Featured Interview With Karen Banes
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in England, and have traveled fairly extensively. I’ve worked, lived and studied in the USA, Canada, Australia, The Netherlands and Spain. One of the things I love about writing and publishing is that it allows me to work from anywhere in the world, and while others might be lamenting the fall of traditional publishing, the rise of ebooks and everything that implies, I’m just grateful that current technology allows me to do what I do and live the digital nomad lifestyle.
For the last few years I’ve home schooled my two children while writing and publishing books and providing freelance writing and editing services. It’s allowed us to travel together as a family and have some amazing adventures.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love books. I think I’ve had my nose buried in one ever since I learned how to read. I wrote stories from an early age too, but started writing seriously when I graduated university and took a correspondence course in creative writing. I’d have taken an online course but back then they were still busy inventing the internet. I’ve taken breaks (especially when my kids were young) but I’ve been writing on and off for over 20 years.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love so many different authors and books and read in many different genres. I write mainly non-fiction (though I’ve published several short stories and also have a novel I’ve been working on for ages) so I read a lot of non-fiction. My favorite non-fiction author is probably Malcolm Gladwell. In fiction, I’ll read anything from fantasy to romance and I love speculative fiction. My favorite novelists include Margaret Attwood, Amy Tan, and Anne Tyler. My children are now at the teen/tween phase so I read a lot of the teen/young adult fiction they like, from Harry Potter to The Hunger Games.
Because I run my own online business I also read a lot of business books and autobiographies by successful people. I love ‘Losing My Virginity: How I’ve Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way’ by Richard Branson and ‘Body and Soul: Profits with Principles – The Amazing Success Story of Anita Roddick & The Body Shop’ by Anita Roddick.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is a non-fiction book for small business owners and entrepreneurs. It’s called ‘Tweeting For a Reason: How (and Why) to Use Twitter to Market Your Business’ and aims to show small business owners how they can use Twitter to promote and market their business and raise brand awareness, for free.
I started my freelance writing and editing business on a zero dollar budget and had to find ways to market my services without spending money. Social media is a great way to do that and I found that Twitter was one of the least understood platforms by many business owners, so I set out to write a step-by-step guide. It’s amazing how current technology allows us to get an online business up and running on a shoestring budget. Another one of my books is called ‘Free Tools for Writers, Bloggers and Solopreneurs’. That’s where I share all the free resources and marketing techniques I’ve discovered over the years.
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