Allen has sold more than 250 articles and columns to print and online publications. But even if you lack a professional's expertise on a particular topic, your chances of making a sale may still be better than you think. For example, suppose that you're a cat owner writing about a feline disease for a cat magazine. While a veterinarian could tell readers about the pathology of the disease, you know how this information might affect other cat owners. As an expert in cat ownership, you can determine whether it is more important to focus on recognizing the symptoms of the disease, providing preventive treatment for your cat or the environment, or treating the cat when it becomes ill.
Writers serve as translators between the technical experts and the audience.
Experts often don't provide information as to how the subject in question actually affects the lives of ordinary people. Even if you haven't had a specific experience, you have a shared background with your readers that will help you communicate what readers need to know. You share their fears and concerns, and thus can express the answers or information a reader needs to deal with those concerns. Writers, however, can examine controversies from all sides, following up leads and exploring various angles by interviewing experts with differing opinions or in different fields. For your article on feline diseases, for example, you might interview not only a veterinarian, but also a cat breeder, and perhaps some cat owners who have coped with their pets' illnesses.