How much is Jane Yolen worth?
| Net Worth: | $5 Million |
|---|---|
| Profession: | Professional Author |
| Date of Birth: | February 11, 1939 |
| Country: | United States of America |
| Height: | Unknown |
About Jane Yolen
Jane Hyatt Yolen, an American author of children’s novels, science fiction, and fantasy, was born on February 11, 1939. Her estimated net worth is $5 million. One of the few authors who can seemingly write anything is Jane Yolen. Whatever it is, Jane Yolen has certainly written it or edited it: poetry, prose, nonfiction, song lyrics, you name it. She writes novels for adults as well as picture books for young children, middle grade, and YA readers. But the real appeal of her work is that anyone may enjoy it.
Try one of her picture books if you enjoy poetry; if you enjoy one of her books for a certain age range, try one for a younger or older age. I believe it was Jane Yolen who first showed me, when I was an older adolescent, that there were still good novels in the young adult area, even though I had (in my mind) graduated to more mature pursuits.
A Look into Jane Yolen’s Life
Jane Yolen was born in New York City in 1939, and she also spent time growing up there, in Virginia and California. When she was just 23, she had her first book published, and she has been writing and publishing ever since. After attending Smith College and earning a BA there in 1960, she continued her education at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where she earned an MA in 1976.
Yolen wed computer scientist David Stemple in 1962; the couple remained together until Stemple’s passing in 2006. Three children were born to Yolen and Stemple, one of whom, Adam Stemple, is a well-known professional musician in Celtic and folk circles for his work with Boiled in Lead, Cat’s Laughing, and other groups. The “rock-and-roll fairytale” series of YA novels was co-written by Jane Yolen and her son Adam Stemple (beginning with Pay the Piper). Additionally, Yolen and her daughter Heidi Stemple co-wrote a historical mystery series, and she draws poetic inspiration from her son Jason Stemple’s pictures.
Jane Yolen still writes now while splitting her time between Scotland and Massachusetts.
‘America’s Hans Christian Andersen’
The description of Jane Yolen as “America’s Hans Christian Andersen” by Newsweek has persisted over time (the reference to Aesop by The New York Times has received less support). Numerous themes from fairy tales appear throughout her books and short stories; some are straightforward retellings, others simply have elements of fairytales in them. Although Yolen also writes realistic literature, her fantastical tales are undoubtedly her most well-known works.
Yolen has written more than 300 volumes, including novels, short story collections, poetry collections, children’s books, and non-fiction. One may be tempted to assume that her writing is hasty and unpolished given that she has written so many books. Contrarily, this is real. Although her art has a deceptive simplicity, it is always lush and expertly arranged, and it is so beautiful that it is nearly breath-taking.
Another astounding number of honors Jane Yolen has received or been nominated for (though perhaps not surprising considering the quality and quantity of her writing). She has won numerous awards, frequently more than once, including the Caldecott Medal, the World Fantasy Award, the Nebula Award, the Mythopoeic Award, and the National Jewish Book Award. Just as Hans Christian Andersen is a national treasure in Denmark, Jane Yolen is truly an American national treasure.
Pre-Hogwarts Wizarding School
Any conversation about Jane Yolen will inevitably bring up Harry Potter at some point. Yolen’s book Wizard’s Hall was released in 1991. A boy named Henry attends magic school in this story. Henry discovers that he actually does have an aptitude for magic when he saves the school, which has pictures that move and is being attacked by a bad wizard. When readers pick up Wizard’s Hall, they frequently believe it to be a knockoff of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books, just as they do with Neil Gaiman‘s Books of Magic comic book series. In actuality, the first Harry Potter book was published eight years before Wizard’s Hall.
Jane Yolen has maintained her composure after jokingly stating that she would be delighted to cash a check from J.K. Rowling. Yolen has always been a supporter of other writers, particularly those who are just starting out, despite some admirers arguing that she has a right to be upset.
Books by Jane Yolen
It’s challenging to identify Jane Yolen’s target audience because she has produced so many excellent books on so many different subjects. However, Yolen consistently writes strong female characters, and folklore and fantasy aspects frequently feature in her work, so readers who like those things will find a lot to adore in her writing. She has more than 300 books in her bibliography, many of which are YA or YA-friendly, making it impossible to include them all here. Here are a few of my favorites (Around Children’s Books has a list of reader favorites):
- Cards of Grief (1984)
- Sister Light, Sister Dark (1988)
- White Jenna (1989)
- Briar Rose (1992)
- Pay the Piper, with Adam Stemple (2005)
There is a ton of material available both offline and online regarding Jane Yolen and her books.
Bear Outside, Yolen’s 400th novel, was released in the first half of 2021. Jane Yolen’s net worth is projected to reach $5 million as of 2023.
