Hi,

I'm currently doing my Masters in philosophy at the moment. I did my undergraduate degree in Journalism and Politics. I wanted, at the time, to become a writer (books, etc), and I eventually decided on becoming an academic. After much consideration, I think I want to do the former.

The reason: well, first, I'm in Australia, and although studying for the PhD is free here, there aren't many jobs in philosophy departments. Most don't get jobs. So, I want to write books now, and if you know anything about the publishing industry, you would know that it's a lot harder to get books published (through decent publishers) than it was in the past. With a PhD, I believe it would help in getting my work through. Yes, I am aware that content is very important, too, but having the PhD credential, I believe, would help.

So, having nearly half-way done my masters, should I continue with the PhD (they've dropped the word count to 60,000-80,000 words, and keep in mind that it's free, and can be done within 3 years, not seven like in America) for the sake of becoming a writer (non-fiction)?

I also want to write on many topics, and some of them might seem very abstract, weird, controversial, etc, and it's another reason for the PhD.

Thanks for your time.

Hi TPK

when I read your post the first thing that came into my mind was a short description in Umberto Eco's "Focaults Pendel", which explains well how publishers work... Have a look at it.
I have no personal experience, but I don't know anyone who earns a living from writing books. I know some people who spent quite an amount to publish their own books. As far as I know, only journalists and  academics are paid to write. Academics tend to publish books too.

Although I love books and their smell and everything about them, I believe that is a matter of time before publishing industry disappears. A pdf in a kindle is just as good for the new generations. Or even better... This means you can upload your own books for free or with a price. (sprout)