Cover: The Handy Anatomy Answer Book, 2nd edition, by Patricia Barnes-Svarney (NASW) and Thomas E. Svarney
THE HANDY ANATOMY ANSWER BOOK, 2nd edition
Patricia Barnes-Svarney (NASW) and Thomas E. Svarney
Visible Ink Press, February 16, 2016, $21.95
ISBN: 9781578595426
Patricia Barnes-Svarney writes:
The Handy Anatomy Answer Book, second edition, is part of a series my husband Thomas and I have been involved in for more than 15 years through Visible Ink Press.
When our agent, Agnes Birnbaum of Bleecker Street Associates, first approached VIP’s publisher in the late 1990s, and talked about our previous science books, he mentioned he was in the market for a dinosaur book.
Patricia Barnes-Svarney
My background is in geology and astronomy. Tom, a naturalist, has a background in physics. Since writing The Handy Dinosaur Answer Book, first published in 2000, we also have written books for VIP on oceanography, geology, mathematics, biology, and nutrition. There is a great deal of cross-over in our work, but in general, Tom does much of the research, while I do most of the writing. We both do editing.
All the Handy Answer books — including ours — are for general audiences. They are presented in a question and answer format (the “handy answer” part). The Handy Anatomy Answer Book is a completely revamped and updated version of a book initially produced by two other authors in 2008. It includes hundreds of questions and answers.
We get our information by reviewing literature in the field, conducting interviews, and attending classes taught by experts in the subject area. Many organizational websites allow the public to access recent scientific abstracts and papers; if we have questions, we contact the authors, most often by e-mail.
The most interesting part of revamping a science book is trying to fuse the unchanged, basic information with the newest on technology and discoveries. Writing for a series about science poses other challenges, too. Because some things in science seemingly change overnight, an answer or two can be outdated before the book gets published.
It’s also a challenge to keep new science information balanced with the old, and to distinguish studies that are truly valid from those that are in their infancy (read: they need more data). Fortunately, many VIP books are revised every few years.
Contact info:
- Patricia Barnes-Svarney, 607-748-0892, pbarnes_svarney@nasw.org, pbsvarney@stny.rr.com
- Website: http://www.pattybarnes.net
- Agent: Agnes Birnbaum, 212-677-4492, bleeckerst@hotmail.com
- Publicist: Kae Tienstra, 610-395-6298, kae@ktpublicrelations.com
- Book website: http://www.visibleinkpress.com/t155/The-Handy-Anatomy-Answer-Book-Second-Edition
NASW members: will your book be published soon? Take advantage of this opportunity for shameless self-promotion. Submit 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 had done differently.
See https://www.nasw.org/advance-copy-submission-guidelines.
Thinking of writing a book? If you are a NASW member, you may access a list of more than 150 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.
Send book info and questions about book publishing to Lynne Lamberg, NASW book editor, llamberg@nasw.org.
.png)
