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.

Give me a U!

Give me a T!

Give me an H!

Give me an O!

Give me an R!

What’s it spell?

“AUTHOR!”

Louder!

“AUTHOR!”

Yaaaaaay!

Be a cheerleader!

I was a high school cheerleader for one memorable year.

I learned about more than clapping, jumping, and how to polish white Keds, though. I discovered the importance of crowd and community support when facing a challenge, too.

That’s probably why I’m still a cheerleader today, although now I’m cheering for authors, not football and basketball players. (And I don’t wear cheerleading briefs dyed green to match my cheer sweater anymore.)

You can do it, authors!

Jami Albright’s recent guest post on her inspiring success as an indie author reminded me of the importance of cheering for other writers.

“I’ve tried to be the best community member that I can be. I cheer people on, I support them, I share their stuff, and I offer help when I can,” she wrote.

As she noted, it’s so important for us to take time away from our own book writing and marketing to support other authors we know, respect, or like.

You can get ideas for how to help in “How to support an author’s book: 26 simple ideas to use now,” but it helps to understand why it’s important to support other authors.

It’s counter-intuitive, but . . .

Perhaps what I’m proposing seems counter-intuitive, especially when you already feel like you don’t have enough time to do what’s needed for your own book.

How will you ever find the time to be a cheerleader for other authors, too?

Let’s focus on the “why” before the “how.” Here’s why it makes sense for you.

5 reasons to cheer on other authors

1. It’s the right thing to do.

It’s better to give than to receive, right?

2. You will learn.

Connecting with other authors will expose you to the tactics and tools they’re using to promote their books.

You could be privy to the “behind the scenes” work that goes into certain types of promotions. That insider information can save you a great deal of time later if you decide to implement one of those tactics.

3. You will create a valuable community.

The authors you start supporting today become the people you can turn to tomorrow when you need a recommendation for a cover designer, an editor, or a proofreader.

And, when you support them, they will repay the favor by supporting you.

4. It’s good training.

When you cheer on other authors, you learn more about what kind of support you will need when it’s your turn.

You’ll have a better understanding of what to ask for and how to ask for it.

5. You will make authors happy.

Imagine how excited you would be if another author tweeted an unexpected, but glowing, review of your new book! Don’t you want to do that for someone else?

It takes so little time

Supporting and helping your writer colleagues can take just a few minutes every day.

There’s so much in this for you that I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t want to do it.

Convinced it makes sense? Read “How to support an author’s book: 26 simple ideas to use now” to find what works for your style and schedule.

What are you doing already to support other authors?  

(Editor’s note: This article was first published in November 2013. It has been updated and expanded.)