Lemon House Publishing Elementary-age students work on their books in a Lemon House class held at The Writer’s Block in Newton in 2022.
The following piece was provided by Lemon House Publishing:
“When I held my book in my hands for the first time, it was such an exhilarating and prideful moment that my next thought was, how can I give this feeling to others?” And it was that very thought that inspired former elementary teacher and Watertown resident, Jacky Lamenzo, to start her own company, Lemon House Publishing. To date, Lemon House Publishing (LHP) has helped over 150 students in the area write their own children’s books, leading to over 1,500 book sales on Amazon.
Starting a company amid the pandemic proved to be a challenge, but it was the very thing that inspired Lamenzo to seek out teaching in a unique way. She recognized not only did elementary kids need an outlet for creativity but also their teachers. Suddenly, LHP is not only an opportunity for the writer but also for the teacher.
“I want to provide a setting where teachers feel valued and their efforts in helping our students are driven by their passion,” said Lamenzo.
Before LHP was officially established in July 2020, Lamenzo created a self-publishing class for adults. While she continues to help adults publish their books, she realized her true passion was working with kids – “the only thing better than having that empowering feeling [of publishing your own book] is having it at an earlier age – riding through life with that confidence boost of, ‘I can do hard things.’”
Lemon House Publishing
Watertown’s Jacky Lamenzo started Lemon House Publishing to guide young authors through writing and publishing their own books. 
In this new world of uncertainty and constraint, Lamenzo became motivated to expand the reach of her students by opening virtual live classes to provide a much-needed safe space for writing their stories, confidence-building and giving back to the community. With the consent of the students’ parents, book sale profits are donated to a local non-profit, Storytime Crafts, which made it possible to install a Little Free Library at Washington Beech Playground in Roslindale this past year.
The eight-week live classes are currently for second to fifth grade students. After receiving inquiries about creating classes for those who are in an older age group, Lamenzo took her virtual services a step further and developed a new self-paced resource for older kids with hectic schedules and busy adults.
This opportunity for growth allowed Lamenzo to hire a team of teachers and creatives who are devoted to showing kids that dreams don’t only come true in the books they are writing, but also when they believe in themselves and put in the work. With the writing and publishing of her second book, Addy and the Anteater, in December of 2021, Lamenzo inspired her students who have previously written and published a children’s book with LHP to come back and write their own sequel. Ali Alnasser, one of LHP’s two-time published authors, offers advice to other young writers, “Don’t be stressed about making a book, you can do anything in your story!”
Lemon House Publishing
Lemon House Publishing offers classes on-line and in person. Here is a screenshot from a Zoom class in 2021.
Lamenzo said, “We want our students to know they always have a place with us here. Any child, regardless of their writing experience, is welcome to join our classes – we will meet them exactly where they’re at and become their personal cheerleader as they write, illustrate, publish and share their own story with the world!”
See more at www.lemonhousepublishing.com and find LHP on social media to learn more about the magic of getting involved with Lemon House Publishing.