How often do we see aspiring independently published authors show up on various internet forums and ask the sort of questions they could answer for themselves if they only did a modicum of research?   One of my favorites was an aspiring military science fiction author with no knowledge about military organizations coming onto a forum and asking other authors to educate them.  Or the most recent one where an author was questioning a retailer’s payment practices when they could have called up the relevant page on the retailer’s website and obtained all their answers.

We’ve never had access to so much information, thanks to the internet.  Long gone are the days when I had to spend hours in the municipal library searching through the stacks to find that elusive bit of data.  Now, thirty seconds with a search engine and I find more than I need, and all from the comfort of my home office.  Yet people seem lazier than ever.

I constantly see aspiring authors pop up in forums and on social media asking that someone spoon feed them knowledge they can get with just a little effort and research.  Guess what, all you research-averse people, our time is valuable.  When you ask an established author to spend time educating you on something, that author isn’t doing his or her primary job, writing, editing, and running an independent publishing business.  The old saying time is money applies to independent publishers as well.  When you ask for my time because you’re too lazy to research, you’re essentially demanding a service for free.  We have a saying in the Army for people like that: RTFM — Read The [expletive deleted] Manual.  And if you don’t know how to search for information, learn.

Oh, I still help people out.  I’m a curmudgeon, not a monster.  If I know the answer to a question that can’t be easily found, or it concerns a matter that few can tackle and falls into my area of expertise, sure, I’ll take a few minutes to write up a brief reply.  But if the answer to a question is something anyone can find by searching on the internet, often, I’ll merely leave a link to a relevant web page.  However, that’s only when I’m in a charitable mood, and I’m finding myself less so with time.

Look, independent publishing isn’t just a business; it’s one where self-reliance is paramount.  The clue is in the word ‘independent.’  If you can’t be bothered to do as much research as possible before calling for help, then perhaps you should find another activity.  If you don’t have a clue how the military works and you don’t want to spend time to learn through research, don’t write military science fiction.  If you can’t be bothered to read and understand the terms and conditions set by retailers when you sign up with them to list your books, perhaps it would be best if you stuck to playing with tongue depressors. 

And by all that’s holy, do not ask for answers to legal, financial, or tax questions on the internet.  I’m a former Chartered Professional Accountant, and I cringe every time a well-meaning author tries to help someone with such subjects and gets it wrong because the consequences of making mistakes can be devastating.  Don’t be that well-meaning author.  Be the smart author and refer the person to a professional in his or her jurisdiction.  I don’t give out advice wearing my former CPA hat even when I have the right answer at hand.

What’s my bottom line?  Take the time to understand the business before stumbling through social media or online forums all the while chirping for help like a baby bird wanting to be fed.  I’ll gladly help people with complex questions, but if it’s clear that they didn’t even try to research the matter beforehand, I will not waste my time, because my time is valuable.  It’s worth real money, and I’m not in the business of being an unpaid mentor for the lazy.  Like any business, independent publishing is for self-starters, those who aren’t afraid to put in the hours and spend every waking moment learning something new.  RTFM, folks.