Advice Columnists

 Advice Columnists is an online advice site that connects people who need to talk with caring listeners.  And those who are caring, good listeners who have time and care enough to listen to them.  Choose between using the free agony aunts letters page to get free written guidance on the amateur forum.  If you need a professional ear, you can pay for confidential discreet email guidance and counseling from a professional advice columnist.  To get 1 to 1 email help from an experienced advice columnists by email click here. Or get a private email 1 to 1 consultation with leading full time expert…. Honest Holly.   The advantage to this is that you get someone who is an experienced expert, someone who is guaranteed to reply and someone who replies quickly.

Everything is anonymous. So it doesn’t matter how private or personal your issue is, but you can always change your details such as name, age if sharing information. Some of the most common issues on the site include falling in love, struggling with a break up, divorce, marriage, engagement, arguments, long distance relationship issues, romance, cheating, career, money, family and health.

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What is an advice columnist?

In England such a person is called an agony aunt.  Either way they are the same. Both are usually female, usually with a background in journalism, some have a vast knowledge on various subjects they give guidance on others use sheer street smarts and common sense to give guidance to their clients.  Most work for a newspaper, magazine or on the web and get paid by the publication.  The publication’s aim is to publish juicy, witty or intriguing letters which draw readers in.  By publishing letters from readers often and regularly they improve their readership, improve their income, and fill those pages with interesting stuff that readers enjoy without it costing them much financially.

Advice Columnist letters – examples

It might help you to see some examples of the sort of letters people send to web, private,  newspaper and magazine advice columnists. Most of the people who write to professional and amateur advisors are looking for support and strength when dealing with a love or emotional matter.

Example 1 – I’ve just found out that my husband is having an affair with my best friend. We have four children. I am worried sick about him leaving me and cannot figure out why he or my friend are doing this to me. Please advise me as to what to do. Do I confront him? I feel he will lie and say it is untrue and I have no proof.  Do I start to live a life separate to him and do the same as him, cheating on him? Do I go to a solicitor?

Example 2 – My boyfriend is telling me he wants us to emigrate to Australia.  He has a lot of family over there but I don’t know them at all and have nobody out there.  We have been together a year and he wants to settle down there permanently, he has been offered a very good job there. I am unemployed and looking after our six baby. He is not interested in  marriage. Do I stay or do I go?  He said he would go alone if I don’t go with him.

Both of the above letters are suitable… but many send questions and ask for guidance on matters they should not send to an advice columnist, examples are

When a person who needs more money to come in writes to advice columnists asking when they will win the lottery… when they write asking how they can get a terrific job as a brain surgeon, even though they  have no qualifications… when they ask for guidance on how to make a man fall in love with them…. or how to get cured of cancer…. or how to know if the house they are looking to buy is worth the price – but where it must not include consulting a surveyor – the only person who can answer that question accurately..

Do advice columnists really care?

Yes if professionals, they have proved themselves time and time again.  But you ought to be wary of anyone who simply self elects themselves and calls themselves an advice columnist with no real experience or proof or who does not seem to be taking it seriously.  Be wary of anyone who is not popular and has to give guidance away for free and is unable to get paying clients often.  Such people are more likely to be seeking a pat on the back and sense of purpose, or glory and praise and gratitude.  Others would loved to be able to charge but are not good enough to get any paying clients.

Why write to an advice columnist?

When you need support, guidance and wisdom, perhaps help with making a decision or understanding something better. Perhaps to gain courage so that you can face a problem or be patient about a situation. Most people see their advisor as a distant, reliable caring friend, someone they know they will never meet but who has their best interests at heart. Someone who will not gossip about them behind their back, not talk to anyone about their private life, not let them down, someone who is maybe smarter and more on the ball than their relatives and friends who may mean well but be totally out of their depth if trying to advise them.

Examples of subjects people write to advice columnists about…

Marriage, breaking up, poverty, work, friends, an ex, a lover, a person they are in love with,. being dumped, considering dumping a partner, divorce or contemplating it, family, money, health, legal matters….  but do remember that most of them concentrate on matters of the heart and are not qualified to give you solid advice on legal matters and health.

Can I trust advice columnists?

Yes!  They are pillars of the community. Established professionals. They do not know your address, phone number, real and/or full name, not even the country you live in. You know they have a reputation to maintain, and are recognised as being public figures who serve the community. They are totally unbiased about you and your situation. Very different to a friend who might advise you to drop your lover because they fancy them for themselves.   Most importantly you know they are too busy, too happy, doing too well to gossip about you and they know nobody that you know to gossip about you with.

Should I become an advice columnist?

If you are unshockable, non judgmental, reliable, rational, good with people and words then why not?  You can work your way up from journalist to one of the advice columnists who works on radio, magazine or newspaper or become self employed where you are more in charge of your time, keep every penny you earn and can help clients individually all over the World.  If you choose to be self employed and advertise your services in our directory you can do it part time and build up your business until you are earning enough to give up your existing job, knowing that you will be enjoying your work, working far less hours and earning a lot more. This is the only website and the only advice columnist directory in the World. 

Follow in the footsteps of the greats. 

Such as Virginia Ironside, Katie Boyle, Deidre Sanders, Denise Robertson, Anna Raeburn, Claire Rayner, Katie Boyle and Marjorie Proops. USA and online advice columnists include Dear Prudence, real name Jenee Desmond-Harris, Ask Amy,  real name Amy Dickinson, Alison Green who specialises in career and work advice), Dr Nerdlove and Captain Awkward, real name Jennifer Peepas.

Become a well paid professional advice columnist here.