Wilcox, Brookshire, Goldman, eds.: Science Blogging

Advance copy: Backstories on books by NASW members

Cover: Science Blogging

SCIENCE BLOGGING: THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE
Christie Wilcox, Bethany Brookshire, Jason G. Goldman, eds.
NASW member contributors:
Carl Zimmer, Matt Shipman, Liz Neeley, Brian Switek,
Danielle N. Lee, Joe Hanson, Ben Lillie, Emily Willingham,
Alberto Roca, Paige Brown
Yale University Press, March 1, 2016, $17.69
ISBN: 9780300197556

Wilcox, Brookshire, and Goldman report:

Science blogging is one of the best tools available for sharing and discussing science, in part because it is so versatile, and can be used by people with all kinds of career backgrounds with very diverse goals. Yet many are hesitant to take advantage of what blogs have to offer, because they don’t know where to start, or feel frustrated with their current efforts to blog.

This book is the guide we wish we’d had when we started. It contains tips, insights and thought-provoking discussions from over two dozen of the best science bloggers around — an eclectic group. Our chapter authors are writers, journalists, teachers, scientists, students, press officers — basically, everyone you can think of that might have an interest in science.

Bethany Brookshire, Jason G. Goldman, and Christie Wilcox.
Photo by Lindsay Patterson

Our hope is that this book helps science communicators of all flavors, whether they be journalists, scientists, or simply enthusiasts, navigate the sometimes-murky waters of the blogosphere.

Science blogging, and the Internet in general, moves so fast! Luckily, we have a website that will help keep things up to date, and maybe there will be future editions of the book that will make sure readers can stay abreast of our ever-changing world.

We’d like to note that this book would not have been possible without the generous funding we got from an NASW Idea grant and from the Sloan Foundation. They allowed us to pay our authors for their work, something that we all believe in. We are also very grateful to another NASW-funded site, The Open Notebook. It partnered with us to host our online home, and we’re delighted to be able to combine forces to create a resource for science writers that combines expertise in digital and print.

Contact info:

Christie Wilcox: 808-226-8508, nerdychristie@gmail.com, christiewilcox.com
Bethany Brookshire: 336-406-3544, scicurious@gmail.com, www.scicurious.org
Jason Goldman: 818-515-4994, jasonggoldman@gmail.com, www.jasonggoldman.com
Publicist: Robert Pranzatelli, 203-432-0972, robert.pranzatelli@yale.edu
Book: Science Blogging: The Essential Guide

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.