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

Karen , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s easy to look at a business or industry as an outsider and assume it’s super profitable – but we’ve seen over and over again in our conversation with folks that most industries have factors that make profitability a challenge. What’s biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

Most recently, the biggest challenge to profitability as a writer is the rise of AI. I have lost long-term clients because they can generate content faster and cheaper using ChatGPT than they can by paying me or another writer to produce the content. I get that. But these clients are sacrificing quality, accuracy, and creativity when they rely on AI-generated material, as opposed to human-written content. On the plus side, I have been hired by new clients to “humanize” articles and manuscripts that were initially written by a bot. These clients, like me, notice how repetitive AI-generated content is and how the sentence and paragraph structures follow predictable patterns. There may come a time when ChatGPT can write unique, innovative, clever, and compelling works that rivals the mastery of humans, but we aren’t there yet.

Karen , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I started my professional career as a reporter and photojournalist, thanks to my bachelor’s degree in journalism. I then segued to academia, teaching English composition at first a community college and then a university, thanks to my master’s degree in English. During these years, however, I wrote and edited as a side gig. My side gig grew and grew until I decided to take a semester off to see if I could make a go of full-time freelance writing. That was eight years ago, and I haven’t returned to “regular” work.

I focus on non-fiction writing, ghostwriting, editing, and proofreading. I cover all sorts of topics from memoirs and biographies to history and self-help. I’ve written upwards of two dozen books, though most of them were ghostwritten. One project that I am particularly proud of – and one that was a drastic change from my typical content – was a children’s book that I co-wrote with my oldest daughter, Katie, and in honor of my little granddaughter, Elle. Elle was born with a rare genetic disorder, Noonan Syndrome. After Elle’s diagnosis, Katie went on Amazon to purchase children’s books featuring Noonan Syndrome characters and was disappointed to find only one. As a result, we wrote and published “Ellie Lou Knows What to Do,” the story of a little girl with a can-do attitude thriving with Noonan Syndrome. For Katie, writing the book helped her feel like she was doing something proactive while she was coming to grips with her daughter’s diagnosis. For me, it was great to share my love of writing and my publishing experience with my daughter. Since February is Noonan Syndrome Awareness Month, we are gearing up to promote our “Ellie Lou” book.

As geeky as it sounds, I really love grammar, research, and writing. I also like people. One of the best parts of my job is working with clients to bring their visions to fruition. I enjoy interviewing clients, building a rapport with them, and sharing their unique stories. My journalism degree taught me how to interview people, how to make them comfortable enough to trust me, and how to root out the fascinating aspects of their stories. My English degree taught me how to use the art of storytelling to make their stories engaging and relatable to readers.

On a personal note, I love photography and travel. I combine these two passions with my travel-related Instagram account, @emptynestertraveldiary . On this account, I share photos of my travel adventures with my followers.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Early in my career, when I worked as a journalist and editor, I often relied on freelance writers and photographers to supply me with articles and images. When they failed to deliver – and that often happened – I was the one left scrambling. I promised myself that I would never to that to an editor or client when I began freelance writing as a side gig. I’ve continued with that mission as a full-time writer. I deliver on my promises to my clients. In fact, my goal is to exceed their expectations and come in ahead of the deadline. I am proud to say that I always hit this goal. I believe that this has helped me build my reputation within the market.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I launched my Instagram account about four years ago, primarily as a way to showcase my photography. Now that my children are grown – the youngest is a junior in college – my husband and I have been able to travel much more than we could when they were little. That’s why I decided to name my Instagram account @emptynestertraveldiary . To be honest, building my audience was easier when my account was new. In the last year or so, my numbers have plateaued, and I am struggling to outwit the platform’s algorithms …me and everyone else! Although Instagram is pushing reels, I still primarily post photos. After all, that was the reason why I started my Instagram account in the first place. So, my advice to people just starting out on social media would be to remain true to yourself and your goals and let the algorithms do their own thing.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @emptynestertraveldiary