We recently connected with Katherine Bitner and have shared our conversation below.

Katherine, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s jump right into the heart of things. Outsiders often think businesses or industries have much larger profit margins than they actually do – the reason is that outsiders are often unaware of the biggest challenges to profitability in various industries – what’s the biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

This answer is really twofold because being a self-published author can mean you’re always in the red, considering all your costs come out of your own pocket, but it can also be quite lucrative.

I know some authors who’ve racked up loads of debt to pay for the best editing, cover design, formatting, marketing packages, etc., only to find out after their book is published that unless their book hits best-seller lists, they may be in the red for years to come.

I don’t think many people realize that authors don’t receive large royalties from books, whether traditionally or self-published. However, when you’re self-published, you’re paying for your book to be the best it can be, getting it in front of many people, which is both very expensive and, truthfully, all about luck. Until book publishers start paying a larger percentage to authors, self-publishing will be a continually costly avenue.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have always been a writer at heart! I went to school for interior design and launched a design blog, where I reawakened my love for storytelling as an adult. After a few years of content writing for the design industry, I decided to take the risk and attempt something on my bucket list: writing a fictional novel.

That was in late 2021, and now in 2023, I have two novels published and another one in the works. My first two novels are geared toward adults in their 20’s-40’s. They explore the theme of coming-of-age, self-discovery, family relations, and always romance! If you were to look my books up, you’d find them filed under contemporary romance.

My main goal as an author is to write books that feel relatable. Not everyone will relate to my characters, which are raw and a bit messy, but for the readers who have told me they feel seen when they read my books – well, that makes it all worth it for me!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, the most rewarding thing is seeing my book being read by people. Knowing that someone has chosen to spend their money and time on a story that I crafted from my head and spent months pouring over…it’s an indescribable feeling! I love when readers reach out to me on social media and tell me what they thought of a certain scene, or how they relate to a character. It’s just so cool to know my story is out there being read!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

When I started writing my first published novel, I made the mistake of trying to make it like every other book out there. I tried to put in every popular trope, use all the trending themes and characters, and make it so everyone would love it. I thought, surely, that’s how to write a popular book. But I was widely wrong!

I didn’t follow those rules with book #2, and it’s a night and day difference. My second book feels more authentic; it’s selling 10x more than my first book, and the most significant factor…I didn’t worry about anything ‘trending.’ I wrote from the heart and invested in a quality editor, editorial story developer, and cover designer.

The lesson is you can write books that sound like every other book out there, copying themes and plots, and it might sell. Or you can do your own thing, write something totally unique, and know that it’s 100% yours. This was a hard lesson to learn, but I’m so happy I figured it out early on in my author career.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.katherinebitner.com
• Instagram: @thekatherinebitner
• Tiktok: @katherine.bitner.writes