Experts Are Essential
What sort of book can be more important than one providing information and advice about how to attend to one's own well-being? Many generations ago, when people wanted to know about their health, whether physical or mental, they would visit their doctor or perhaps read an article or even consider the effectiveness of magical elixirs sold by a shaman to cure their ills or make them feel omnipotent. In recent years, books have proliferated in this popular and expanding genre, yet one constant remains. The reader has to have confidence in the person providing the information and guidance, so expertise is essential in writing a book about the health, mind, and body.
If you are relying on others to provide the expertise for your book, whether a coauthor or someone interviewed, you need to establish that the person has the proper credentials. It is not enough to be satisfied with an “MD” following the name. You need to verify that the medical school is accredited and the doctor is currently licensed.
You're the Expert
As you saw in Chapter 3 when you were introduced to this genre, you can be the expert so long as you have the required credentials or experience. If the book involves health, you don't have to be a doctor so long as you are qualified in the field, such as a licensed social worker specializing in addiction writing a book for people with addictive disorders.
If your book does not rely on medical or scientific issues, there can be situations where you can establish yourself as an authority without any formal degree or training. Generally however, such authors will have achieved a measure of renown such as the beautiful screen star writing a book on beauty tips or the Olympian gold medal winner writing a book on her sport.
Whenever offering advice or guidance, particularly involving exercise, some attention must be paid to potential legal liability. It is a good idea to qualify your suggestions and to have a disclaimer — perhaps in the front matter — that consultation with a physician is advisable before beginning any program.
With the exception of people whose name recognition is so extensive that their name on the cover will guarantee substantial sales regardless of their knowledge of the subject, an author must have attained some degree of proficiency in the subject to write a book in this genre — even if the book is written with a coauthor who is credentialed. Should you decide on a coauthor to bolster your voice of authority, revisit Chapter 8 dealing with this issue.
