I remember one day not too long ago, I was sitting and watching some author friends of mine having a conversation. I don’t remember exactly what they were talking about, but it had something to do with their books, and I didn’t know what it was. All I knew was that it was obvious I should know what it was. Especially because at that point, I’d been publishing for four years and whilst I’ve never claimed to be an expert on anything, I’d devoted a considerable amount of time to sitting on podcasts and trying to sound like I vaguely knew what I was doing.

I was filled with a blossoming sense of horror. There it was – the realisation that I was a know-nothing fraud (to be fair, I’d long had my suspicions). I wanted to ask these authors – who were actually close and trusted friends of mine – what the hell they were talking about. 

But how could I do that? These were people with whom I’d had in-depth conversations about writing, publishing and life. On several occasions, I had been the one dispensing advice to them. I was embarrassed and found myself nodding along politely, all the while internally screaming For the love of all the thundering Gods, what is this thing you speak of? The worst thing was that the thing they were talking about felt like foundation level knowledge. The sort of stuff you research before you even publish your first book. 

The fact that they knew it and I didn’t was like a red hot face slap of shame. So, I didn’t ask. I sat there and thought about how stupid my question would sound, and how stupid I would sound for asking it. Which meant I missed the opportunity to learn something that might have really helped me. The chances are, you’re reading this and thinking ‘I’ve done that’.

That’s why we introduced ‘There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question’ to Spotlight Indie. 

Because there’s a thousand miles of difference between being stupid and not knowing something. And all too often, our internal imposters tell us they’re the same thing. Knowledge is something you acquire. After years of publishing, there are still things that make me go, eh? The difference is that now I give myself a break about it. If we all learned everything there was to learn about writing and publishing a book in the first six months of doing it, we’d all have Megamind sized foreheads to allow room for our extended craniums. 

If you haven’t seen the series yet, here’s a quick guide to what we’ve featured so far:

Talking about book comparisons for marketing with Alex S. Bradshaw

Talking about building a beta team with J.E. Hannaford

Talking about social media engagement with Emily Inkpen

Talking about commissioning cover art with David Green

Talking about time management with PL Stuart

Talking about preparation and research for launch with Livia J Elliot

Talking about marketing and advertising with Anna MocikatMaybe you’re sitting there right now, a burning question in your mind, but you’re not quite feeling confident enough to ask it yet. Send it to us. You can talk to us on social media or email us on info@spotlightindie.co.uk. We’ll ask it for you. Because you don’t know what you don’t know – and nobody should ever feel stupid for asking.