Non-Fiction Book idea
August 09, 2022
I’ve always wanted to publish a book. I think it would be such a fun and challenging project. And I love sharing my love for astronomy. So I had an idea to join the two. There are a lot of astronomy books out there, but they all seem to fall into some pre-described categories.
There are the field guides, which focus on how to observe from your back yard. They include lots of star charts and stories from ancient mythology about the constellations and fast facts about interesting objects. These are great for their purpose. But by default they require a personal telescope, or at least binoculars. These are expensive and not everyone has access to one or can afford their own. Plus, many people live in or near cities where light pollution makes the vast majority of interesting objects all but inaccessable and makes someone working through this kind of book maybe feel like they are failing because they can’t find the objects the book says are there.
There are the textbooks, which traditionally are used in a classroom setting. These are almost exclusively written at the undergraduate college level; very few high schools teach astronomy separately from physics (which is very reasonable), and even fewer middle or elementary schools teach anything beyond memorizing fast facts about our Solar System’s planets (I have lots of thoughts on “learning” through memorization). These textbooks can be intimidating, and they often assume a certain mastery of what they would call “basic” math. Not everyone has this “mastery” of “basic” math, and this should not be a gatekeeper to those who may be interested in astronomy.
There are “popular science” books, aimed for someone who is curious but who just wants the overview. These are fantastic books that get the everyday person interested in our field of astronomy. They provide just the right balance of breadth and depth of topics. Enough to keep them reading with fascination but not too much to scare them away with details. These books are an excellent gateway to our field, welcoming the otherwise uninitiated. But they generally target people who are adults and they only emphasize the theory, never the practicality of our science.
But as far as I can tell, there are not books on astronomy that are: 1) aimed at young adults (middle school, ages 10-15), 2) experiment-focused guides, and 3) do not require a telescope or binoculars. I have an idea on how to fill this perceived gap. I’ve been working on a book idea for some time now.
More updates on this project as/if there are updates to report.
January 15, 2023
I just came back from the 241st American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting in Seattle. I had a great time! On the first day I noticed that in the exhibit hall there were at least 5 booths from science publishing houses. I felt like this could be a chance to learn more about how to break into the publishing world. It took until the last day of the conference but I worked up the courage to go up to them, one at a time, and just talk to the representative at the booth. The reps were all very nice, some more than others. Some more willing to talk to me than others. I managed to get business cards for all of them. A few, very nicely, basically said this project was not for them. I understand this. Two of them seemed very receptive and willing to talk to me further. I have their email addresses and will eventually reach out to them. While overall this was a good experience, I don’t think I really learned too much about the process and how to get started. I was hoping to learn how to put together a proposal, maybe this was not the right environment for that conversation. I will have to learn more when I email the individuals who were most receptive.