About Kristen Palana:
I’m an artist, educator, and author based in Rome, Italy. Since 2000 I’ve taught university students in Rome as well as in and around the NYC area. Since 2014 I also help 10K+ online students in over 140 countries.
In my courses and books, I aim to empower ordinary people to do extraordinary things. I specialize in turning complex information into something simple, memorable, and easy-to-understand in as short amount of time as possible. My goal is for students and readers to get the most important and relevant information that can be used right away.
I’m a dual American/Portuguese citizen and have offered workshops in North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. My artwork is exhibited internationally and has received a number of awards.
Traveling and volunteering in developing countries rank among my biggest interests. I live in Rome, Italy with my German husband Michael, Roman sons Lukas and Nico, and New Yorker cat Oliver.
What inspires you to write?
I know it sounds overly idealistic, but my biggest inspiration is imagining my readers suddenly full of confidence and enthusiasm to go attempt something they may have previously been afraid to ever even try. My biggest goal is to help people improve and expand what they are capable of.
Tell us about your writing process.
I like to outline the skeleton of the book and all the main topics I want to talk about. I then go to one of my favorite secret writing spots in my Monteverde Vecchio neighborhood of Rome, Italy (weather-permitting) and will focus on just one item at a time and not stop writing usually until I have a chapter I am happy with. I seem to be able to write one chapter at a time but that pace is neither too slow nor too fast for my liking.
What advice would you give other writers?
With my University professor’s hat on, I will say that editing and proof-reading are key. I think that even if you are flawless at writing, just being so close to your own book will allow little mistakes to slip under your nose. I’d advise to either reread your work over and over again, or better still, get some trustworthy early readers to help give you feedback.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I have wanted to write a book my entire life, yet I waited and waited years because I didn’t know how to get started and go about the process. I mistakenly thought I had to approach (and be rejected by) hundreds of publishers to even have a chance of publishing my own book.
Now that I finally have taken the plunge, my only regret is that I didn’t do self-publish sooner. Of course it’s more work and it is much harder to be noticed, but at least your work will be out there instead of just sitting on your own computer. If you do your homework and keep a positive attitude, I think you’ll find that it’s all worth it.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
At the moment, while it’s nice that ANYONE can now write and publish a book, I think the direction might swing the other way where more rules, standards, and checks and balances are in place before a book can go live and be on sale.
While I certainly don’t claim to be perfect, I’m absolutely horrified at some of the chronic mistakes and typos I come across when reading books on my Kindle.
What do you use?: Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: Non fiction
What formats are your books in?: eBook
Website(s)
Kristen Palana Home Page Link
Link To Kristen Palana Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
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All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit, to allow you, the reader, to hear the author in their own voice.
