Virtual Business Chat: Meet the Editors Looking for Op-Eds

This latest NASW Virtual Business Chat is brought to you by the NASW Advance Copy column.

Virtual Business Chat:
Meet the Editors Looking for Op-Eds
Presented by the NASW Advance Copy column

Date: Tuesday, April 4, 2023
Start Time: 3:00 PM ET / 12:00 PM PT
Event Access Link: https://www.nasw.org/virtual-events-auditorium (member login required)
Event Recording: https://www.nasw.org/events/nasw-science-writers-virtual-events-video-recording-archive-2023-members-only (member login required)

Opinion pieces are a great tool to bring attention to your research, your expertise on a topic and your new or upcoming book. Yet, op-eds are different from reported stories. How do you propose an op-ed to an editor and convince them that you are the qualified expert to write it? In this panel we will hear from three opinion editors — at Bloomberg, Scientific American and Sierra Club Magazine — about what topics they are interested in, how to pitch them and what elements a good op-ed should have. Whether you are a book author or an expert in a particular field, this panel will help you hone your opinion-writing prowess.

Your NASW member colleague and volunteer event host Lina Zeldovich has invited the following guests to speak on the topic.

Invited Speakers:

David Dudley
Bloomberg CityLab

I'm a senior editor at Bloomberg CityLab, formerly known as just CityLab, and even more formerly known as Atlantic Cities. It's a digital publication that was originally spawned from the Atlantic magazine, with a focus on urban issues and a global audience. We cover all manner of topics, but especially those related to housing, transportation, climate resilience and what often gets called "livability" — the mix of public safety and urban amenities that make cities attractive/survivable spaces. Street design, historic preservation, architecture, and the nerdy nitty-gritty of infrastructure are all big draws for our crowd.

While much of our content is reported by journalists, we have also long been a forum for non-journalists who are passionate about cities. Our "Perspective" vertical is a space for opinion and analysis from researchers, urban planners, architects, electeds and just interested citizens who have something to how about urban life. (Some of our most popular pieces have been written by bus drivers and mail carriers.) So I've had a decent amount of experience working w/ a diverse set of writers.

• Here's a op-ed from a SF bus driver that was fun to put together, as an example of working w/ a non-professional writer with a strong voice: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-07-29/how-to-drive-a-city-bus-through-a-pandemic?srnd=citylab-perspective

• A similar exercise, from a mail carrier: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-07-24/what-i-learned-as-a-u-s-postal-service-mail-carrier

• We do a lot on architecture and design — this history-themed explainer on pedestrian malls, from a Cornell professor, was a huge hit: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-09-09/why-america-fell-out-of-love-with-the-pedestrian-mall

• So was this, from geographer/author Richard Campanella: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-09/robert-moses-and-his-racist-parkway-explained

• And this, from a traffic safety writer/advocate Angie Schmitt (which remains one of our most read pieces): https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-11/the-dangerous-rise-of-the-supersized-pickup-truck

• Another one on traffic safety and inequality (a big recurring theme at CityLab), from urban planner Destiny Thomas: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-08/-safe-streets-are-not-safe-for-black-lives

• Finally: Stories about bathrooms always perform well. Here's a good recent op-ed on global toilet reform from science writer Chelsea Wald: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-15/toilet-and-sewer-technology-need-a-fresh-start

These latter ones are also good examples of authors adapting material they'd used in their books for a new piece.

Julian Anna Nowogrodzki
Nature

I'm an opinion editor at Nature, the world's leading science journal. Nature publishes agenda-setting journalism and opinion for a general audience, and our core readers are working scientists and researchers of all kinds. We're looking for the conversation-changing, the provocative (as long as it's backed up by evidence), and the personal. Opinion pieces at Nature are read by decision-makers and have led to real-world change like trans-inclusive publishing guidelines. Books and book reviews fall under the opinion umbrella at Nature, and we're keen to expand our book-related coverage with more sharp, original pieces.

Here are some recent Nature opinion pieces that exemplify our goals:

• I wouldn’t be a scientist without my abortion, Jacquelyn Gill: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-01896-5

• Academia’s culture of overwork almost broke me, so I’m working to undo it, Natalia Ingebretsen Kucirkova: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00241-8

• To fix LGBTQ+ disparities in science, we need the data, Jon Freeman: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-04331-x

• Net-zero plans exclude Africa, Rose M. Mutiso: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-03475-0

• And finally, a book review that was very popular with our readers: How Nancy Hopkins and her tape measure revealed the extent of sexism in science, Alex Witze: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00887-4

• Nature World View archive: https://www.nature.com/nature/articles?type=world-view

Katie O'Reilly
SIERRA Magazine

The storytelling arm of the nation's largest grassroots environmental conservation organization — the Sierra Club — SIERRA magazine is a print quarterly and (much more extensive) online magazine with an objective of inspiring readers to better preserve, protect, and enjoy natural spaces. As SIERRA magazine's Adventure + Lifestyle Editor, I develop, commission, edit, and write print and online articles about human-powered outdoor adventure (and the gear that facilitates it), sustainable travel, food + ag, wildlife, eco-centric books and film, and science. While most of what we published are reported pieces, we certainly make space (especially online!) for op-eds from authors, scientists, NGO leaders, and other field experts.

Here are some narrative and opinion pieces that come to mind:

• https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/how-women-are-transforming-leadership-climate-justice
• https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/amid-war-ukrainians-envision-fossil-free-world
• https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/education-activist
• https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/racism-killing-planet
• https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/year-fish
• https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/hawking-way-seeing
• https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/how-wool-was-pulled-over-outdoor-lovers-eyes
• https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/2021-6-winter/feature/meridian-chaser-ricocheting-between-climate-divides-old-and-new
• https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/e-bikes-national-parks-riding-wave-popularity

#SciWriBizChat #SciWriBooks

Advance Copy is NASW's long-running books and publishing column curated by member volunteer Lynne Lamberg. These interviews ask NASW member authors how they came up with the idea for their book, developed a proposal, found an agent and publisher, funded and conducted research, and put the book together. Be sure to read these #SciWriBooks archived entries! And if you're interested in helping launch a future NASW Books Committee, be sure to reach out to NASW member volunteers Lina Zeldovich and Lynne Lamberg with your enthusiasm.

Questions? Stop by to say hello to event hosts Lina Zeldovich and Lynne Lamberg and to suggest topics for future books-related events.

Please note that this is an informational session and opportunity to ask questions; it is not an endorsement by NASW for any specific agent, company, or policy. NASW does not provide book publishing or publicity services, nor do we make recommendations for specific policies or products.