Rebecca E. Hirsch—Where Have All the Birds Gone? Nature in Crisis

WHERE HAVE ALL THE BIRDS GONE? NATURE IN CRISIS
Rebecca E. Hirsch
Twenty-First Century Books, March 1, 2022
Hardcover, $37.32, eBook $8.49
ISBN-10: ‎1728431778, ISBN-13: 978-1728431772
ASIN:‎ B09M91CRRK
Interest Level: Grades 8-12

Hirsch reports:

In October 2019, I swallowed the staggering news that 30 percent of all birds in the United States and Canada had disappeared in just 50 years. The news, based on a report in Science, felt like a gut punch. I would be turning 50 soon. Those birds had vanished in my lifetime.

The following month, I caught up with an editor at a conference. We had recently collaborated on Where Have All the Bees Gone? Pollinators in Crisis, a book for teens about the disappearance of wild bees. She asked if I had any new young adult book ideas. I filled her in on the report on North American birds. I suggested we do a book on it: what was causing birds to disappear and how could young readers help? She loved the idea. We both agreed time was of the essence. I promised to send her a full proposal in early 2020.

But when Covid hit, children's publishing came to a standstill. Publishers hit the brakes on new book projects as they waited to see what would happen with school closures. Editors and other industry professionals adjusted to working from home, and routine paperwork slowed to a crawl. At the time, I did not have an agent. And so, every month, I emailed my editor to check on the status of the book. She assured me that that my book would go forward. After a four-month delay, we finally ironed out a basic deal over email.

I began researching the book before I even signed a contract. I knew the fall migration was fast approaching, and I wanted to get out into the field to do some research. I just trusted that a contract would arrive eventually. I finally signed it in October of 2020.

My advice to new writers is to nurture your professional relationships. Trust is one of your most important assets as a writer. Work with editors you trust, and be trustworthy yourself. Through good and bad times, good relationships can help you carry through.

Contact info: -

• Rebecca E. Hirsch, rebeccahirsch@mac.com, http://rebeccahirsch.com, @rebeccaehirsch
• Book: https://lernerbooks.com/shop/show/21608, http://rebeccahirsch.com/where-have-all-the-birds-gone.html
• Publicist: Megan Ciskowski, mciskowski@lernerbooks.com
• Agent: Sarah Stephens, sarah@redfoxliterary.com

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