Networking 107: Sharing what you have learned with others

Good Morning Readers,

I hope that you are having a bright morning. Today, I will discuss ways that you can share your knowledge of writing/publishing with others. Too often, people enter the publishing process and they do not have a clue as to what they are getting themselves into. As new authors and "seasoned" authors, we have to pitch in and help those who are about to publish their work. If you can share your expertise with someone else, you are helping them so that they don't make the same mistakes that you did.

Here are some tips on how you can share your information with others:
1. Be willing to tell other people your writing/publishing story so that they will know what you have experienced as you started looking for publishers.
2. Explain to others that they need to do their research when it comes to picking a publisher. No matter what publisher you choose, you will have to live with your decision.
3. Please tell others that marketing (in most cases) is the responsibility of the Author. Unless you have a publishing deal where your publisher does the marketing, you will need to be prepared to hit the ground running.
4. Tell others that they need to compare the prices and services of each publisher so that they can ensure that they are getting their money's worth.
5. Be honest in telling people how long it took you to complete the publishing process. People need to know that you will not be able to turn out a good product if the proper time is not taken to catch the errors or mistakes in your work.
6. Show others your finished book. From the front cover to the back cover, they need to see that your hard work has resulted in a product that you are proud to show off.
7. Be willing to take people with you as you conduct your book signing, radio interview, or your magazine interview. Some people will not know what to expect unless they see it first-hand by shadowing you.
8. Encourage other people to join Literary Groups on FaceBook, Twitter, and other social networking sites. You can market your book from anywhere if you are a member of these sites.
9. Please note that everyone will not be willing to take your advice. You can give advice until you are black and blue in the face and some people will still take the road less traveled by others. Don't stop giving advice.....just be selective in who you give advice to.
10. Above all things, you can share what you have learned but do not share everything with them. In the game called life, you cannot tell people where ALL of the rocks are. You can tell them about some of them, but you must allow them time to travel the road that you have traveled. Life is all about learning and as soon as the learning stops, your life will be controlled by everyone else.

No matter what, it is always good to share what you know with others. But do not forget to market your OWN product to others. I love sharing my information with others but I have to keep my eyes on the prize: getting my book into the hands of people who will read my book. In marketing, you have to be on top of your game at all time. Remember, no one's book is better than yours. You should applaud the work of others but your main endorsement is your book.

Don't let any dust grow under your feet today. Market, Market, Market!

      (My sister Andrea (left) has shared lots of advice with me as I wrote these books)


The Author Journey continues!!!!!