Last week I was at a picnic and telling a friend about these two people I had met earlier in the day. One was a man who said he always wanted to write a book and had ideas, but had never done anything with them.? The other was a woman who had published several children’s books and has a new book coming out soon, but she doesn’t know how to market.? I spent some time talking to these two people about the writing, the publishing process and the marketing end and then I gave them my e-mail address and suggested to join the World Literary Cafe to get more support.

When I told my friend this, she said why are you helping the competition? I laughed at her and told her they aren’t competitors, they are kindred spirits.? If it wasn’t for the millions of authors out there that write books, what would we have to read? We don’t just read one book, we read thousands.

For over two years now I have been writing and publishing books. I have 4 published and have another 4 in the works with other plot-lines sitting patiently in the background of my mind waiting for their turn.? I don’t mind taking the time to help encourage new authors or even struggling authors. I’ve been blessed to have made some incredible friends who encourage me when I need it, why not pass it along?

These are not trade secrets!? How to write a book, have it edited properly, formatted and then publish it is not some secret to be held near and dear. The knowledge that successful authors have, should be shared with others.? I’m a true believer in paying it forward. I know the frustration of marketing a new book. I know how hard it can be to get readers to check it out, and to leave a review of the book.? I understand the amount of time it takes to find blogs and advertisements that will get the word out. If I can share some of my knowledge with other authors, then that’s great

So for those of you who think helping another author is helping the competition, then I urge you to think again. If we don’t keep helping authors, and encouraging them, we will run out of good books to read! And we can’t have that!