In Scatter, Adapt and Remember, Annalee Newitz explores what humans would have to do to survive a mass extinction. Newitz’s book is a finalist in the science and technology category of this year's L.A. Times Book Award competition.
Science writing news
From the Association of Health Care Journalists conference in Denver, Lisa Krieger reports on a panel featuring editors from the New York Times, Family Circle, Men's Health, and AARP Media. The four offered tips to freelancers on how to pitch stories to them, such as this from Betsy Agnvall, AARP Media features editor: "Beware of getting on the 'bad' list. Word spreads quickly when a writer is rude or snarky. Even if the editor drives you crazy, it is not worth it."
There's one-third less revenue coming into American journalism than there was eight years ago, according to the latest report from the Pew Research Center: "While audience revenue is becoming more critical to the business, it cannot fully compensate for the loss of ad dollars. That is why most conversations about news sustainability come back to 'all of the above' — cultivating a variety of revenue streams … and experimenting with new ways of paying for journalism."
It's not new at all, Poynter's Roy Peter Clark writes in reaction to some recent calls for more accessible writing. Rather, Clark traces the topic back at least to his days as a "young pup" at the St. Petersburg Times: "I welcome the kind of reforms that may have sparked a new interest in explanatory forms. I just want to remind the newcomers that you don't have to start from scratch. There is a foundation already laid upon which you can build. Now raise the roof."
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its latest report early this week "to a world apparently too exhausted, or distracted, to take much interest in the upcoming calamities," Tabitha M. Powledge writes in her weekly roundup of science blogs. Also: A sampling of tributes to Jane Goodall on her 80th birthday, and a review of the latest debate involving the bones, discovered in a Leicester parking lot, which may or may not be the remains of Richard III.
Michelle V. Rafter describes one writer's strategy for selling reprints of previously published stories, and relates her own experience with a travel-related piece: "The contract I signed for the original story was for first North American serial rights, referred to in freelance circles as FNASR. That meant once the article appeared in the publication I sold it to, the rights reverted back to me to use as I please, including selling reprints to other publications."
Recently, readers of the Science Writers' Handbook blog took a survey that asked science writers — both employed and freelance — about their work-life balance. Hannah Hoag reports on the results. From the Winter 2013-14 ScienceWriters.
In Citizen Canine, David Grimm explores good, bad, and bizarre outcomes of turning pets into people
You're mispronouncing a lot of English words and that's OK, David Shariatmadari writes in the Guardian. Words like "apron" and "umpire" lost their initial consonants in a process linguists call "rebracketing." "Metathesis" turned brids into birds and a waps into a wasp. "Today's mistake could be tomorrow's vigorously defended norm," Shariatmadari writes. "There are lots of wonderful examples of alternative pronunciations or missteps that have become standard usage."