The Science Writers' Handbook: Everything You Need to Know to Pitch, Publish, and Prosper in the Digital Age

Tons of helpful tips and advice for aspiring science journalists. Highly recommend!

This is an outstandingly practical and useful book that every new science writer needs as the essential starting point in the profession. It covers a wide array of topics with an impressively large group of authors. Science writing has come a long way in the past three decades. This is the book that is needed for today's science writing world.Not to date myself too much, but I remember the pivotal year for science writing in America -- 1980. That year saw the debut of two commercial, broad magazines for science (more broad than the stodgy Scientific American at the time) -- one that made it (Discover) and one that bit the dust (Science 80, which was eventually absorbed by Discover). At the same time several major science writing programs were launched including the one at M.I.T. that I had a close friend in the inaugural class. Science writing has come a long way since.It's a new world with the internet and a world where prospective science writers desperately need the advice not of some dinosaurs (kinda like some of the professors I had in film school who hadn't made a film since before the age of computers), but of multiple working science writers of today.This is exactly that book, and assembled by Thomas Hayden, who is the sort of veteran of both the working world (was a science writer with US News and World Report) and the teaching world (now at Stanford). It takes both sets of skills to make a book that will be useful and coherent, as he has done with this book.The various chapters pretty much take you from start to full speed in a science writing career -- all written in very personable, conversational writing styles. Actually, now that I think of it, that's kind of the crucial test for something like this -- really wouldn't work well to have a book on how to establish a career in writing that was poorly written (and yet, I just read a popular book on screenwriting that's exactly that -- poorly written).Have to say of all the chapters, my favorites are the ones on rejection and envy by Rosner and Nijhuis. Love that Hilary even got rejected by her house cleaner. I've had days like that.Really a great book assembled by the right group. When I was in science graduate school we came to realize the important resource was not our hyper-busy professors but rather our peer group of grad students. There's a similar feel to this valuable and practical book.

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As someone who loved reading good science journalism and non-fiction books growing up, it's pretty natural that I've become interested in creating it myself. Reading this book has given me a firm grasp on how one might go about it. This book will serve as an invaluable foundation for the early stages of my career and as a reference after I'm established. Anyone who's given serious thought to science writing as a career should check this out, as should anyone who is making a jump to freelancing (as many sections are dedicated to the challenges that are specific to freelancers). Helpful, well-written, and accessible.

While this excellent guide is titled The Science Writers' Handbook, it will be be helpful to any freelancer. It will be a great addition to any journalism curriculum. More broadly it will benefit scientists contemplating writing for popular media, and in fact any scientists wanting to understand the freelance journalists interviewing them for stories. The book uniquely goes beyond covering the techniques of freelance science writing, which it explains extremely well. It also offers invaluable advice about the business, personal and ethical complexities of the career, told by a cadre of savvy freelancers. Among the many things I liked about the book was the authors' willingness not only to tell of their triumphs, but also their failures and what they learned from them.

A really well-written and informative book about writing and pitching science stories, with lots of very useful advice and tips. I greatly appreciate the frank first-person anecdotes from professional science writers. It has given me hope and the confidence to soldier on with my science writing career, despite my, ahem, "age." And, in fact, I have my first local science writing gig that will hopefully lead to bigger (and better paying!) stories in the future. I highly recommend this book to aspiring science writers.

I'm a Chemistry major in my last year at college. For some reason I decided to join the school newspaper as a science writer. I had no experience writing and this book has been a lifesaver. The writers share their real experiences and tell you when to really listen to your editor and when to fight for what you want to say in your writing. I couldn't put it down after I got it. It's really helped me realize that I love writing and forget about working in a lab the rest of my life. I want to be a science writer!

Picked this up on the recommendation of a friend, figuring I'd read the chapters with straightforward practical advice (e.g. on contract law, journalistic ethics, sources, etc.). However, I ended up reading it cover to cover, and really enjoying it. The practical advice was very good, but it was also really interesting and useful to read so many different perspectives (each chapter is written by a different science journalist) on common issues faced by science journalists, and by freelance writers in general. I'm still trying to get my wife to read the chapter on work-life boundaries in a home office... :)

This book is a comprehensive and practical look at the craft and business of science writing. Aspiring and fledgling science writers will find this book especially useful, though there is something for everyone here and even experienced professionals will find something of benefit.The book is the product of an online community of science writers, SciLance, and there is an impressive number of authors representing some of the very best expertise in the industry today. The book takes pains to stress that there is no “one way” to pursue a career in science writing, but nonetheless offers actionable advice to those seeking to do so.The book really does cover everything a freelance science writer will need to succeed, ranging from “Finding Ideas” and “Making the pitch” to “Working with Editors” and “How to Sell a Book”. Boxes provide useful tips, hints and illustrations to each chapter’s bulk. The book also covers the business side of freelancing, the ethical issues one might encounter and even tips on maintaining ones sanity in the industry (an entire section: “the sane science writer”, with “How to cope with rejection” proving especially interesting). All of this is achieved in an effortless style, making it a joy to read. It is reassuring to see a book on writing that is actually written well.The book ends with a list of resources for further reading and research, broken down chapter by chapter.All in all, this book is a must-have on the shelves of aspiring and fledgling science writers. The advice it offers is actionable and offers clear pathways for progression and improvement. It has certainly boosted my writing.If you found this review useful please let me know by hitting the “helpful” button below :)

I have a few books on feature writing and science writing and this one is my favourite. It guides you step by step through the process of developing ideas, approaching editors, doing research, interviewing and sculpting the story. And that's just the first part. The book is also packed with advice about the daily work of freelance writers: dealing with schedules, keeping a healthy mind and body, nurturing a network, running a business, promoting yourself, and alternative writing markets. It's definitely a must.

Great and a lot of tips and advice ! Good for anyone wanting to get into science writing such as students !

This book gives a nice introduction to the subject covering everything I wanted to know and more. It is filled with anecdotes which gives the book a warm and intimate feel.

Great summary to get you started and give you confidence in your science writing.