If you are writing a book on health or wellness, you should know up front that you’ll meet some resistance from publishers if you don’t have “credentials” (code for an MD or PhD).

In this video, I asked literary agent Ned Leavitt to share some ways authors can overcome this resistance, play up the credentials you do have, and yes, land a big book deal.

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What you’ll learn

  • What are some of the biggest hurdles for health coaches who want to publish with a mainstream publisher (1:26)
  • What made one Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) graduate shine in front of publishers (2:40)
  • Slight audio issue at 4:38 — it passes
  • The one element your book proposal absolutely must have  (5:04)
  • Other strategies for demonstrating your credentials (7:20)
  • Should you go back and get traditional credentials (an MD or PhD) in order to get published? (9:35)
  • The role your client’s stories play in your content and your credentials (10:20)
  • Book proposals: longer? shorter? How many sample chapters should you include? Including the one mistake Ned urges you not to make (11:13)
  • How starting with a writing coach can help you through the process… including one Ned recommends (12:30)
  • If you’re not ready to write your big book, should you write and self-publish a smaller book first, such as an e-book? (Including the risks of taking this route) (13:47)

“Sometimes the people with the self experience are ahead of the curve, and so they’re discovering things that the people who are immersed in getting the credentials are not discovering.” –Ned Leavitt, literary agent

The bottom line

As Ned said, “I’m here to tell you that it’s your voice that’s going to make it work or not.”

Focus on your story. Focus on your voice. Focus on creating something that’s truly unique. Build your credentials, but don’t forget that the writing is the core piece. It’s about your story and how you tell it.

And if you need help telling that story, you know where to find it.

About Ned Leavitt

Ned is the literary agent behind Geneen Roth, Caroline Myss, Dr. Christiane Northrup, Joan Borysenko and many more leading health, spirituality, and psychology writers of our time.

The author he mentions in the video is Alisa Vitti, founder and CEO of Flo Living. Alisa helps women in their 20s, 30s, and 40s naturally correct hormonal imbalances through food and lifestyle changes. Her forthcoming book (title TBD) will be published by Harper One in 2013.