I appreciate authors who help other authors. We can all learn from others. However, I caution you against following too closely in another author’s footsteps.
What a single author of a single book often doesn’t understand is that each book and each author is unique and what worked for a retired author of a children’s book might not be the best avenue for the still employed author of a self-help book. The professor who writes an academic book, will follow a different roadmap than the quilter who wants to produce a book on quilting or a dog walker who wants to write her memoirs.
When you attend a writers club meeting or a writers conference and hear authors’ stories of publishing and book marketing, listen with an open mind. Understand why each author made the choices he or she did, what was the upside and the downside, then consider what might work in your own situation. Are his choices good ones for you and your book? While it’s important to understand the premise of publishing and book promotion in this ever-changing publishing climate, it is equally vital that you make the best choices in your particular situation. And you can’t make the right choices if you are not aware of your options.
Your best plan of action, if you are seeking advice, is to attend presentation and read books by authors who have been involved in the publishing industry for a long time. Those with a variety of publishing experiences and with a history of working with other authors. If you want to speak with individual authors, choose those with books similar to yours. You would contact the same reviewers as those authors. You would promote to the same audience. You might seek the same publishers.
There are many options for authors and the publishing playing field can get overwhelmingly complicated. So it is important to consult with others who can help you narrow down the best path for you and this may not be the overly enthusiastic individual author of one book. Start by reading my book, Publish Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/PublishYourBook.html