Writers Sharing What They Know

15 replies
As a writer I have been amazed at how many other writers don't want to share what they have learned or how they operate their business. It's almost like they feel they have to hide their techniques to protect their business. Did you know that is very far from the REAL Truth!

Writing as an online business is Internet Marketing, just the same as if you were marketing a product. We have to build a site, get backlinks, do article marketing, and everything a product marketer has to do, so why not share those things.

There are enough blog and website owners online today to keep every writer busy for a lifetime, so don't feel as if you will be giving away your business to your competitor.

Do some writers have more business than others? Of course, but the reasons is because they go out and work for that business, just as a marketer works for his product sales. Your business and the money you make is reflected by how good your service is and how well you market it.

I feel that writers and marketers are a special group, a family if you will, and most of our family are wearing white hats and do things by the book. Start sharing what you know with others and pay it forward. I promise you that if you hang out with other writers and share what you know, you will be blessed beyond your wildest dreams.
#freelance writing #hire a writer #sharing #writer #writers #writing content #writing for pay
  • Profile picture of the author Joseph Robinson
    Banned
    You kind of just answered yourself there:

    Originally Posted by RhondaG View Post

    Writing as an online business is Internet Marketing, just the same as if you were marketing a product. We have to build a site, get backlinks, do article marketing, and everything a product marketer has to do, so why not share those things.
    The advice, tips, and "secrets" aren't going to be any different if I'm talking to someone about selling a product or selling a service. So I think it's unfair to say that writers are not "giving away their secrets" just because they don't include a "hey writers, use this for your service!" at the end of every piece of advice they give.

    Writers should know enough about context clues to be able to take useful advice without having it spoon fed to them.
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  • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
    I've found writers to be very willing to share what they know, especially on this forum. And off this forum all you need to do is a search for anything you want to know about writing or marketing your work and you'll have more references than you could handle in a lifetime. In the spirit of sharing, here are a couple of really useful writing resources:

    How To Get Freelance Writing Jobs

    Writing for DOLLARS!

    How to Make Money Writing
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    • Profile picture of the author RhondaG
      I guess I should have made myself a little more clear. I certainly didn't mean that all writers don't share, and please forgive me if I offended anyone. But lately I have come across a couple of people that didn't want to answer the question as to how they did something because they felt others would run out and get the new clients they were hoping to get, and I thought that was strange.

      So I thought I'd start this thread to see if others have run across the same things and how they felt about it. It was just food for thought and not meant to be ragging on all writers. I am a writer and would not do that for anything in the world.
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      • Profile picture of the author AbrahamGuzman
        Originally Posted by RhondaG View Post

        So I thought I'd start this thread to see if others have run across the same things and how they felt about it. It was just food for thought and not meant to be ragging on all writers. I am a writer and would not do that for anything in the world.
        Yes, many people don't like to share their information because they are afraid of revealing their top secrets to making money online. That is a bunch of nonsense!

        Knowledge is to be shared with the world not to be kept hidden from it. I myself have encountered the same situation as you. I would ask somebody "How Are You Managing Your Business" and they'd say something that is not even close to what I asked them. Knowledge is power, power to be shared.
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        • Profile picture of the author tpw
          Originally Posted by AbrahamGuzman View Post

          Yes, many people don't like to share their information because they are afraid of revealing their top secrets to making money online. That is a bunch of nonsense!

          Knowledge is to be shared with the world not to be kept hidden from it. I myself have encountered the same situation as you. I would ask somebody "How Are You Managing Your Business" and they'd say something that is not even close to what I asked them. Knowledge is power, power to be shared.

          At one time, I had held a #1 placement in Google for 7 years.

          Someone demanded proof that I was able to rank competitive keywords at the top of Google.

          I was stupid enough to think that since I had been untouched for seven years that I could not be toppled.

          Within 3 months, I was #7 for that keyword, and now 4 years later, I am on page 2.

          You can attempt to call it nonsense all day long, but only a fool would reveal proprietary information like I once did.

          LOL

          In current times, I am asked to reveal certain information that I have spent thousands of dollars -- sometimes tens of thousands of dollars -- to acquire.

          How is it that you are entitled to the information for free that I spent 4- to 5-figures to learn myself?

