Writing Books panel

By Matthew Wright

Whether they're seasoned professionals or upstart students, most science writers have considered taking the big leap and writing a book. This profession draws people who are comfortable with uncertainty, but for many of us, embarking on a book project is a frontier we are hesitant to explore. In a morning session, four panelists offered expert guidance for anyone who is thinking of writing a book.

A prolific best-seller, a recently published author, a beginning author, and an agent all had a chance to share their insights during the discussion. Lynn Yarris of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory moderated the panel. Topics included agents, marketing, proposals, and how to get by the dreaded "98% statistic" -- the proportion of book proposals publishers end up rejecting. Most importantly, the panelists shared why they chose to write books in the first place.

J. Madeleine Nash, senior contributor to Time and author of "El Niño: Unlocking the Secrets of the Master Weather Maker," embodies the sense of adventure an author needs to succeed. "I decided I had to write a book because I didn't know how," she said. "My colleagues were all writing books, and it seemed to turn out well for them, so I thought I really should try it."

Laird Harrison, freelance writer and former editor for WebMD, is co-authoring "Fresh: How Local Food Can Save the American Meal" with his father Terry, an organic farmer. For him, the book is a search for something new. "My career is a formula of job satisfaction equals novelty times money divided by effort," he said. "After a while freelancing, the effort factor seemed to loom larger, and the money factor never got larger in proportion. So I thought I'd try the most novel thing I could think of."

Pat Murphy, director of publications for the Exploratorium in San Francisco, is the author of many books for children and adults including the best-selling "Explorabook." She transitioned into books after writing exhibit graphics at the Exploratorium. Since becoming an author, she has written "more books than I can easily carry," she said.

Ted Weinstein, a San Francisco-based literary agent who represents science, technology and environment writers, warned that writing a book is not a decision to be taken lightly. "It's an excruciating process," he said. "If you haven't written a book, it's unlike anything you have ever done before."

The book-writer's next step is to write a proposal, which is essentially a sales pitch to agents and publishers. Often, an agent works with the author to polish the proposal before sending it out to publishers. "Proposals are so much fun," Murphy said. "I like taking risks, and each proposal I write pushes what I can do a little bit further."

Harrison recommended contacting agents before investing time in a full proposal. "I think a lot of agents are willing to be approached with a short query," he said. "It will at least give an indication of whether they're interested in what you want to do." Harrison also recommended the book "How to Think Like Your Editor" by Susan Rabiner to help with the proposal process.

Sometimes, a proposal's chances are influenced by factors beyond the author's control. Nash pitched "El Niño" for quite some time, but received little interest from agents. "Then 'The Perfect Storm' was published," she said. "All of a sudden, I started getting phone calls."

Though one can pitch a book directly to publishers, most authors work with an agent. "My agent is invaluable to me," Murphy said. "From the publisher's point of view, an agent serves as a filter. They've already selected against that 98% of book ideas that never get published."

"An agent can also act as a buffer between you and the publisher, so if at any point there is tension in the relationship, the agent can absorb some of that," Harrison said.

"We are an odd combination of lawyer, editor, psychotherapist, and marketing consultant," said Weinstein, who is Harrison's agent. "You need to figure out what working style is most comfortable for you, because we each work differently."

Before setting out to write a book, an author needs to evaluate whether it is financially feasible. Harrison urged prospective authors to ask themselves hard questions: "How much do you need as an advance? Can you get a grant or some source of funding?" he asked. "Do you have a rich uncle? Are you willing to spend your child's college savings?"

Once the book is sold to a publisher and written, the work is not over. Responsibility for marketing often falls to the author. "What you're trying to do is basically build your brand," Weinstein said. "I know that sounds horribly corporate, but that's the way the world works."

"The best chance for success on a career basis is to treat yourself like a multimedia empire," Weinstein said. "There are some times when your insights belong on the radio, other times in a publication. You need to slice and dice your expertise and sell it to the appropriate place."

Weinstein said writers who are used to the frequent feedback of news and magazine writing are in for a serious shift if they decide to write a book. "It's very isolating. At a certain point you become like astronauts -- you have ground control, but you're not on the phone every day."

That said, the rewards of writing a book can make enduring all the loneliness, stress, and financial uncertainty worthwhile. Nash closed by encouraging would-be authors. "In the end, it was immensely pleasurable," she said. "I love what I ended up doing, and it's made me want to do it again."

Tools to dig deeper