Sandra Blakeslee: Dirt is Good

Advance copy: Backstories on books by NASW members

Cover: Dirt is Good

DIRT IS GOOD:
THE ADVANTAGE OF GERMS
FOR YOUR CHILD’S DEVELOPING IMMUNE SYSTEM
Jack Gilbert, PhD, and Rob Knight, PhD,
with Sandra Blakeslee (NASW member)
St. Martin’s Press, June 6, 2017, $25.99
ISBN 978-1-250-13260-4 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-250-13262-8 (e-book)

Blakeslee reports:

The idea for this book stemmed from a phone interview with a scientist, Jack Gilbert. I was writing a piece for the New York Times on the role of vaginal seeding and C-section births (e.g. smearing vaginal fluids on the newborn to mimic what is missed in a surgical birth).

Sandra Blakeslee

As Jack and I talked, he said that he and his colleague, Rob Knight — both superstars in microbiome research — are constantly bombarded with questions from parents after giving talks. Both have young children and can relate. So we contacted my agent, Jim Levine, and floated the idea of a book in a Q&A format for busy parents. Readers can look up specific topics covering pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding and child rearing for quick, evidence-based answers.

Most people do not know that the human microbiome — the trillions of microbes that live in and on your body — assumes an adult pattern by age three. Thus zero to three is a critical period for the gut as well as the brain. Moreover, these early interactions fundamentally tutor the developing immune system. Perturbances such as over-use of antibiotics can set up a lifetime of chronic health problems.

The Q&A format made for a quick writing schedule — about five months total. It’s not an elegant format but we wanted to get the information to the parents of babies and toddlers who have no time to read a whole book. This sets our work apart from other books covering similar ground. We do not waste time getting to useful advice.

Contact info:

Sandra Blakeslee, 505-603-0595, sblakeslee@mindspring.com, Twitter: @bysblakeslee, www.sandrablakeslee.com
Book website: www.facebook.com/DirtIsGoodBook/
Agent: James A. Levine, 212-337-0934 ext. 1210, jlevine@LGRliterary.com
Publicist: Rebecca Lang, 646-307-5573, rebecca.lang@stmartins.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 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 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.