Bob's Guide to Giving Your Friends Credibility

I couldn't quite figure out what to title this post. So lets dive right into three examples so you will understand what I am talking about. 

Example 1: In Which Bob Gases Up A Fellow Panelist

At Multiverse Con 2025 I was on a horror track panel about the interplay of the natural world and horror. On this panel was a great new author by the name of Rob Grimoire (go check him out). One of the questions we were asked was something along the lines of 'give us a book that you think does a great job of showing how scary nature can be.'

Now, at that very moment, on my nightstand back at the house, was a short story collection by the name of Dark Spores. This anthology was put out by Crone Girls Press, and had such a theme that I actually broke my 'submitting to short story anthologies' embargo to write up something to submit to it.

(Quick aside: I did not get accepted, because not once in the history of ever has a short story I wrote specifically for the call ever been accepted. Only trunk stories ever get accepted. I fucking swear...)

Anywho, this anthology was all about fungal horror. And one of the authors in that collection? Rob Grimoire. 

I saw that he was going to be the last to answer on this question due to the rotation, and thus I would be going before him. So I knew he was probably going to reference Dark Spores. It was the obvious choice for him: an answer that he could legitimately give referencing his own book. 

So I stole his answer. I could have said any number of books (spoiler: it would have been something shark based like Jaws or The Meg), but instead I purposefully stole the answer of an author, one with a good bit less experience on panels than me. 

But I did it for a good cause. Because I wanted to gas him up, and add to his credibility. 

Rob talking up his own book to a crowd of folks who don't know who he is alright, but the only credibility he has in their eyes at that moment comes from being on the other side of the panelist table from them. 

But if another author on the panel uses their answer to call out the work of another person's instead of their own, it can give the called out person a boost in credibility. Because now he has 'panelist credibility' and 'other authors are talking about how good this guy is credibility.'

Did it work? Well, two different people walked out of that panel room and went straight to the booth where Rob was selling from (mine) and each bought a copy of Dark Spores.

Example Two: In Which Bob Gets Gassed Up At Dragon Con

I was put on a panel at Dragon Con called Business Planning for Authors. Keep in mind I was pretty much the smallest author on this panel (in fame, not bulk. I was the portliest by a wide margin, pun intended). I was sitting next to Robert Sawyer, who's won like, Hugos and shit. At the other end was USA Today best selling author Jennifer Blackstream. You get the picture. Folks who do this full time, for a living.

The moderator was Rachel Brune, who is a good friend of mine, and also the co-editor of Dark Spores coincidentally. 

(Quick Aside redux: not good enough friends to ignore my pretty clearly subpar submission quality for Dark Spores though are we Rachel?!?!?)

Anywho, during the panel Rachel made a point of calling out my transparency project. How I break down all my numbers and such. She recommended that all aspiring authors should be checking out my site. To a room FULL of business minded aspiring authors, who are exactly the folks I want my project to help.

I could have talked it up, sure. But the fact that the moderator called out my website as the one they all need to go look at? When the likes of Robert and Jennifer are on the panel? Bruh.

Did it help? I had multiple people come up to me afterward and tell me the would be checking me out. One guy specifically said something along the line of "When the other authors are saying they check you out, that means I should be too."

Example Three: In Which Ben Meeks Sells A Fuck Ton Of Pens

Ben Meeks, my brother from another mother, hand turns custom pens as one of the many things he does. You should go buy one, they make the perfect signing pen. You know who else thinks so? J.D. Blackrose. 

At ConCarolinas one year she bought a pen from Ben. Then shortly after she happened to be moderating him on a panel (I don't remember the panel topic since I wasn't there, I was working the booth). When he gave his introduction, she made a point to hold up the pen she had just bought, and called out how awesome it was.

Did it work? Well in the hour after that panel he sold over 400 dollars in pens to folks who were at that panel.

The Point

When you are in a place of authority, such as on a panel, use that platform to spread that cloak of credibility onto others. And I don't mean 'suck up to Jim Butcher on a panel you are both on by recommending Dresden Files.' He doesn't need the help. 

But the other creative that is slogging away in the trenches alongside you? Who isn't yet a full time author/artist? Yeah, them. And yeah, talking them up over yourself might mean you don't get as many sales in the short term (no one left that nature panel to buy my books haha). But in the long term building good will among your fellows absolutely will pay off. 

Folks recommend my blog and site to other authors as a resource. If I was an ego driven maniac on every panel who talked over everyone, cut folks off, was argumentative, etc. then they would not be recommending me, no matter how useful my information might be. 

I provided links to four different authors and an anthology I don't have a story in over the course of this blog (and you should follow every damn one of them). Does this mean you might go to buy a copy of Dark Spores and not Bringing Home the Rain? Maybe. Do I care about that? Nope. 

We need to always be building each other up. Always. 

It will come back around to you if you do.