We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cari Dubiel a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Cari, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I stumbled into my business! I am a public librarian and have stayed at the same organization for nearly 19 years. While I have sought career opportunities elsewhere, positions like mine are competitive. To challenge myself and find meaningful work, I began freelancing. Twelve years later, I am an indie author, I take on editing jobs, I speak to both librarians and authors, and I consult for a professional organization that serves libraries.

Each one of these endeavors had its different learning curves, indie publishing being the area where I learned the most. My skills in editing and writing have fueled all my work, but the act of publishing has been the toughest. I have had to figure out how to upload covers and content to Amazon and Ingram, how to format covers and interiors, and how to promote my work. Much of this has been trial and error, although I did read plenty of books. I wish I had consulted with more people who had been through it instead of relying mostly on traditional information sources.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I unknowingly explained this on the previous question! Here is some more information about my products and services.

I sell my independently published works to readers for entertainment and information. I’ve published a novel and many short stories, which I generally sell at events but also online. THE AUTHOR’S GUIDE TO LIBRARIES is the most relevant publication for writers. It is a handy guide for writers looking to engage and partner with libraries.

I can provide developmental edits, line edits, and proofreading. My prices are reasonable, so they’re great for new authors. Not everyone is a great match for me, but I will provide a free 10-page edit so we can identify whether or not we are a fit.

If a library or writers’ group needs a training program, I have a number of presentations available as well.

How’d you meet your business partner?

I’m part of a publishing co-op called Duskbound Books. The story of how we met is pretty wild. Each of us had engaged with a crowdfunding company where authors were encouraged to connect with other authors to sell “preorders” of books. Not all of us went through the entire process, but we stayed together due to common goals. We all became members of a writing co-op that came before Duskbound, but we found that we were spending a lot of money and time with others’ work instead of ours. Duskbound became the passion project we needed to support each other while also publishing our own books.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Networking! I get out and about. I’m not great at social media, but I’m good at building connections among people in bookish communities. Most of my business comes from word of mouth. I also attend multiple book fair events per year, where I can connect with readers directly. My online sales pale in comparison to my in-person sales. I know it’s hard for writers to leave their comfort zone and get out there; I consider myself an ambivert, which means I need my time alone but also get energy from meeting and working with people. I am all about helping people, and anything I can do for others energizes me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.caridubielauthor.com
• Instagram: @caridubiel
• Facebook: @caridubielauthor
• Other: I am not as active as I used to be on social media. I do have a BlueSky account, @caridubiel.bsky.social

Image Credits

Headshot – Ed Dubiel