NJ Journalist And Author, Michael C. Gabriele, Speaks To Writers In The Making

Michael C. Gabriele, seasoned journalist and author with over 40 years of experience, shared his journey and advice with the students of Newspaper Production Studio on April 14, 2026. 

“I was always interested in writing. I always worked for my school newspaper. For some reason, it just never occurred to me to become a Journalism major,” said Gabriele.

From Pen to Paper

Gabriele saw his beginnings in journalism working for the Nutley Sun newspaper in 1976. He moved from production and reporter work for the Nutley Sun, to an editor position for The Catholic Advocate in 2005 until 2013. His most recent work outside of writing as an author included working for trade and business publications at Fairchild Publications, Bill Communications, McGraw-Hill and Cahners from 2024 to 2025. 

Since the beginning of his career, Gabriele has been writing New Jersey centric stories. Gabriele has published his books with the History Press publishing company, where his most recent books--The History of Diners in New Jersey and Colonial Taverns of New Jersey--have been well-recieved. 

“I’ve been in journalism all my life, being a book author was not in the business plan. I couldn't even conceive of writing a book,” said Gabriele. 

Gabriele had been an avid reader of History Press’ books and decided one day on a whim to send them an email with a book pitch, out of curiosity for what they would say. He was not expecting them to reach out to him to do the writing.

“I could have easily said, no thank you, I was just curious as to what you would say. I have no interest in writing books, I can’t do that. But then I thought, I think I can do this. Why not?” said Gabriele.

That very proposition became his debut book, The Golden Age of Bicycle Racing in New Jersey.

 Marketing Yourself To Future Employers

“Every industry, every business group, they need people who know how to write. It’s a fundamental skill that is underappreciated,” said Gabriele, “It is a business; it is an art; it is a profession.”

Gabriele spoke to the students about how to maximize marketing yourself during networking events, or when approaching a specific company that you want to work for 

He highly recommended creating your own business card, carrying around a copy of your resume, a portfolio or samples of your work, and to create a website. 

For business cards, Gabriele advised that your card should include your name, phone number, e-mail, and website if you have one. The design can be as simple or as elaborate as you want, as long as you have your key contact information included. 

“When you’re out meeting people, whether it’s prospective places you might want to work, or other authors, you want to make sure that people know that you’re serious about this, about the profession,” said Gabriele. 

Publishing Your Work

Gabriele spoke about his experience with publishing and self-promoting your writing, and strongly advises against hiring a literary agent. 

“If they ask you for a large sum of money upfront, that’s a big red flag,” said Gabriele. 

Landing a deal with a publisher, or self-publishing are his recommended paths. Amazon is a popular choice for self-publishing, where you can either publish as an e-book, or you can print your own physical copies, where you are responsible for your own sales. 

“You’ll order 50 to 100 copies of your book that’ll show up on your doorstep and be like, well now what? Now I have to sell all of these,” said Gabriele. 

While it seems like an impossible task on your own, Gabriele listed a few places you could go to help promote and sell your book, such as book stores and book festivals. Barnes & Noble often holds events for small, local authors. Gabriele also claims that it’s a great place to go to meet fellow writers. There are also dozens of book festivals and events that take place year round. 

“Just Google book and author events in New Jersey, and it will give you a list of over 50 events happening all year. Now I have 30 places lined up that I’m going to go to promote my book,” said Gabriele. 

Iconic Diners in New Jersey

“A diner has to serve breakfast any time of the day, and it has to have a counter with round stools. If you sit at the counter, that's where you’ll meet all of the interesting people,” said Gabriele.

Gabriele shared that his book, The History of Diners in New Jersey (2013) is what really put him on the map. Even when promoting his book Colonial Taverns of New Jersey (2023), he will always bring copies of The History of Diners in New Jersey, as someone will always ask about it. 

New Jersey is  known as the diner capital of the world, with over 400 diners  within the state. New Jersey does not simply hold this title for the sheer number of diners. Jersey is responsible for designing, manufacturing, and giving diners the popularity they have now. 

Of the 400-plus diners within the state, this includes the famous Blairstown Diner, which was featured in the iconic Friday The 13th movie. Gabriele says that the Blairstown Diner is one of his favorites, as it is full of memorabilia from the movie, and tourists wanting to visit the site from the film. 

However, Gabriele says that his absolute favorite diner would have to be the Tick Tock Diner located in Clifton, New Jersey, where Gabriele is from. 

“My earliest memory was the Tick Tock Diner when I was a teenager. My friends and I would go out and we would come back at 2 a.m. in the morning and get breakfast at the Tick Tock Diner,” said Gabriele. “I won’t remember the conversations, I won’t remember what we had to eat, but I'll always remember the diner.” 

Comments From Students

Students loved talking and learning about the diners that they frequent, as well as the significance and history behind them.  

“I appreciated hearing about towns I live near and have been to frequently like Blairstown for example. I found out how niche and interesting diners are and have never really thought about them this way,” said staff writer Reece Smith. 

“I’m always fascinated by local history, and I’ve never known anything about the history of diners. His talk was very interesting, and I cannot wait to read his diner book,” said editor-in-chief Alexis d’Ambly. 

“I really enjoyed Michael’s visit. I am such a nerd for NJ and local history, so I found it super fascinating. He gave great advice to journalists and authors. He was honest and funny, and I truly enjoyed meeting him,” said managing editor Samantha Swayze.

Other students took note of his advice on networking, noting the importance of meeting people, and the wisdom in having a personal business card. 

“I learned that networking is significant. Represent yourself; you never know who you might meet. I also learned to be careful of who you trust when it comes to online networking,” said social media manager Nick Storms.

“Michael Gabriele is a fantastic storyteller. I absolutely love the advice he gave about carrying around business cards, resumes, and having a website. He really opened my eyes on how far networking can get you,” said managing editor Carmella Vitel. 

Aspiring authors of the class also got a chance to learn what to avoid when trying to get their work published, and events that they can attend to advertise their work. 

“My take-away was that you should not trust a literary agent. I learned to always have my resume with me. Stories are the best part. You should find a publishing house rather than self-publishing!” said managing editor Carlee Nigro.

“Michael was very informative about the writing industry. He spoke about making business cards and a website as well as literary agents and publishers. He spoke of being cautious of literary agents, and how lucky he was to be published traditionally instead of self-published,” said managing editor Elizabeth May. 

Gabriele continues to work on his next book. While he did not share any hints as to what it is about, you can keep an eye out for its publication on his website, https://mcgabrielenjbooks.com.

“The printed word will always be a noble thing, it will always be a noble occupation,” said Gabriele.