How do you become an expert? The answer is simple—publish a book. Then, suddenly people look at you differently.
It doesn’t seem to matter what kind of book it is, a novel or non-fiction, fantasy, or memoir. You’ve done something not everybody has done—you’ve published a book. Now you are an expert.
It may sound like too big a leap to assume, but this is one way I look at it: you’re now an expert on the subject of your book and the subjects in your book. They figure you’ve done a lot of work for that book, so you must know something they don’t know.
People want to hear about your area of expertise. They want to know how you wrote what you wrote and why you picked that topic. How you developed your craft, and what changes it has made since you published your book.
People want you to be an expert for them. They want to hear you on the radio and see you on television. They want to read your Facebook posts and articles you write on the subject of your book.
People want to hear what you say on subjects related to your book. They want you to share your experience. They want to ask you questions at book signings and readings and hear your answers.
For example, Robin Barefield, Alaska Wilderness Mystery Author, has become Alaska’s mystery expert. People listen to her from many sources, including her blog, newsletter, and podcast. Readers and Writers Book Club members are actively engaged in writing along with her in developing her next novel, Massacre at Bear Lodge. It all started when her book, Murder Over Kodiak, was launched.
Ask Robin if you want to know anything about murder or murderers in Alaska. She’s the expert. She proved that to become an expert, you only need to publish a book. One way you can check out Robin, the Alaska murder expert, is to go to her author page on Amazon https://amzn.to/2EGEStO.
Do you want to be an expert? Publish your book. And make a list of ways you can share your book and its related topics. It will be longer than you think.
If you’ve written a book, if you’re writing a book, if you’re thinking about writing a book, or if you know someone who is writing a book kindly download a free copy of Bringing Your Book to Market: <>. It describes the publishing process.