About Karla Talanian:
Karla Talanian is an elementary school math teacher and also the director of a mathematics enrichment school. She earned degrees in Chemistry and Biotechnology and worked in the biotechnology industry for several years. She was a frequent volunteer in the classrooms of her three children as they were growing up.
What inspires you to write?
I have always had a passionate interest in science, specifically the natural sciences. Understanding biology, chemistry, meteorology, etc., help us to understand the world in which we all live. I want to share that sense of wonder and respect for nature in my readers.
In school, most science subjects are taught independently of each other: one year children learn about biology, the next they study earth science, another year they learn physics… but there is not enough emphasis on the connections between these disciplines. It is in the connections that the fundamentals of science are found, yet those connections are so often lost. I wanted to show parents how to elucidate the basic laws of nature and open their children’s eyes to the underlying science behind everyday observations.
Tell us about your writing process.
I feel that I was more of a curator of science stories. Science for Parents was meant as a guide for parents to teach their children about the science of nature. I would choose a topic to write about, and spend days or sometimes weeks researching the background information. Once the outline was in place I tried to translate the scientific facts into friendly, accessible language that I might use to explain it to a friend. Always, my goal was to show how the same over-reaching laws of nature applied to every different subject.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I contacted a dozen or so publishers with queries. Most said very nice things about my book, but did not feel that it fit their niche. Publishers who specialized in non-fiction for adults did no want to enter the “family” market and those who published for children did not want to take on a book meant for adults, so I just decided to do it all myself.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
Since 2009 (when I began my book) until 2015 (when I finished it) the world of self publishing changed quite a bit. Five years ago it seemed rather sketchy, and the the few companies I looked at were definitely aggressively trying to sell unnecessary services. CreateSpace was a joy to work with. Their ready made templates and easy downloads and upload technology was so great to use. I imagine this trajectory will continue, with self publishing becoming a larger part of the industry.
What genres do you write?: non-fiction
What formats are your books in?: Print
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