          Forgive me for saying so, but if you want to know what I know, get out your wallet and figure it out for yourself.
          Signature
          Bill Platt, Oklahoma USA, PlattPublishing.com
          Publish Coloring Books for Profit (WSOTD 7-30-2015)
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        • Profile picture of the author RhondaG
          Thanks Abraham! You are so right and that is the only point i wanted to make was to let people know it's okay to share and be helpful because it will come back to you many times over.
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  • Profile picture of the author Joseph Robinson
    Banned
    I didn't take it personally, although I can see how my post may have been read as such. All I can say is that I have not seen the unwillingness that you have, but agree that to do so is pretty foolish. The only thing I can think of is that we are talking about lower end writers who really do have to worry about fighting in a competitive market (just as many writers as customers in my opinion).
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    • Profile picture of the author RhondaG
      Originally Posted by Joe Robinson View Post

      I didn't take it personally, although I can see how my post may have been read as such. All I can say is that I have not seen the unwillingness that you have, but agree that to do so is pretty foolish. The only thing I can think of is that we are talking about lower end writers who really do have to worry about fighting in a competitive market (just as many writers as customers in my opinion).
      Thanks for the links Joe, I appreciate it and so glad I didn't offend you. In most cases it is the lower end writers that worry about this, but I have also had a writer getting good pay to do this, however that was only one case scenario.

      I have been writing full time for a while now and I try to remember how I felt when just getting started and I certainly appreciated all the help I could get. Even today we can always learn something new and something that will help us make more money or write better.
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  • Profile picture of the author Joseph Robinson
    Banned
    travlinguy gave you the links actually. I can't just steal his thunder .

    I will say this though, there are plenty of good writers giving out great advice if you keep an eye out for them. By finding and following the right ones, you don't even need to worry about the ones keeping their lips sealed. I can't think of anything in freelance writing that isn't known by someone else.

    I think the responses in Freelancing10's threads (he is a budding writer who has a lot of questions himself) show that writers are more than willing to share:

    How do you research to write a high quality article?

    How do I become a better writer?

    Is the quality of my articles worth $10 per 500 words?

    Writing topics for my writers portfolio?
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  • Profile picture of the author danr62
    Here are some blogs I love for writers, myself:

    Make A Living Writing

    The Renegade Writer | Living and loving the freelance life

    Props to Alexa Smith for pointing those out on some other threads, which is how I found them.
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  • Profile picture of the author tpw
    I avoided being the first in this thread, because I thought the original post was a bit accusatory myself.

    I know that I don't share the names of the writers that I have hired from the forum, and I don't share the niches I work in within Kindle.

    While it is true that there are some things I don't share, there are other areas where I share a lot.

    I don't know if the OP was talking about me directly, indirectly or even at all... Just saying... LOL

    I must say that I was a bit surprised the other day when another writer said she was making a website from which to sell her writing, and then asked what she should do about samples.

    I find it hard to not say, "If you are really a writer, why don't you write?"

    As independent writers, we have all had to at some point sell ourselves. What more is there to say? We know what to do... Why don't we just do it?
    Signature
    Bill Platt, Oklahoma USA, PlattPublishing.com
    Publish Coloring Books for Profit (WSOTD 7-30-2015)
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    • Profile picture of the author RhondaG
      Originally Posted by tpw View Post

      I avoided being the first in this thread, because I thought the original post was a bit accusatory myself.

      I know that I don't share the names of the writers that I have hired from the forum, and I don't share the niches I work in within Kindle.

      While it is true that there are some things I don't share, there are other areas where I share a lot.

      I don't know if the OP was talking about me directly, indirectly or even at all... Just saying... LOL

      I must say that I was a bit surprised the other day when another writer said she was making a website from which to sell her writing, and then asked what she should do about samples.

      I find it hard to not say, "If you are really a writer, why don't you write?"

      As independent writers, we have all had to at some point sell ourselves. What more is there to say? We know what to do... Why don't we just do it?
      Hey Bill, I wasn't talking about you, lol. Sorry if it sounded like I was accusing people. Guess I just should wait until I'm in a good mood to start a thread next time. You would think as a writer I would choose my words more carefully, but there is always next time. Thanks for your imput.
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  • Profile picture of the author Victoralexon
    I have found that many writers have been willing to share their so-called secrets with me and I would like to think that I would do the same if I had any.

    At least this has been the case here on the WarriorForum where I have received tons of help whenever I have asked for it.
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