
  • Paperback ISBN-13: 9780062875860
  • Available in print, ebook, and audio
  • Teacher Guide

Also available in the following territories:
  • UK (Chicken House Books) 
  • Italy (Il Castoro)
  • Turkey (Timas Publishing)
  • Farsi translation (Porteghal) - coming soon

Sales Links:
A SOFT PLACE TO LAND
  • Age range: 8-12
  • Pages: 288
  • Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins
  • Language: English
  • Hardcover ISBN-13: 9780062875877
  • Paperback ISBN-13: 9780062875891
  • Available in print, ebook, and audio​
  • Teacher Guide

Sales Links:
ON AIR WITH ZOE WASHINGTON
  • Age range: 8-12
  • Pages: 304
  • Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins
  • Language: English
  • Hardcover ISBN-13: 9780063212312
  • ​Available in print, ebook, and audio

​Sales Links:

Social Media Links

Contact Information

  • Website: www.janaemarks.com
  • Email: janaemarksbooks@gmail.com
  • Literary Agent: Alexander Slater at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates, aslater@sjga.com​

​Janae Marks is part of Black Creators HQ and Renegades of Middle Grade.