Hi All,

I want to write a self-help book, based on my recent experience, but after reading a famous Authour's( Jean Marie Stine) book, I am a bit confused, whether to carry on or not.

She stressed, it will be better if you are an expert in the field you want to write about or a professional, and you must have the right credentials. If not, involve a co-authour who has the expertise.

I have already acquired a BSc Degree in Sociology in 1998; worked in two borough Councils as Debt Collectors in their private Home ownership Departments. I also see myself as a natural born Counsellor giving advise to different levels in the society; such as Debt counselling, youth issues and marriage, but all based on my immediate environment, friends, personnal and family life.

I was so disappointed when I read this, can anyone please tell me the right path to follow or should I wait until I Start and finish my Counselling course; Hopefully, I will be starting the introductory part-time course by April/September 2012, and follow it through for the next four to five years as a second Degree to Masters Programme, if possible.

I am really eager to start

Anyone please help!!!

Hi Ubah

I think it would be very hard to sell a self-help book on subjects like this just based on your personal experience, because the first thing a publisher wants to know is what qualifies you to write such a book: professional qualifications and solid experience in the field are important, or you need to have professional experience in researching and writing this kind of book.

It's frustrating, I know, because you've probably got loads of good ideas and experiences that you've gathered informally. But that won't be enough for a publisher. A publisher will want know that the book is right for

If you feel that what you have to offer is your personal experience, you could try to team up with a professional writer of these books, so that you're contributing the personal angle, and she or he can shape it into something that a publisher can sell.

The Society of Authors has a register of members who do ghosting and other joint projects so you could have a look there:

http://www.societyofauthors.org/

<Added>

Sorry - a bit missing!

A publisher will want know that the book is right for a particular part of the market, and is also trustworthy in the professional sense, not giving advice that might turn out badly for readers, and so on.

Great advice above. Another way to think of it, is to start with a simple advice leaflet or pamphlet which is specific to debt issues and covers not just the practicalities of facing up to and handling the problem but also touches on the emotional fallout, the strain on relationships, head-in-the-sand mentalities. If you tried this pamphlet out on a number of related organisations and they felt the advice was up to date and filled a gap in their literature, then that would be a good start to building your reputation and experience in that particular field.

The self-help market is full of huge household names and to compete with them you'd need to be offering something they can't.

Thanks a lot Emma,

At least, I am now sure about the best way to go about it.

I totally agree with you, it only makes sense that the readers seeking self-help get adequate and correct information, rather than a confused one, which might land me in a lot of trouble.

On the other hand, and for other kinds of writing, such as: fiction, novel writing, short stories, children's writing, women stories and Thrillers/horror stories are they all okay to write about, without having the so called 'expertise' before writing.

I look forward to receiving your reply.