You Can Be a Sage, Sherpa or Fellow Struggler
No, you don’t need to be an expert to write a book.
You need to be honest about which kind of author you are.
Successful nonfiction is written from three positions: the Sage, the Sherpa and the Fellow Struggler. Only one of them requires expert credentials. The other two require something most experts don’t have.
Credit where it’s due: I borrowed this decades-old framework, which was popularized by Michael Hyatt — he teaches it as the Sage, the Sherpa, and the Struggler (the fellow traveler).
The Sage
The Sage is the all-knowing expert and mentor. She has mastered the subject and shares timeless wisdom.
- Tone: authoritative, inspiring, insightful.
- How readers see her: someone to look up to for trusted advice and groundbreaking insight.
- Credential: usually a Ph.D., or at least a master’s degree, and wide recognition as top-tier in her field.
- Think: Brené Brown. Stephen Covey.
If that’s not you, don’t pretend. Readers can smell it.
The Sherpa
The Sherpa is the guide. She’s been there, done that, and now she walks alongside readers with practical, step-by-step help.
- Tone: supportive, practical, encouraging.
- How readers see her: a trusted coach who hands them tools and frameworks.
- Credential: a proven method that worked for her and for the people she’s shared it with.
- Think: James Clear and Atomic Habits.
Most of the women I work with are Sherpas and don’t know it. They’ve figured something out — how to feed a family of seven on a budget or how to care for a parent with dementia — and other women keep asking how they did it.
That’s a credential.
The Fellow Struggler
The Fellow Struggler is the relatable friend in the trenches. She’s learning and growing right alongside her readers, sharing her struggles, her progress and her discoveries.
- Tone: vulnerable, honest, relatable.
- How readers see her: one of their own — someone they trust precisely because she isn’t above them.
- Credential: the willingness to share openly.
- Think: Shauna Niequist.
Don’t underestimate this one. Some of the most beloved books ever written came from people who were still figuring it out.
Which one am I?
Look me up on Amazon, and you’ll see a pattern.
Becoming a Vessel God Can Use. Becoming the Woman God Wants Me to Be. Becoming the Woman I Want to Be.
Becoming. Not there yet. Still pursuing.
I’ve written more than 30 books and taught in more than 40 nations, and I still write as someone who is in the middle of it with you. That’s not false modesty. That’s my honest position, and readers have trusted it for four decades.
Why your position matters
Readers can tell when the voice doesn’t match the author.
A Fellow Struggler who suddenly lectures like a Sage sounds preachy. A Sage who tries too hard to be relatable sounds fake.
Incredibly successful books can be written from any one of the three positions.
Just be you.
Write from the position that is honestly yours.
The only thing that disqualifies you
You’re not disqualified because you’re not an expert.
You’re disqualified only if you pretend to be one.
Quick answers
Can I write a nonfiction book without credentials? Yes. Sherpas and Fellow Strugglers write bestsellers all the time. Their credibility comes from lived experience, proven results or the courage to tell the truth.
How do I build credibility as a first-time author? Start with what you genuinely know, have lived or have learned well enough to help someone else. Don’t inflate your authority. Let the usefulness and honesty of the book establish trust.
Not sure what kind of writer you are? Take my free 90-second quiz — What Kind of Writer Are You? — and discover your writer type, the hidden trap stalling your book, and your one next step.