Or do you share your knowledge widely and freely so that others might learn from your experiences?

I’m sure people can make a case for both, but I’m a believer in sharing widely and without concern for “What’s in it for me?”

Sharing is caring

Here are just a few good reasons for sharing what you know as an author:

• It’s easy to do.
• It will make you feel good.
• It will make others feel good.
• By demonstrating what you know, you’ll help develop essential author credentials.
• It helps you build a platform.
• Figuring out how to look helpful without actually being helpful takes too much thought and time.
• Karma.

I’m sure you and I could both add more to this list. We might also agree that the “why you shouldn’t share” list is shorter.

Everybody loses when there’s no sharing

A few years ago, after admiring a friend and colleague’s skill with a specific publicity-generating tactic, I asked if she would write a guest post explaining how she did it.

She agreed to it immediately. We are friends, after all. Friends support friends.

The resulting article was heavy on why you needed to master this tactic and light – very light – on how to do it.

When I asked her to get more specific about how to do it, she balked. “Oh no,” she said. “That’s my little secret.”

So be it. I didn’t use the article because it wasn’t what we agreed on and wasn’t in line with my blog content.

Who won in that situation?

Not me. I had to write a replacement article – and quickly.

Not my readers. They would certainly have benefited from learning more about this topic.

Not the expert. In fact, she lost the most. She lost the time spent writing the article, and she lost the opportunity to introduce her skills to people who might have hired her.

What it looks like when you share your knowledge

One of the best examples of someone who shares freely without looking over her shoulder is Stephanie Chandler, founder of the Nonfiction Authors Association.

On the association’s “free reports for authors” page, Stephanie offers anyone – anyone – almost two dozen free content downloads. Each report has substance. Read just one or two of them, and you’ll think, “This information comes from an authoritative source.”

And that’s exactly the point.

You are sampling the association before joining.

It builds trust

Similarly, when you want to learn how to do something related to authorship, you probably Google the topic. Most of the time, you find at least some of what you need to learn – and you do it without spending a cent.

If you’re like most, you’re grateful to the person who taught you what you wanted to learn at no charge. You appreciate that person or company’s generosity.

That builds trust, and trust is valuable.

Authors being generous

Authors have a number of opportunities to be generous with what they know. They include:

• Doing podcast interviews
• Blogging on their websites
• Sharing tips on social media
• Offering sample chapters from their books
• Speaking at conferences
• Mentoring others
• Contributing in online groups
• Guest blogging

You might know that I recommend guest blogging as a way of connecting with your ideal readers. (Be sure to download my free “Guest Blogging Cheat Sheet.”)

When you write a guest post for someone else’s site, you’re introducing their audience to your knowledge and writing skill. That’s a win-win.

Still, an author-to-be in an online group argued against guest blogging as a form of book promotion, saying she’d never write anything “for free.”

From my perspective, you aren’t writing for free. It’s true that you aren’t paid in cash, but you’re rewarded with exposure to readers who might buy your book.

It’s an attitude

Mr. Rogers once famously said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ ”

People who read what you write are always looking for helpers. You can be a helper – or not. You’ll do fine either way. You have to be true to yourself.

If you’ve never thought about how you might share some of your knowledge, I hope you’ll considerate it now.

You might find that such generosity brings rewards you wouldn’t have imagined or anticipated.

What’s one thing you can do this week to share what you know with someone else? Please tell us in a comment.

What are you doing – or have you done – to ensure that your end product is something that readers need, want, or will enjoy?

If you’re like most of today’s authors, you’re not a professional writer. You didn’t come to authorship after years of experience in the book publishing industry. And yet, here you are – an author, or at least an almost-author.

Where does your knowledge come from?

Recurring posts in a self-publishing Facebook group that I co-moderate include some form of:

• “I want to write a book. Where do I start?”
• “I wrote a book. Should I look for a publisher or do it myself?”
• “My book is done. How do I publish it?”
• “I’ve published my book but haven’t sold any copies. How do you guys sell books?”

I don’t recommend this approach for two reasons.

First, you want to learn everything possible about what’s involved before you even start writing. The more you know about books and publishing, the better able you will be to write a book that people will want to read.

You received training for your job, right? Authorship is a job, too. Learn before you do.

Second, you’ll get conflicting information when you ask such broad questions in groups. When that happens — and it’s the norm, not the exception — you won’t know who to believe.

People sharing bad information state their “knowledge” with power and confidence; people who know the facts are equally confident when they respond. How do you know who to trust?

A better way to learn on your book publishing journey

You want to learn from experts. And there are many of them in the group I mentioned above as well as in my Build Book Buzz book marketing group on Facebook.

The problem is figuring out who they are when you don’t have a lot of knowledge already.

So, while these groups are incredibly helpful, you’re better off using them to ask specific process questions rather than very broad questions like those above.

This is why I highly recommend getting the basics by:

• Reading a how-to book (I’ve reviewed several on this site)
• Taking an online course
• Attending how-to workshops at virtual and in-person conferences

Who can you trust?

