Cheryl Pellerin: Healing with Cannabis

Advance copy: Backstories on books by NASW members

Healing with Cannabis

HEALING WITH CANNABIS:
THE EVOLUTION OF THE ENDOCANNABINOID SYSTEM AND HOW
CANNABINOIDS HELP RELIEVE PTSD, PAIN, MS, ANXIETY, AND MORE
Cheryl Pellerin (NASW Member), foreword by Jeffrey Y. Hergenrather, MD
Skyhorse Publishing, August 4, 2020, $24.95
ISBN-10: 1510751866; ISBN-13: 9781510751866

Pellerin reports:

Healing with Cannabis describes an ancient biological system newly discovered in every vertebrate—the endocannabinoid system. It’s the reason cannabis works in the body and it’s why medical cannabis is effective in many disorders. The book has an informal tone, a little humor, interviews with long-time cannabinoid scientists, reports on research and clinical trials, and 170 color images.

I wanted to write it because none of the cannabis books I’d seen told the whole story about medical cannabis or used color images or humor. I worked with a publishing industry expert (Jane Friedman) to create a proposal that I sent to agents. I found one pretty quickly (Coleen O’Shea). She found a publisher within months.

Cheryl Pellerin

I spent 2.5 years interviewing researchers and reviewing papers from scientific journals. I’m on a listserv for psychopharmacologists (related to my first book Trips: How Hallucinogens Work in Your Brain, 1998). After I interviewed a neurologist/cannabinoid researcher on that list, he suggested other researchers for me to interview. For images I used Shutterstock, NIH, scientific organizations, Wikimedia Commons, and the researchers with whom I spoke. I bought two cartoons.

I recommend aspiring authors write about something they must write about and make sure their proposal reflects their passion about the topic to attract a great agent.

Contact info:

Cheryl Pellerin, 703-850-3917, pellerin@nasw.org, https://cherylpellerinscience.com/, @pellerinscience
Book: https://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/9781510751866/healing-with-cannabis/
Publicist: Beth Bellemore, bbellemore@skyhorsepublishing.com
Agent: Coleen O'Shea, coleen@allenoshea.com

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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.

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