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

Marian, appreciate you joining us today. Can you tell us about a time where you or your team really helped a customer get an amazing result?

One day, I got an email from someone who had purchased my book at The Decatur Book Festival in Decatur, GA. She was asking to meet me as soon as possible to buy another copy of my book, Chicken and Pickle, Sometimes we Scream.

She explained that her daughter was autistic and that they read this book when she experienced big emotions and each night before bed. She wrote that some of the techniques listed in the book were really helpful to her family and had become a part of their routine. Her daughter loved the book.

Unfortunately, they’d misplaced the book, which had become a big deal in their household!

Of course, I made sure to meet up with her and her family immediately. Not only did they bye three copies of that same book, but I also gifted them with the entire set of Chicken and Pickle. We spoke about the positive changes she’d seen in her daughter and their supporting family members. The siblings started to understand ways to take a more empathetic and patient approach to their sister. The parents were able to find moments that would allow them to facilitate check-ins and address everyone’s emotional needs.

I was speechless and grateful, to say the least. It was not only because she had shared fantastic feedback with me but because these books helped lift a little weight off someone’s shoulder.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

Absolutely! I am Marian Davis, an author, illustrator, creator, and overall entrepreneur.

While earning a psychology degree at Clemson University, I connected with the topic of Emotional Intelligence, which can be defined by some as the ability to perceive, control, and evaluate emotions. With my father passing, while I was young, there were tons of emotions I could not articulate. Losing him affected my relationships and ability to communicate with others. Learning about emotional intelligence helped me develop a sense of self-awareness, which allowed me to begin healing and improving how I connected with others.

With that inspiration, and the inquisitive mind of my Goddaughter, my journey began.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

My biggest concerns were quality, price, and inventory. So, I decided to go with the Amazon KDP platform.

I needed the cover and illustrated pictures to be bright, vibrant, and inviting. I ordered copies from multiple independent book publishing printers and found Amazon KDP was among the best in printing full color.

The price of my book had to be affordable. Let’s face it; fewer people purchase physical books than before. So I wanted to ensure that the price would not cause me to lose the sale. Again, Amazon KDP offered much lower printing costs, which allowed me to set the price at something reasonable and make a profit.

Lastly, I didn’t want to make a large purchase of printed books and risk getting stuck having to sell them aggressively. Logistical issues like storage, transportation, shipping, etc., also did not seem appealing. So, I chose an option that would allow me to “print on demand.” When my customers order, the books are printed and sent to them directly.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I believe my writing journey thus far has been a display of resilience in itself.

Pursuing anything creative usually means having to accept delayed gratification. Every step of the way, I have had to dig into my resourcefulness and push myself to keep going.

The encouragement and support of my family and friends helped me believe I could take matters into my own hands, and I did.

I drew this myself, I published this myself, and even I funded this myself.

I imagine the world learning to be just a little kinder, more empathic, and patient with the perspective of others.

That vision keeps the engine running.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.chickenandpickle.org
• Instagram: @chickenandpickle ; @foodienutrition_
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChickenandPickle/
• Other: https://www.amazon.com/author/mariandavis

Image Credits
Photographer: Kris Hacker of Hacker Medias [ https://www.hackermedias.com/ ]