No degree, 3 books published, articles and reviews etc. It's not necessary at all.

S-S, I completely agree with you about the poshness of publishing. It's terrifying.

He said he liked to get letters from 'ordinary' people.

God almighty!
That would have had me singing The Red Flag and preparing the guillotine...

Absolutely!

I'm afraid this ordinary person would have wrapped her letter around his charm and his suavity and shoved it where even his mother wouldn’t go looking.

~~~~

Is this bit of the site visible to non-WWers?

Good point... yes it is.

I don't care! I hope he sees it and feels terrible! LOL
Honestly, sometimes you think 'if this person LIKES my writing, I must be doing something very, very wrong...'

<Added>

Oh, I should say, that my publishers aren't like this - they're lovely. That's honestly true, though now of course it looks like I'm just saying it because it's an open thread. :-) :-)

Funny, it has never crossed my mind to enquire about an author's education. It the writing is great, that's all I need - I don't care how it was learned.

How would an agent or publisher possibly know when they took you on whether you had a degree or not? They see a synopsis, a few chapters, then a full. It's the book they're judging. They may well ask for a sort bio, but you'd normally mention your writing credits, if any (publications, journalism, etc), and any competition wins, or whatever). You'd only mention your education, surely, if it was relevant e.g. a creative writing degree - and I mentioned my academic background just because it meant experience of writing and publishing books and articles: if nothing else, of completing substantial writing projects to a deadline! So I can't see how the mere fact of a degree (as opposed to any relevant experience of writing - which can include in an educational context or elsewhere) has any bearing on the actual process of getting published (i.e. picked out from the pile) at all. Or am I being naive?

On the other hand, wearing my HE teaching hat and hoping not to sound like a terrible elitist, I would just say that, at least in the arts and scoial sciences, one of the main things we try to inculcate in our charges over the course of their degree is how to write better: persuasively, succinctly, accurately, fluently, and in a well structured way, putting a shape on their thoughts, and using the precise word to say what they mean in every context. Of course there are many other things a person could do for three years which would help them acquire and practise those skills - and some people also just have a natural flair for beautiful, clear, lucid prose and don't need to be 'taught'. But it shouldn't be any wonder if there is some correlation between doing a degree and being able to write better at the end of it. Those of us in HE would be pretty depressed if it didn't have any such effect!

Rosy

I suppose it depends whether you suit studying for a degree, or not. I've always preferred to teach myself the art of writing from books, reading, listening to authors etc. But I'm sure that a good creative writing degree course can really help a first-time novelist too. I suppose it's just an individual choice thing. And I agree that agents will not primarily be looking to see if you have a degree, but if you can write beautifully.

Some of the best books I've read recently are by unexpected people who have kind of popped up from nowhere. The girl who won the Guardian first book prize for teenage fiction and who worked quietly in a health-food shop, for instance. I've no idea whether or not she had a degree, but she had something far more important - a sharp, observing eye for human behaviour.

I suppose it's just an individual choice thing.

Absolutely. Which is the kind of reason why I always suggest that beginner writers pay a little attention to what works for them as they work. Not to the point of becoming creative hypochondriacs, obviously, but as you get to know your writerly self, you can judge better what suits it, what it needs, and what would be disastrous.

Emma

Yes. It's one of those things that takes time, maybe years, to discover. It's all a bit trial and error, really, plus you can end up doing the precise opposite of what you originally intended! For instance I longed to do an English degree so that there would be some structure to my writing routine, but when I finally got onto the course, I realised I would prefer to work on my own and self-motivate. That has its own problems, of course!

I believe that no written work should even be considered by Publishers unless the writer has at least two degrees. Serfs, minions, layabouts and other ignorant hopefuls should be charged a fee (plus handling charge and postage costs) for expecting anyone to 'view' their inadequate and uncreative efforts. Any visit to a Publishers office should incur a fat fee and an automatic rejection of any manuscript. These low-class writers don't need to know this before they visit the Publisher.

For anyone with a single degree, their work should be considered but at double the basic fees.

Those erudite, creative and lovely people who can boast of at least two degrees need to be published or to be encouraged in every way. It doesn't matter how well these people can write... they are certain to stand out from the rubbish said to be written by Celebrities, Footballers, their wives. their mothers and the 'kiss and tell' females, desparate for recognition.

By the way, all profits received may be donated to my modest Charity 'OFFAL' (Old Friend's fight against Leninism).

Len

And this from the guy who boasts proudly of being able to do joined-up writing....

Just kidding, Len. Liked your post!

Nessie - is that Catherie O' Flynn? She did a degree and then a journalism course. Not that that means anything, of course, but just thought I'd drop it in.