As with crowd-sourced input, you still need to determine which author or instructor deserves to be trusted. Consider:

• Asking successful authors what resources they recommend
• Posting questions such as “What how-to book or course about self-publishing helped you the most?” in groups
• Reading the reviews on books you’re considering and the testimonials on course descriptions
• Paying close attention to the credentials of the author or instructor to make sure they have the necessary experience

Keep in mind that while conference presenters are screened, that’s not the case with authors and online course creators. Someone who knows only a fraction more than you do can write a how-to book or create an online course.

There are lots of talented people who can teach you far more than you’ll ever learn trying to sift through answers to broad questions in a forum or group. Getting your publishing and marketing knowledge from qualified experts, then turning to groups for more specific information, will give you the knowledge mix you need to succeed.

How did you learn how to write, publish, and market your book? 

It started with a member asking for feedback about the fees a publisher was going to charge him. He thought it would be smart to ask around before signing a contract.

He got good advice — some in the group with relevant experience told him they thought the price was too high for what he was getting — but he also received advice that was just plain wrong.

Only one book publishing model? Huh?

In particular, several members insisted that there is only one book publishing model. It’s one in which authors spend no money to bring their book to the world.

One member wrote, “No… no…no… no… if they are publishing you then there should be NO charges. Sorry, but that’s bullshit.”

Another wrote, “No reputable publisher is going to ask for money up front.”

And yes, this feedback was in a group is for self-published authors. Ironic, yes?

Their advice reminded me of how little some people know about the book publishing industry today — versus even 10 years ago — and how careful authors need to be about who they listen to.

Book publishing can involve spending money

The group members who insisted that the only book publishing option available is one in which the publisher assumes the financial risk and the author pays nothing are just plain wrong. It’s one publishing model, but it’s not the only one.

In reality, most self-published authors are (or should be) spending money to publish their books. Most can’t publish a quality book without contracting with professional:

• Editors
• Cover designers
• Interior designers for print
• Printers for hard copies when desired

All of these services cost money.

What the “a publisher should pay you, not the other way around” people don’t understand is that most of today’s authors aren’t going to find a publisher that will underwrite their books.

Quite simply, there are more books than there are publishing contracts.

Because of that, authors-to-be with a book in them have to foot the publishing bill themselves. They can go completely D-I-Y (not recommended), they can contract with a collection of specialists for the services required, or they can outsource everything to a company that will manage the people and processes required.

Jane Friedman’s most excellent chart on book publishing models

But don’t take my word for it.

Publishing industry consultant and expert Jane Friedman recently updated her chart detailing publishing models. I reprinted the first one in my 2013 article, “5 models for today’s book publishing.”

Friedman’s revised chart, below, details six publishing models.

To quote the annoying Flonase commercial that suggests we aren’t good with numbers, “Six is greater than one.”

To see this chart in full screen format, click on this link: 2016 Key Publishing Paths by Jane Friedman.

As you can see, there are three traditional publishing models (green, left). With these options, publishers take on the financial risk and you are either paid an advance against royalties to write the book, or, as is increasingly the case, you get no advance, but don’t have to spend your own money to produce your book.

Under the alternative options, you’ll see that the self-publishing column (second from right) offers several different options within that model.

If you’re new to book publishing, study Friedman’s chart carefully so you know your options and potential expenses.

I also recommend visiting her site, subscribing to her twice-monthly newsletter (a message will pop up on the screen), and subscribing to her blog.

Who do you trust?

Which brings me to another point: Be careful about whose advice you take.

I wrote about something similar, vetting the people you hire, in “6 steps for vetting your vendors.”

Please consider reading that article. The people you listen to online aren’t necessarily going to be people you hire, but you want to apply the same thought process to those you might be drawn to online.

Here are a few thoughts to keep in mind as you monitor their contributions to groups and discussions:

• Are they “one trick ponies?” By that I mean, do they keep repeating the same message, or is there depth and breadth to what they offer?
• How do they present themselves? Are they confident, or is what you’re seeing actually arrogance? Are they open to differing viewpoints, or do they shut down anyone who mentions a different experience or viewpoint?
• How do others in the group respond to them? When you don’t know what you don’t know, it’s hard to distinguish between quality advice and B.S., but if others seem to consistently validate their feedback, it’s likely they know what they’re talking about.

I shudder to think about how many people in the Facebook group I mentioned at the start of this article were discouraged by the loud voices saying that there’s only one way to publish a book. After all, they probably joined the group because they heard that self-publishing makes it possible for anyone with a story to tell to bring that story to the world through a book. And here was someone telling them with great confidence that everything they thought they knew was wrong.

If it doesn’t sound right, and especially if others are disputing it, do some independent research to either verify or disprove what you thought you knew.

Two more thoughts to keep in mind

I hope you’ll also remember two more things:

1. The loudest voices aren’t necessarily the wisest ones.
2. There are many ways to publish your book today. Learn as much as you can about the option that seems to be the best fit for your situation before proceeding.

There’s a lot of noise out there. I wish you luck finding the wisdom in all that sound — but there are a lot of wise and talented people — like Jane Friedman — sharing what they know. You just have to find them.

How do you decide who to trust, whether you’re looking for advice or someone to hire? Please share your advice in a comment — I’m sure it will help all of us.