Do I need a PhD to publish a book?

[chawdeen38]

Hi,

I currently have a Master's degree in the sciences from a top tier University and have published a handful of papers, but I'm unsure if I want to go through with a PhD. I used to want to end up in academia doing research and teaching, but I'm not as passionate about research and teaching as of late. However, I have a strong desire to publish a book or two in topics closely related to the field I'm in. My fear is that I either won't be able to publish a book or won't be taken seriously if I publish a book with only my Master's and no PhD. I'm curious what everyone's thoughts are on how much of a leg up having a PhD would give one over a Master's in terms of publishing a book and being taken seriously. If I end up deciding for sure that I don't want to do research or teaching, would it be worth it to complete the PhD just for the sake of using it to publish a book? Or would this be a waste of time?

I know there's no magic formula to publishing a successful science book, but any advice or thoughts would be appreciated as I'm feeling very stuck right now.

Thanks much.

 

Edited March 26, 2019 by chawdeen38

[CozyD]

I feel like this is going to depend on the specific field and kind of book. Maybe look at some of the sort of book you'd want to write and see what credentials the authors have?

[Lantina3]

I don't think you need to be much more educative. But if you have specific knowledge on any topic you can publish. All the best!

[Jagged]

A friend of mine recently wrote a scientific book and wanted to have it published by a major publisher. He eventually found one, but he was rejected by a few because he wasn't known in the field. They said he needed to write more journal/conference articles to make a name for himself before publishing a book.

Edited November 11, 2019 by Jagged

[Adelaide9216]

No. I know multiple people around me who wrote books without PhDs. They tended to be books geared towards the general public (non-fiction essays on a specific topic), most of them had master's degrees. 

Edited November 13, 2019 by Adelaide9216

[avidnote]

You don't need a PhD to publish a book. Obviously it lends you some credibility if you do have a PhD in the field that you are writing about; but there are also many cases of great science related books that have been written by individuals who don't have a PhD. May I ask, what your area is?

[AP]

To sum up what others have said, no, you don't need a doctoral degree to get published.

However (and this is a big however), it depends on your field and your target audience. I doubt you'd be able to publish an academic with an academic press without a PhD (but your field may vary). If you want a book that might work in an UG class (not a textbook), I also doubt that might be possible because faculty tend to assign books written by fellow scholars (i.e. with a PhD) (if your topic is scholarly). 

So, yes, you can publish but be very clear about your goals. 

Also, avoid at all costs predator publishing houses. 

All the best of luck! 

[Miss Brightside]

No, you do not need a PhD in order to publish a scientific book. In some fields, you don't even need a PhD in order to teach; one of my best friends studied at the LSE and many of their professors didn't have a PhD (they did have industry knowledge and expertise).