How to Build Credibility As a Non-Fiction Author and Become An Expert!

How to Build Non-Fiction Author Credibility and Become An Expert!

So many people can call themselves a writer and there is nothing wrong with that if they are writing – You become a professional writer when you have something published and get paid for your work.

So to be able to write good books is one thing, but to be able to build credibility as a non-fiction author and expert in your subject matter is another. Sometimes they go hand-in-hand and other times they don’t.

As a writer of a good book that people want to read, you have to:

Know your subject matter and/or have researched your subject matter, or pay someone to do that research on your behalf!
Be good at English language and Literature – or have a fabulous editor who will mop up your mistakes and put them right.
Or interview people who have knowledge, insight, and experience, of your subject matter.
Good book formatting.

To build credibility as an Author and Expert in your subject matter, you have to:

Have personal experience of your subject matter.
Know your subject matter with research being an optional extra, not an (or) instead of!
Be good at English language and Literature – or have a fabulous editor who will mop up your mistakes and put them right.
If interviewing people for your book, you must interview people who have knowledge, insight, and experience of your subject matter, in comparison/contrast to your own.
Good book formatting.
Be interviewed on your subject matter for other publications, these can be both online or offline, such as magazine articles.
Do other work in your subject matter.
Have a blog or vlog about your subject matter.
Been seen across a wide range of social media with your blog posts, vlogs, articles, that show off your expertise and knowledge in your subject matter.
Have social media profiles related to your subject matter.
Have a Facebook business page in your subject matter.
Run a Facebook group around your subject matter.
Write and publish more books in your subject matter.

I hope you can now see the difference.

As a writer of good book that people want to read without the personal expertise, you can still flourish as a writer and Author if your marketing is good. I know of people who make a good living from paying others to ghost write or do research for them – so far I have not tried this! I like writing from personal experience. But this is one method of earning a living from books that some people choose to do – pay someone to write it for them! And they do it with hot niche topics.

Have you ever paid someone to write a book for you, or portions of your book? And if so, did it do better than your own books of which the subject matter you are an expert? Or did it not sell nearly as much? Please post your answers in the comments below so we can all learn from each other.

As always, stay quirky and write soon

Sandra xx