My favorable Amazon review of a nonfiction book for authors included specifics on why I thought it was a helpful resource, but another reviewer didn’t agree and told me why.

One sentence in their comment on my review stood out: “i (sic) expect a bit more from an author when google (sic) can turn up the info easily.”

Were they correct about this book?

Does their theory apply to pretty much anything else we might want to learn how to do as authors or as consumers in general?

Were they correct?

Nope and nope.

If you want to know how to replace the latching mechanism on your sliding deck door, you can find what you need in one YouTube video. (I know. I did it.)

But when it comes to author success, it’s not that simple.

When does free make sense? And when should you pay to learn?

systems thinker’s thinking is flawed

Let’s go back to systems thinker’s comments. Here’s the problem with their conclusion about finding information easily with Google:

• You can’t find all of the information in this book for free online. The book offers insights, opinions, and wisdom that you aren’t going to find “online for free” unless the author has uploaded her manuscript and made it available. She hasn’t.
• You’ll have to spend a lot of time looking for it. Even if you could find everything you need online (and I’m not saying you will), you won’t find it all in one place.

And you’ll have to try to piece it together in a way that makes sense.

What is your time worth? Probably more than the $5.99 Kindle price of this book.

• Some of what’s available online offers conflicting information or opinions. Because of that, it’s often hard to know who or what to believe. Information seekers are often left more confused — and with more questions — than when they started.

I like free, too

Hey, I’m all for free. But I can tell you from experience that you can’t get everything you need for free online.

via GIPHY

Yes, it’s a good starting point, as you will see on this site. There’s lots of helpful free information here.

But I can’t cover everything you need to know about getting impressive cover blurbs from influential people in a single blog post on the topic, so I offer an in-depth training program that gives you the specifics steps you need to take make it happen.

Is it affordable? Yes. Is it free? No.

Simple task? Try Google

When I need to learn how to do something like write effective nonfiction book titles, sure, I Google the subject to see what I can find.

If I want to learn how to do something bigger — something that has several steps or that will have a significant impact on my business — I look online to see who’s saying what about it and how they’re saying it.

I look for someone who I think understands my problems and limitations and who seems to know what they’re talking about. I look for how they present information and instruct.

When I’m convinced they can teach me what I need to know in a way that works for me, I buy their course, order their book, or register for their webinar.

Free information will only take you so far

Because I know that free information will only take me so far.

Free information will only take you so far, too.

If you need to learn how to do something that isn’t as simple as setting up an email book funnel, be open to paying for the knowledge that an expert can offer you.

If the product description reassures you that the book or training will answer your questions, and if you’ve done enough research to know that the instructor can deliver, then you should feel confident investing that money in your author business.

Successful authors don’t rely on free

Successful authors know that free information has limitations, so they invest in writing or book marketing courses, books on how to self-publish or other topics, and attend writers’ conferences. Every author I know who is successful by most standards does this.

They hire people to design their book covers, edit their writing, and create their author website.

They know that they have to spend money to make money, just as they know that free information will only take them so far.

If you’ve hit a dead end with your writing, publishing, or marketing, it might be time to abandon the “I can learn what I need to know for free” mindset. That thinking might be precisely what’s keeping you from finding and enjoying the success you deserve.

What’s one thing you’re glad you spent money on for your book?

(Editor’s note: This article was first published in February 2016. It has been updated and expanded.)

This business model — if you can call it that — is out-and-out thievery. This site was giving away your books without your permission.

The OceanofPDF takedown is a win for authors who weren’t being paid for their intellectual property.

But it’s a loss for readers who didn’t want to pay for books.

“Damn It all to hell!! When I finally find a reliable eBook site it get’s (sic) taken down. Why me?” complained noobplayer2031 on Reddit.

“I’m devasted,” reported keljar1.

Poor noobplayer2031

I’m not losing sleep over the fact that noobplayer2031, keljar1, and other thieves are enduring emotional distress because they can’t download your e-books for free anymore.

But I also realize that this is yet another example of an attitude of entitlement. We increasingly expect to receive something for nothing. You’ll find this sense of entitlement nearly everywhere, and authors aren’t immune.

