If you decide to specialize today, you will have made the most important decision to improve your income. Specialists in any field are paid many times more than non-specialists because of their superior knowledge. But when you give writers this advice, many stare blankly at you thinking they need to be highly educated to specialize. But that's not so. Specialists are not necessarily highly educated. They are people who know what specialization is and how to go about becoming specialists.
As a student of journalism, my ambition was to write general news and features. I was disdainful of the specialist whom we used to laugh at as the man “who knows more and more about less and less.” Then one day, my teacher asked me what I wanted to write about when I completed my training. Unconfidently I told him I wanted to write on African literature.
At the mention of that, I remember, my teacher got very thrilled and told me, “You should do well if you specialize in African literature. If you seek to become an authority, you must start at once!”
These are the steps I took. You can do the same and become a specialist regardless of the area you want to specialize in and regardless of your level of education.
Step One
Decide what you want to specialize in. My teacher used to tell me that I should specialize in whatever I was so happy doing that I could do it even without pay. You can use the same yardstick to decide what to specialize in.
Step Two
Read everything you can lay your hands on in your chosen field of specialization. And if you possible, you should interview the prominent persons in the field. This will not only give you the feel, it will increase your knowledge, enthusiasm and confidence.
Step Three
Collect background materials in all manner of shapes - books, articles, cuttings, magazines, CDs and so on. You should also compile a card index giving bibliographical details of the prominent personalities in your chosen field. File everything bit of your background material in such a way as to allow for instant retrieval. In the course of time, you will build a comprehensive library.
Many publishers will gladly add your name to their mailing list and will inform you of new publications in your field. When publishers know you are a serious writer in the field, many will even go out of their way to supply you with more background materials.
Of course, don't forget the internet. You will find a lot of information on all aspects of human endeavor in the web.
Step Four
Learn to use the resources you have created to write authoritatively on your field of specialization. Evaluate yourself and your work positively. This is important because many times writers doubt themselves and wonder whether what they are writing is really “new” or useful to anyone. They lose steam and give up.
Keep your enthusiasm high. And remember, as they say, the world is ready to listen to you. Remember too that, by specializing, you are putting yourself on the path to better pay.
Great insight and thank you for the great reading. I am interested in a lot of different subjects but master of few. You have redirected my insight on writing. I should concentrate my efforts as specifically as I can. Thank you, you've been very helpful.