: No English degree, what are my chances on successfully publishing a novel? I don't have an English or Writing-related degree in any way. As of right now, I have no degree, but what I mean

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Depends on how you define success. If you want to monetarily recoup your efforts, you'd be better off investing in a high risk investment vehicle such as bitcoin or IBM. If you are truly talented at writing, you still need a lot of luck and skill to rise above the enormous amount of noise.

For commercial success, you need to determine who is your marketable audience and write to them. The style and subject matter must be compelling. Why would a stranger read your novel? It really helps to be famous, beautiful or have an amazing backstory.

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As others have said, there is no direct correlation between having a degree and getting published. But...

I'd like to suggest that an education in writing provides people with the basic principles of good storytelling, gives experience with soliciting and receiving criticism, and helps them form friendships with other writers. These things don't directly get you published, but they can help you be a (better) writer. And programs that require a finished manuscript as a thesis provide a pretty high level of motivation to finish the thing.

(I don't have a writing degree, but I've gotten all those things from other sources.)

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Whether you have a degree in writing / journalism or not makes no difference.

Alistair McLean was in the navy(or army) before he started writing thrillers(many of which were made into movies).

J.K. Rowling was living on welfare before Harry Potter

Ian Fleming was in MI6 before James Bond

Amish Tripathi was in the Financial services before he wrote the Shiva Trilogy

Hugh Howey, the successful self-published and self made author did not have any degree in writing.

Chetan Bhagat is an Engineering Degree holder from one of the most prestigious Engineering institutions in India.

And so on ......

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As in anything,if you truly have a passion for story telling or creative truth, this is the main ingredient for "going for it" because even if you aren't able to make a living,your doing what makes you happy and that in itself is enjoying the journey! And that is never a failure!!

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keep trying and it will work out! write your best. I don't have an english degree and I am in the process of working with a publisher.

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Do you like to read books? When was the last time you said "Oh My God! This writer is totally cool, but you know what, Im going to put him back on the self, coz, you know, he doesnt have a degree in English?"

Exactly, never.

Just like having a degree in physical education is not required for winning the Olympics, having a degree in English is not required for writing a successful book.

Writing, like sports, is a very practical thing. Sure, you may go for coaching, ask for help on how to improve your weaknesses, but at the end of the day its not your bookish knowledge, but your practical experience that saves the day. So practice a lot.

Finally, looking at this survey:

By far, the two most popular choices were conventions and writers groups, both of which were reported by more than half of our novelists. The least popular choice? The graduate degree in English/Writing.

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Write something amazing. Make sure an editor looks over it for mistakes. If it's really good, nobody will care if you're a second-grade dropout or have a Ph.D. in teaching underwater basket-weaving to aardvarks.

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No, nobody in the publishing business cares if you have a degree. In fact, in the eyes of some agents and editors, having a degree in a writing-related field might actually be a drawback. It's hard to convince some people that their writing needs work when it has already been validated by a college degree.

Now, I wouldn't say this is a widely-held belief or anything, and in any case, life experience tends to knock any sense of entitlement out of college graduates eventually, but certainly there are plenty of successful writers who do not have any formal training in writing.

Readers tend to buy books without regard for whether the author has an English or journalism degree. This makes publishers tend to care little as well. In the end, your book will be judged by publishers primarily based on whether they think they can sell it and/or whether it is good.

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