Mark Pendergrast: City on the Verge

Advance copy: Backstories on books by NASW members

Cover: City on the Verge

CITY ON THE VERGE:
ATLANTA AND THE FIGHT FOR AMERICA’S URBAN FUTURE
Mark Pendergrast
Basic Books, May 16, 2017, $30.00
Kindle: $19.99
ISBN-10: 0465054730; ISBN-13: 978-0465054732

Pendergrast reports:

I grew up in Atlanta and have written two other books related to the city: For God, Country and Coca-Cola and Inside the Outbreak. (Coke and CDC are headquartered there.) My agent suggested I might write about the city itself.

At first I thought, “No way,” since I now live in Vermont. But many family members still live in Atlanta, and this would give me an excuse to see my parents more often. It also would allow me to explore all kinds of issues, including transportation, race, the environment, sustainability, urban infrastructure, education, housing policy, the homeless, religion, and politics.

Atlanta is the poster child for horrible suburban sprawl, combined with white flight. Yet the Atlanta BeltLine, a 22-mile loop of mostly defunct railroad lines, was in the process of helping to remake the city into a more walkable, bikable, transit-friendly city. The project of turning it into a trail and streetcar service, connecting new and old parks, is supposed to be completed by 2030, though that is probably not going to happen on time. It is, however, in process. The BeltLine connects some of the richest and poorest neighborhoods of the city.

Mark Pendergrast

I wrote up a long proposal, and Basic Books will now have four of my books in print. For City on the Verge, I interviewed over 400 people, including city leaders, activists, neighborhood residents, journalists, environmentalists, ministers, and many others. I found them through research, referrals, and just walking around. I was able to support my research with my book advance, and I saved money by staying with my parents and people who hosted me in different neighborhoods.

This book was a kind of roots project for me, allowing me to get to know my native city in depth for the first time. I think it will provide a valuable addition to books about cities, and unlike many more academic texts, I got down to the level of real people in real neighborhoods.

I am so glad I was able to spend wonderful additional time with my parents. My father died last year at age 99.

Contact info:

Mark Pendergrast, 802-497-1570, 802-310-9246 (cell), markp508@gmail.com
Website: http://markpendergrast.com
Publicist: Courtney Nobile, 212-364-0666, courtney.nobile@hbgusa.com
Agent: Lisa Bankoff, LBankoff@icmpartners.com
Book website:http://cityontheverge.com

NASW members: will your book be published soon? Take advantage of this opportunity for shameless self-promotion. Submit your report for Advance Copy.

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.