It is always interesting to me to talk to other published authors, whether self-published or traditional. So many of them are at the mercy of their publisher or some 'expert' who has convinced them they need to have the latest and greatest whatever it is they are selling. My husband, who is an internet architect extraordinaire, has so many skills that I have come to appreciate over these years.
He has learned the ins and outs of so many valuable software packages and is able to fulfill so many of my needs as a self-published author. Not only is he extremely well-read so that I trust his edits to my novels, he has also learned to properly format my novels as well as create awesome covers. He's what you would call a one man band! I just wish that I could clone him!
But it angers him when he meets one of these innocent authors who has been abused (financially, mostly) by those who have learned a few things about the internet and now sell themselves as 'experts'. And after talking to these innocents for just a short time, he can see exactly where they have been taken advantage of and often gives them just a word or two of advice. If only they had met my husband, first.
So now, I realize, this article should have been called 'Knowing What Jim Knows' because so much of what I have learned about the internet and self-publishing my books, I've learned from him! Jim Fontaine - www.pcswebdesign.com