I’m reminded of this when I read the messages authors provide when unsubscribing from my free weekly e-mail newsletter. Once in awhile, someone says it’s because she doesn’t like receiving occasional emails that announce a program I’m introducing or that pass along a sale price on a trusted colleague’s training.

When there’s an opportunity to do so, I explain that creating all of the free how-to information you’ll find on this site takes a significant amount of time and money. Those occasional promotional emails help make it possible for me to provide in-depth, useful content on this blog. That seems fair, doesn’t it?

“Free” often has strings attached

You’ve probably heard the expression, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”

We’re all experienced and mature enough to understand that concept. And yet, I see people complain about limits on “free” opportunities.

Here are just a few examples of what’s out there in the Complaints Department.

Goodreads now charges for book giveaways

The outrage was significant when Goodreads started charging for its previously free book giveaway program in January. “How dare they?!” was a common response.

Yes, how dare a business that offers a free platform for millions of book lovers charge a fee for a service that authors find valuable!

There’s another way of looking at this.

Goodreads gives readers a free place to discover and discuss our books. The site offers many ways for authors to get visibility for their books without paying a cent. It might be more productive to learn how to make the most of those options rather than getting upset about paying for optional services.

To get access to certain functions, you have to ugrade from free to paid 

MailChimp, the email service provider, is a good example of this. You can use it to build and mail to your email list up to 2,000 email addresses.

That’s pretty remarkable, right? You have all of the email functionality you need and don’t have to pay a thing until your list grows or you want technical support or to use more sophisticated features.

And yet, people grumble about having to start paying once they’ve done well enough to have outgrown the free level.

This “upgrade to the premium level” compares to offering a readers a free chapter of your book before they purchase. If they like what they read, they have to pay to read the rest. If you like the “basic” level of a tool or service but need more power, you have to pay for it.

Free webinar training comes with a sales pitch

A few months ago, I hosted a free training session offered by a colleague who taught participants how to do something important and specific. The trainer’s instruction was excellent, clear, and helpful. It took about 45 minutes.

The training offered for free was a piece of a larger online program he teaches. That program costs money.

When the speaker finished his presentation, he said he’d answer questions after he told participants about the full training program that’s available for a fee. It was the free webinar version of “We’ll be right back after a word from our sponsor.”

One of the participants didn’t like this. She wanted to ask her questions and leave before hearing the sales pitch.

Who can blame her, right? She just wanted to learn and run.

She used the presentation software’s “chat” function to write several versions of, “When are you going to answer questions?” while the speaker was talking about the paid training.

She did this three times, and each time, her message was increasingly insistent and annoyed.

She didn’t understand how most of these free training webinars work. Listening to a sales pitch for a program you might not invest in is the (low) price you pay for the training and personal access to the instructor during the Q&A period.

My confession

Honestly, I take advantage of “free” as much as anyone else does.

I’ve got a half-dozen little zipper bags that I never use courtesy of Clinique’s free-gift-with-purchase promotions. And the free samples included in the bags have led me to buy a few full-size products after using the samples. That’s exactly what the makeup company wanted me to do.

I’ll also confess that once PicMonkey eliminated its free user level, I didn’t start paying for it. I switched to alternatives that include the free site Canva (which I love, love, love), Microsoft Paint on my computer, and the paid WordSwag app on my smartphone.

I often use the free level of certain services until I know whether the paid level will suit my purposes.

In fact, I did this recently with Teachable, a platform for online courses. (That’s my affiliate link, which means any purchases made through it will give me a small commission at no extra cost to you.) I set up one course on the site to see if it was user-friendly for both my students and me. Once I was convinced it offered what I needed, I upgraded to a paid level and now have three courses there.

I’m a die-hard coupon-clipper, so I’ll continue to look for the most cost-effective way to get from point A to point B. But the OceanofPDF takedown situation was a reminder to me that if something is valuable enough to me, I shouldn’t be surprised if I have to pay for it. And I should be willing to do so.

Help others discover what’s worth paying for! With your work as an author in mind, what’s the most valuable service or product that you pay for?