Janice V. Nibbs’ new book ‘I want to be a Baker’ now on sale
Speaking to Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) in an exclusive interview on October 20, 2025, the author said this is book two of her Traditional Virgin Islands Career Series, introducing young people to the careers from the early 1900s.
“I wanted the children to have an idea, because I wanted them to have a foundation on which to build because, as you know, most children nowadays have only seen technology. They don’t know anything about the things of before.”
Copies of the books can be purchased locally from Nibbs and are also available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Nibbs said she is unsure if she will have a launch for the second book, as it is part of a series.
Overwhelming response
She said the response to the first book in the series, ‘I want to be a Thatcher Man’, published September 1, 2023, was great, adding that her goal is to sell 1000 books.
“I have not done that yet, I’m not sure, because a lot of locals have bought them from Amazon. It’s just what I personally have been selling, but the response has been good.”
Nibbs added that a lot of men have shown interest in her books and have requested copies.
“You just have people walking up to you and telling you, ‘I want a copy’,…so the momentum for the first one is carrying the second one.”
Seeking an illustrator
Nibbs said that while she wants to continue this series, she is encountering difficulties with sourcing an illustrator.
Illustration, she said, is important so readers will be able to see, adding, “As a librarian, we know that seeing one picture is worth a thousand words so I wanted to put pictures so that they can relate the picture to the activity.”
Mr Rueben Vanterpool illustrated the first three books of the series so fans can look forward to book three in the future.
“I am still trying to find someone willing to illustrate others for me. I’m not sure how many books I’ll have.”
Nibbs has invited other Virgin Islands authors to join her on her ‘Janice Nibbs Book Tour & Meet the Authors’, which began on Virgin Gorda.
“I think we do quite well as a group…I want people to know who the local authors are.”
She said there is a market for local authors as people in the Virgin Islands collect these books.
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12 Responses to “Janice V. Nibbs’ new book ‘I want to be a Baker’ now on sale”
The illustrator needs to be in tune with the author. And even better, when the illustrator is the author, as was the case with my books "Virgin Island Sketches" and "Caribbean Sketches".
Over the years, I have given workshops on the art of book illustration for authors and artists in the Caribbean, and I am currently making a video on the subject. May I suggest that the art of book illustration would be a good topic for the forthcoming Virgin Island Literary Festival.
Truly BVIslander in thoughts word and deeds , Continue the legend and much Blessings!
Congratulations. I am a fellow Virgin Islander living in CA with family roots in Tortola. I am happy to see books about our islands and culture, and I hope to debut a collection of short stories soon.