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I am interested in publishing a statistics textbook (e.g. through Duxbery, Springer, etc.). I do not have PhD in Statistics, nor am I employed in university or college as an instructor/professor (but I have BS and MS in Statistics).

Do I have to have PhD and/or have career in academia to publish statistics textbook with those publishers?

Thank you,

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    A short google search found no mention of the need of a PhD to publish at Sringer. You contact their editors, propose your project and then you take it from there. However, they might wonder why you think you have the qualifications to publish a good textbook, without any teaching or writing experience...
    – Dirk
    Commented Jun 6, 2017 at 13:52
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    @Bemte: When it comes to academic writing in STEM fields, in my experience authors don't write to publishing companies with a proposal. They send them some substantial portion of the book they've already written. This certainly answers the question of why someone thinks they have the qualifications to....they think that because they have already done it.
    – Pete L. Clark
    Commented Jun 6, 2017 at 13:57
  • Check the submission instructions of the publisher you're interested in. Commonly, you'll be asked to submit one or more sample chapters, an outline of the whole work, and a pitch that explains who your target readers are and why the book you propose to write will be of interest to them. The process of preparing these materials can actually help you shape the book. Note, there is a SE site that might interest you, Writers SE.
    – aparente001
    Commented Jun 8, 2017 at 3:24

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No, there are never any degree requirements in academic publications.

I am in the field of mathematics, and I have some colleagues who published academic books while in graduate school and even, in a few cases, as undergraduates. There are also academic textbooks published by people who have no degrees whatsoever in that field.

It is possible that the editors and reviewers will look into your credentials and may apply a bit more scrutiny to someone without a terminal degree...but more scrutiny when it comes to textbook publishing is not necessarily a bad thing. In any case, if the book really is good they'll be happy to publish it no matter who you are.

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Yes, it is possible to publish a textbook with Springer when you have no academic affiliation.

They will likely send it to some academics who are instructors of an appropriate course, and ask them for comments. This could result in rejecting the manuscript. Or in suggestions to improve the manuscript. Or in immediately offering you a contract. Who knows?

They may also ask you whether you have tested your text with actual statistics students. If you answer, "No", they could still publish it.

Isn't it true that Michael Spivak, who has written a number of successful textooks, has never held an academic position?

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