Interview with Relationship Expert & Author Barbora Knobova

Barbora Knobova is a writer, relationship coach and expert in Delicious Life. A world traveler, she is one of those rare world citizens who live everywhere and nowhere. Barbora is a firm believer in female friendship, loyalty and bonding. She writes hilarious, sharp-witted, caustically apt, ironic, moving and very true books for strong, independent, smart, fearless women. Barbora has also written several self-improvement books and teaches women about the importance of self-love in relationships and life in general. Barbora speaks eight languages and has found her home away from home in New York, London and Milan. She is always on the move, accompanied by her beagle Brinkley, the nasty dog from Tales for Delicious Girls. You can visit her website at www.barboraknobova.com, her blogs at www.barboraknobova.wordpress.com and www.deliciousadvice.wordpress.com. Connect with Barbara at Twitter at www.twitter.com/barboraknobova and Facebook at www.facebook.com/barboraknobova-author.

Welcome to The Writer's Life, Barbora. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how long you’ve been writing?

Thank you. I’ve been writing since childhood! My grandfather was a writer and books have always been very important in the life of my family. I learned to read and write when I was four years old and I’ve been in love with literature ever since.

Can you please tell us about your book and why you wrote it?

My book is called Tales for Delicious Girls. It is a humorous, ironic book about men and women and about female friendship. It deals with dating and relationship mishaps and funny situations that actually happened, no matter how incredible it may seem. It’s a book for smart women of all ages who have a sense of humor. And I always say that it’s a book of many faces. Its main purpose is to entertain but when you read it you realize the book also shows women that the relationship they have with themselves is much more important than their relationships with men and other people who surround them. It helps them love themselves more, appreciate and respect themselves. I know that no matter how strong we are, how educated we are, how great our career is, sometimes we just get lost in the complicated web of relationships. I would like every woman to see herself as the pillar of her own life, her best friend. I would like every woman to love herself truly. I hope that my book makes women laugh and also helps them deal with any personal and relationship issues they may have.

What kind of research was involved in writing?

There was lots of research involved! I studied my and my friends’ love life very thoroughly and it involved long evenings spent over Earl Grey and cookies, talking about men, relationships and love.

Has it been a bumpy ride to becoming a published author or has it been pretty well smooth sailing?

I must say that I’m very lucky because I own a publishing company that supports female authors. I believe that women have so much to say in the 21st century and they should be heard, that’s why I founded BK Publishing. Of course BKP publishes my books as well, so I didn’t have to struggle to get published, unlike many other authors.

Do you have an agent and, if so, would you mind sharing who he/is is? If not, have you ever had an agent or do you even feel it’s necessary to have one?

I’ve never had an agent and therefore I can’t really say if an agent is necessary or not, I believe it depends on many things. Personally, I’ve never felt I needed one.

Do you plan subsequent books?

Yes, currently I’m working on two projects. One of them is a self-improvement book for Delicious Girls, a guide to self-love and happiness, which is supposed to pick up where Tales for Delicious Girls left off. I’m also finishing another book which takes place in Italy, specifically in Milan and its surroundings. It’s sensual, it’s funny and it’s charming. Again it’s a book of tales, this time about Italians, especially about all those wonderful Italian women I know. I would like my readers to become a part of the stories I write about, to feel that they actually are at the places that I describe, and to get a taste of the famous Italian dolce vita. My grandma was Italian and Italy is my home away from home. I see it through different eyes than most people and I hope readers will find my book amusing, original and entertaining.

Can you describe your most favorite place to write?

It’s my personal writing corner at home, a huge sofa full of pillows, with a cup of good tea on my left and with my dog on my right.

If money was no object, what would be the first thing you would invest in to promote your book?

I think I would do exactly the same things that I’m doing now! I believe that I’m doing as much as I can to promote my books. But I would probably tour the world to have a personal contact with my readers.

How important do you think self-promotion is and in what ways have you been promoting your book offline and online?

Self-promotion is crucial. Authors shouldn’t rely on their publishers to do all the work (and many publishing houses do very little work in this respect). You’ve written the book, you know it inside out, you love it. No one will ever promote it with more passion than you! I personally rely on online promotion and although live events are fun and I love them too, I believe that online promotion is much more effective. The internet offers so many options for authors to explore. Social sites, blogs, websites, e-zines, virtual book tours, etc. It’s wonderful how much you can do for your book from the comfort of your home!

What’s the most common reason you believe new writers give up their dream of becoming published and did you almost give up?

I think that authors shouldn’t give up. There are so many possibilities today! You can have your book professionally edited and formatted, you can hire your own cover artist. You can get your own ISBN and publish the book yourself. You can promote it and become a successful author. Self-published authors used to be frowned upon but those times are long gone. There are just good books and bad books, not traditionally published and self-published books. Readers know it too!

Any final words of wisdom for those of us who would like to be published?

If your book is really good, you have nothing to be afraid of! Just go ahead and take the plunge. Your effort and hard work will pay off. Every book finds its readers, you just have to know where to look.

Thank you for your interview, Barbora. I wish you much success!