Alaina G. Levine—Create Your Unicorn Career: A Practical Guide to Designing the Authentic Career That Brings You Joy, Meaning, and Money—Even in Uncertain Times

Advance copy: Backstories on books by NASW members

Cover of the book Create Your Unicorn Career: A Practical Guide to Designing the Authentic Career That Brings You Joy, Meaning, and Money — Even in Uncertain Times, showing a burgundy-colored unicorn climbing a ladder at the center in front of a starburst image. The book title and the author’s name are in burgundy and green on a pale burgundy background.
Your Unicorn Career
CREATE YOUR UNICORN CAREER:
A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO DESIGNING THE AUTHENTIC CAREER
THAT BRINGS YOU JOY, MEANING, AND MONEY—
EVEN IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
Alaina G. Levine
Quantum Success Solutions, LLC (self-published), December 31, 2025
Paperback, $35, eBook, $25
Paperback ISBN-13: 979-8998951732
eBook ASIN: B0GDQVNJZ6

Levine reports:

I have been speaking, writing, and coaching in the STEM career development space for decades. After my first book, Networking for Nerds, was published 10 years ago, I began to think about writing a broader-scope career-development book for STEM and Word nerds. I wanted my community to know they had more value, choice, and power in the career advancement process than they realized. I wanted to share a data-driven strategy to enable their success.

Portrait photo of Alaina G. Levine
Alaina G. Levine
Photo by Tom Spitz
The book draws on many ideas from my column, Your Unicorn Career, which ran in Science from 2019-2022. The book offers readers a practical framework, tactics, and methods to help them build a career that brings them joy, meaning, and money.

In the book, I show readers how to build relationships that advance their community, effectively market themselves, shift their money mindset, navigate challenges, losses, or failures, and prepare for the future.

I decided to self-publish to retain full ownership of the book, especially since I wanted to be actively involved in the sales process. (I love to sell!) As a professional speaker, I incorporate bulk book sales into speaking contracts, and I constantly am thinking of ways I can better serve my coaching clients with the book as well.

I finished writing Create Your Unicorn Career in early 2025. Given the changes in science writing and the STEM community — grants and contracts cancelled, clients and jobs lost, and a general feeling of fear and uncertainty — I knew I had to address these issues. I added specific actions readers can take in a time of challenge to move forward with intention, strength, and grace amid chaos.

I maintained a strict no-phone policy and parked my phone in another building while I wrote. I crafted a realistic marketing plan before the book was published. I pitched my book to speaking clients in advance and promoted the book to advance my speaking business—and vice versa. I coach other writers to do that, too. Showing you can and want to sell books will help you get your next book contract.

Contact Info:

NASW members: will your book be published soon? Promote it by submitting 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 what you might have done differently.

See https://www.nasw.org/advance-copy-submission-guidelines. NASW member login required.

View Advance Copy archives at https://www.nasw.org/member-article/advance-copy.

Thinking of writing a book? If you are a NASW member, you may access a list of more than 200 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.

View the recording of a recent Virtual Skills Chat presented by NASW’s Freelance Committee The existential challenges of self-promotion. NASW member login required.

View the recording of a recent Virtual Skills Chat presented by NASW’s Freelance Committee Using Generative A.I. as Writers and Editors. NASW member login required.

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View the recording of a Virtual Business Chat presented by NASW’s Freelance Committee and Advance Copy column Writing Wikipedia Profiles. NASW member login required.

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Send book info and questions about book publishing to Lynne Lamberg, NASW book editor, llamberg@nasw.org.

Follow @lynnelamberg.bsky.social and @LynneLamberg for news about NASW authors, science/medical books, and writing.

Banner image adapted from original photo by Alaina G. Levine.

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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.

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