What Is An Expert?

A writer at one of the smaller publishers
I once wrote for
sent an email to the writer’s loop,
telling writers that
the publishing business is
going to hell in a hand basket,
no one is making money,
and they shouldn’t quit their day jobs.

This is bullsh*t, of course,
but because this writer prefaced her rant
with “I’ve been in this business for 23 years
and have 17 novels published”,
writers got all in a tizzy,
citing her as an ‘expert.’

Yes, she’s an expert.
She’s an expert at surviving for 23 years.
She’s an expert at producing 17 novels.
She’s clearly not an expert
at selling these novels
or making a living from her writing.

Some new-to-Clientk readers
might look at my 9 years of blogging here
and think “k is an expert.”
Yes, I’m an expert at
blogging daily for 9 years.
That’s ALL this number tells you.

Judge an expert on her results.
If she hasn’t achieved the success you wish,
she likely isn’t an expert in the skill
you’re looking for.