Author interview- Kersten Kelly
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Kersten Kelly is a new author. Her first book is Economics- a simple twist on normalcy. The premise of the book is to incorporate economic theory into social media, pop culture, business, education, and history to help determine why certain things happen.
Here is the link to the book's website The economics book
Here is the interview
TRIVIA
Favorite color-Yellow
Place of your dreams-Amsterdam, I've been there once for New Years Eve, and it was so incredible that I felt like I was in a dream. The people I met were incredible, and there were fireworks and celebrations everywhere. It was unbelievable.
Favorite author-Steven Levitt
Favorite books-Freakonomics, SuperFreakonomics, Blink, The Tipping Point, A Million Little Pieces, My Friend Leonard
Zodiac sign-Taurus
LONG QUESTIONS
1. These days there is a lot of talk about economic problems and economists are often criticized for their inability to provide lasting solutions to the world's problems. What do you feel about this?
Knowledge is power in the topic of economics. Economists might be able to provide the solutions, but when more people are educated on the subject, there is a more cohesive binding of people to move world problems forward. By researching, reading, and educating oneself on economics and how the theories come together to explain many of the world's issues, ordinary people can contribute to solving these problems. The problems are much larger than just a simple economic solution from one person. We need everyone to buy in to the solutions and work together to implement them.
2. How is the knowledge of economics helpful to an author in promoting their books?
The knowledge of economics is helpful in promoting my book because opportunity costs are so high. When a book comes out, an author only has a certain amount of time for the initial marketing of the book to choose the most effective places to advertise the book. Because I am only one person, I use economics to determine which mediums will yield the highest return on my investment. In other words, if I have a choice between 5 book reviews or 10 author interviews on different websites, what is my most impactful option? Using economic theory helps to determine how my time should be spent in the promotion process.
3. What was your motivation behind writing this book?
I love economics, and I majored in it during my undergraduate work at Indiana University. As a student, many of the examples in my textbooks were irrelevant and made the subject one that many students did not enjoy. I wanted to change the negative connotations associated with the topic. I wanted to make it something that people understood and relished learning about. Hopefully anyone who reads this will have a better appreciation for such an intricate subject of material.
4. Tell us about your life and an author/economist.
I try to balance being an author with my full-time job as a salesperson based out of Chicago, Illinois. Although I only spend a portion of my time as an author writing, I am always an economist. I think about economic theory (and I challenge readers to do the same in the book) and how it influences my daily life all the time. Each time I have to make a decision or analyze the best way to conquer a situation, I consider my options through an economic lens. As an economist, I am always looking to be better off in my choices. Everything I do in my life is pretty much a blend of both "hats" that I wear.
5. What message would you like to give your readers.
I would like my readers to know that economics can be an interesting, informative way to look at the world. It is not just useless theories that can only be applied to textbooks. If a person purchases gas or follows theilocal sports team, economics is intertwined in both of those activities in a multitude of ways. By reading the book, people can understand this better. Economics is a tool that can help people make better decisions for themselves. I sincerely enjoyed writing this book, and I hope that people enjoy reading it. In addition, believe that you can do anything you put your mind to. With passion and dedication, anything is achievable.