Meet Kara Zone

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kara Zone. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Kara, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

In 2015, I developed a chronic pain disorder called Fibromyalgia. Only it didn’t get diagnosed until about 2022. Through that time, I was going to college full-time with two small children, and I was a single mother working two jobs. I had to devise new and different ways to get everything done.

I had to get sleep when I could get sleep, do homework when I could do homework, and be a mom at all times. I realized the best way I could help myself was to work remotely. I didn’t make much but made enough to keep my house and get food for the kids. I did have government assistance, and I got help from student grants/scholarships.

Little by little, we started to figure out what was wrong with my body, but if I hadn’t kept trying with new doctors, I don’t know if I’d ever found out. I graduated Cum Laude from college in 2018, got married to a great man, my children have grown into young adults, and I still have my chronic pain disorder. Most of the time, I work remotely because of this. Recently, I decided to take on a part-time job to help fund my indie publishing career; it’s been a work in progress because it’s physical.

I have to take it slower on certain days, although I think my body’s turning a corner. My novel’s coming out in January 2025, and without the resilience I built over the last almost ten years, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I feel very passionate about what I do. First and foremost, I’m an author and writer. I’ve taught creative writing for the past five years. I discovered I had a flare for the indie publishing world through that time. It’s constantly changing, so I’ll have more to learn! But I had a series of disappointments, and I saw one person drop out of the indie publishing world after another.

It was devastating to witness and go through.

What’s even worse is that they didn’t have to give up. They just needed to readjust their expectations, and that is when I decided to become a consultant. Because I’ve touched and worked on almost every part of the indie publishing world, I want to help share that knowledge with others. It’s my second guiding passion. Indie publishing is scary and overwhelming if you don’t know what you’re getting into.

It can be overwhelming if you don’t know what mistakes you’re making—we all make mistakes, especially in the indie publishing industry—but with help and guidance, it’s possible to redirect your ship and keep going with a better plan and a stronger foundation of knowledge to go off of.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Building resilience is the first. Indie publishing is a beast, and if I didn’t learn from others and watch where mistakes were made and how they were corrected, I wouldn’t be in the spot where I am today. Knowing there’s always another method to try if something isn’t working right also came in handy. I didn’t build this from the indie publishing world but discovered it as a single mother.

I constantly had to shift directions when things went wonky, which happens often with kids. Accepting feedback is huge. As an author, it’s one of the most vital components of creating an incredible story. We can see the bigger picture because we’re so immersed in the world we’re writing. Editors, Beta Readers, etc., offer a great eye because they’re not where we are.

Their insights have made me more creative.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

Yes! I’m always looking to help people with any questions when considering publishing their book. I have a lot of experience in indie publishing, but there are other options besides publishing by yourself. I’d be happy to talk anyone through the choices.

Also, if anyone is stuck with their manuscript or proposal, please feel free to reach out!

I’ve been in professional writing since 2015, and I’ve been doing indie publishing since 2019. If you’d like to reach me, please feel free to email me at contact@karamzone.com or visit my website at karamzone.com

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