Charlotte Libov: Cancer Survival Guide

Advance copy: Backstories on books by NASW members

Cover: Cancer Survival Guide: How To Conquer It and Live a Good Life by Charlotte Libov

CANCER SURVIVAL GUIDE:
HOW TO CONQUER IT AND LIVE A GOOD LIFE
Charlotte Libov
Humanix Books, February 2, 2016, $19.95
ISBN-10: 1630060143
ISBN-13: 9781630060145
ISBN E-book: 9781630060152

Libov reports:

My intention in writing the Cancer Survival Guide was to provide effective tools for patients newly diagnosed with cancer to use not only during treatment but afterward as well.

The book covers the following cancers: breast, lung, colon, prostate, brain, bladder, leukemia, melanoma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, ovarian, soft tissue sarcoma, and testicular cancer. I also explain cancer basics, tests, and current therapies. Additionally, I provide chapters on alternative therapies, the psychological aspects of cancer, and information for cancer survivors.

Charlotte Libov

The book grew out of my work as a staff health writer for Newsmax Health. The company asked me to write a book on cancer for an ongoing series.

While I write about cancer, I also have written extensively on heart disease. As I was writing this book, I started thinking about the differences between how our medical system treats heart disease and cancer.

Cancer is poised to overtake heart disease as the nation’s number one killer by 2030, largely due to the decline in heart disease mortality. We do a much better job treating heart disease than cancer. National cardiac treatment guidelines are clear-cut. If people have a heart attack, they will receive a generally good quality of care.

This is not true of cancer. There are many different types of cancer, and how well they are understood varies. Also, cancer treatment is undergoing a seismic shift; while some oncologists stay up to date, others don’t. This presents a treacherous landscape for the new patient, who must make life-or-death decisions, right from the start. I wanted to write a book that would level the playing field, and give patients the tools to get the best care.

I should have been tougher in negotiating my manuscript deadline. I was asked to provide a manuscript on a relatively short deadline. Then the book’s publication was postponed. Although the publisher afforded me time to update the manuscript prior to publication, I would have welcomed a longer deadline from the start.

Contact info:

Charlotte Libov, 305-333-8844, char@libov.com, sobechar@gmail.com
Website: http://www.libov.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/charlottelibov
Publicist: Annie Scranton, 732-642-7192, annie@pacepublicrelations.com
Book website: http://www.humanixbooks.com/books/cancer-survival-guide-how-to-conquer-it-and-live-a-good-life.html

NASW members: will your book be published before March 31? Take advantage of this opportunity for shameless self-promotion. Submit your report for Advance Copy. The deadline for inclusion in the Spring issue of ScienceWriters is January 27.

Tell your fellow NASW members how you came up with the idea for your book, developed a proposal, found an agent and publisher, funded and conducted research, and put the book together. Include what you wish you had known before you began working on your book, or had done differently.

See https://www.nasw.org/advance-copy-submission-guidelines.

Thinking of writing a book? If you are a NASW member, you may access a list of more than 150 books and online resources to help you craft your book proposal, find an agent and funding sources, negotiate your contract, learn about self-publishing, publicize and market your book, and more at https://www.nasw.org/article/write-book.

Send book info and questions about book publishing to Lynne Lamberg, NASW book editor, llamberg@nasw.org.

Advance Copy

The path from idea to book may take myriad routes. The Advance Copy column, started in 2000 by NASW volunteer book editor Lynne Lamberg, features NASW authors telling the stories behind their books. Authors are asked to report how they got their idea, honed it into a proposal, found an agent and a publisher, funded and conducted their research, and organized their writing process. They also are asked to share what they wish they’d known when they started or would do differently next time, and what advice they can offer aspiring authors. Lamberg edits the authors’ answers to produce the Advance Copy reports.

NASW members: Will your book be published soon? Visit www.nasw.org/advance-copy-submission-guidelines for information on submitting your report.

Publication of NASW author reports in Advance Copy does not constitute NASW's endorsement of any publication or the ideas, values, or material contained within or espoused by authors or their books. We hope this column stimulates productive discussions on important topics now and in the future as both science and societies progress. We welcome your discussion in the comments section below.