Getting the Family Started
Two people living together who have formed a relationship, perhaps joined by marriage, a civil union, or a commitment, is the embryo for the family unit but it is only when children arrive that a “family” is formed. Sometimes, difficulties arise in reaching this stage and people tend to turn to books for guidance. Once conception is achieved, books provide another source for information and advice. Consequently, books about infertility, pregnancy, and childbirth are popular subjects within the category of family issues.
Even when the approach to overcoming infertility is unconventional, such as applying Taoism and unifying mind and body to enhance fertility, the author needs to have some expertise. Such is the case with Daoshing Ni, the author of Tao of Fertility, who is a doctor of oriental medicine, a licensed acupuncturist, and has earned a PhD.
Trouble Conceiving
Infertility appears to be a growing problem, or perhaps it's just discussed more openly. In any event, there are 142 books in print on this subject. If you want to write a book about infertility, you need to be an expert in order to gain the confidence of the reader about this very important concern.
Sometimes infertility books are textbooks but because they are written so clearly they are widely read by the general public. A prime example of such a book is Clinical Gynecologic Endocrinology and Infertility by Leon Speroff, MD, and Marc A. Fritz, MD. Even The Fertility Diet is authored by two medical doctors, Jorge E. Chavarro and Walter C. Willett, along with a coauthor, Patrick Skerrett, who is the editor of the Harvard Heart Letter.
Growing a Family
A person could spend every minute of every hour of the nine months of gestation reading one pregnancy book after the other and still not finish. Unlike dealing with the issues of infertility, pregnancy is generally an upbeat time, so the books are written accordingly while presenting useful information.
You can write a pregnancy book without having medical credentials so long as the material is basic and incontrovertible. You'll likely write with a casual voice and even be entertaining at times. A prime example of such a book is What to Expect When Your Wife is Expecting by Thomas Hill, the creative executive for Nick at Nite and TV Land.
You do not have to be an authority in the subject but may rely on research and interviews to support your work, although you will need an expert involved with your book in some capacity. For example, Great Expectations is written by Sandy Jones, an author of parenting books, and Marcie Jones, a freelance writer, but written under the editorial guidance of a medical doctor and the director of nurse midwifery at Emory University.
