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

Alright, Katie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

To say we were unprepared to care for a child, let alone three, with multiple food allergies, is an understatement. Our oldest daughter, who just turned nine in August was diagnosed with multiple food allergies at six months old. All the signs were there of a food allergy, but because of the lack of education and knowledge around them, we didn’t notice. All her symptoms were something else (baby acne, reflux, etc.). Trying to navigate the world of food allergies without much support and no road map was challenging to say the least. We had lots of reactions, some including anaphylaxis.

While not very apparent, food allergies touch so many aspects of life. From daycare and school to activities and celebrations, when your child can’t eat what everyone else is eating, it affects the whole family. We can’t easily stop spontaneously to grab a bite to eat. We make all the special treats that are safe for our kids. They have to be responsible and carry epinephrine with them.

I’ve learned that unless you’re “in” something, you don’t really understand it. This is true for any lifestyle. So I wanted to educate those who weren’t “in” it to help bring awareness and education around food allergies. I went in circles trying to figure out the best way educate the general public. Two years ago it finally hit me. A children’s book.

Children are sponges and more receptive to new ideas. I’ve seen it firsthand how friends of my children support them. I want that for all food allergy kids. So I wrote a children’s book that is truly meant for everyone – both with and without food allergies. To educate those without on what food allergies are, how someone is diagnosed, and how they can be supported. I also wanted to empower those who do live with food allergies to show they can do anything other kids can do – it just may look a little different. I also wanted to showcase some of the amazing life skills food allergy kids acquire through diagnosis, like acceptance, bravery, responsibility, compassion, and using their voice.

I just published this first book and will be publishing more that follow along on specific occasions, such as holidays and celebrations, daycare and school, traveling, and more.

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’ve always had a love for writing and storytelling. My favorite place to go when I was a kid was to the library with my mom. I’ve also always enjoyed the creative arts. I went to school for creative advertising but upon graduation I ended up on the account management side of the business. I’m grateful for that opportunity to learn the business side and client management as it eventually led to me pursuing my true passion – writing. I became a freelance copywriter and enjoy working with a variety of clients where I get to listen and share their stories and passions.

When we had our first child, little did I know my love of writing would take me down another path – that of a children’s author. We have three children, all whom have multiple food allergies. I struggled finding information about food allergies after our diagnosis and was surprised at how little education and information there is around a chronic disease that affects 1 in 13 children in the U.S.

I brainstormed for a few years about ways to provide more education to the public about food allergies. Nothing I came up with was really landing for me. I was in a leadership class and as part of it, we had to declare a goal. I knew mine was going to be around food allergy education and that’s when it finally hit me. A children’s book! I realized that children were the audience I really wanted to teach because they would be the ones in the situations supporting my kids. I decided to self-publish as I wanted to get it out as quickly as possible and also learn the whole process. I began in October 2020 and my first book was just published in July 2022! This book follows our oldest and takes readers on an educational journey from reactions to diagnosis to how to support someone with food allergies. The purpose of this book was to empower those living with food allergies while educating those without.

I am continuing to write additional books to cover specific topics that can be challenging, such as traveling, daycare/school, holidays and celebrations, and more. Through these books I hope to raise more awareness, build compassion, and show how we can be inclusive.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I had no idea what I was getting into when I decided to self-publish. There’s a large financial risk going this route. I looked at all the options and knew that was the route for me, but the amount of work creating your business and self-publishing can be challenging, especially when you have another job and a family to manage. I was a one-woman team. This was where my account management skills came in as I had knowledge of working with printers and creatives, like my illustrator and designer, but I had to source all of these myself.

There were many times I felt at a loss. Finding an illustrator in a style I wanted that was even available was a big challenge. It’s not easy for self-publishers to find illustrators who will work with them. It’s a game of trust when you get into the relationship. I was lucky to find someone, but it wasn’t always smooth sailing. From contract negotiations to communication, we had to find our groove, which at times felt rocky, but ended up being beautiful.

Finding a printer, in the middle of a pandemic, also became challenging. I wanted to print domestically. I found a printer, saw their samples and was all set to move ahead. When it got close to printing time, they no longer could take me on. This was disheartening. I had my heart set on this printer, I could pick up myself and build a relationship, but because of paper shortages and increased demand from current clients, they couldn’t take me on. I was back to the drawing board. I found a second printer. Another one I loved and right in my home state! Everything was going great and again, as we were closer to providing final files, they could no longer take me on. I was at a loss. I’ve had two printers that both couldn’t take me on. I figured no one would be able to. But I pressed on because I was determined to get this book printed. The saying “third times a charm” became true in my case. I found a third printer that was able to take me on and I was able to get the books printed exactly how I wanted.

I learned patience and perseverance are key to success.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Self-publishing also meant that all financial risk and capital was on me. While I had some savings built up and was able to go down this path, the expenses add up quickly! I wanted my book to look like it was traditionally published. I knew that was going to mean more money. I hired an editor, illustrator, and book designer. I also decided to offset print my books so they would be the highest quality. My illustrator and printing costs were my largest expenses. I didn’t want to wait months and months to continue saving to cover everything.

In some of my author support groups, I kept seeing self-published authors using Kickstarter to fund their projects. I’d never had any experience with Kickstarter, but kept seeing success, so figured I would give it a shot to help cover my expenses while also building up an audience who was excited to receive the book.

For those not familiar, Kickstarter is a crowdfunding platform. The project owner sets a monetary goal and timeframe (no longer than 60 days, but most are typically 30 days). In return for “pledges” people receive rewards. In my case, the book itself and some other packages worth specific monetary amounts. What I loved about Kickstarter is that people could also support without receiving a reward. So even if my book wasn’t for them, they could still contribute. It was a great way to “pre-order” the book and get some marketing out of it while helping reduce my personal investment. It’s a win-win! The only catch with Kickstarter is that it’s an all-or-nothing platform. If you don’t raise the goal amount within the timeframe, you don’t get anything! So there’s big reward, but also big risk. I was able to reach my goal and cover my printing expenses through my Kickstarter, which allowed me to continue saving for other needs and for my second book.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.katiehollcreative.com
• Instagram: Katiehollcreative
• Facebook: Katiehollcreative
• Linkedin: Katie Holl
• Twitter: katie_m_holl