chawdeen38 0 Posted March 26 (edited) 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 by chawdeen38 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CozyD 9 Posted March 26 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? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lantina3 2 Posted March 29 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! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jagged 1 Posted November 11 (edited) 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 by Jagged Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Adelaide9216 605 Posted November 13 (edited) 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 by Adelaide9216 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
avidnote 1 Posted November 20 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? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AP 378 Posted November 20 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! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites