Margie Patlak—Insect Safari: Exploring the Wondrous World of Everyday Bugs

Advance copy: Backstories on books by NASW members

Cover of the book _Insect Safari: Exploring the Wondrous World of Everyday Bugs by Margie Patlak showing an ivory background framed by an array of green leaves and pink and yellow flowers, with a dragon fly, a katydid, a monarch butterfly, a moth, a cricket, a bee, and other insects on the plants or flying around. The title and author’s name are in an earth-brown colored print.
Insect Safari
INSECT SAFARI:
EXPLORING THE WONDROUS WORLD
OF EVERYDAY BUGS
Margie Patlak
Workman/Hachette, June 9, 2026
Paperback: $19.99, eBook: $12.99
Paperback ISBN: 139781523533077
eBook ISBN: 978-1523533077

Patlak reports:

Insect Safari was sparked by my curiosity about insects, especially after I learned about their rapidly declining numbers and those of the birds depending on them. For several years, I regularly snapped cellphone photos of insects I saw during the growing season, identified them on i-Naturalist, and used websites, journal articles, and books to learn their lifestyles and other fascinating tidbits about them and their close kin.

Who knew bees could count and play with balls, ants tend their wounded brethren and herd aphids, and fruit flies mull over their mating choices? I wrote short personal essays/chapters about the bugs that impressed me the most and the philosophical musings they inspired.

Portrait photo of Margie Patlak
Margie Patlak
Photo by Lynn Teo Simarski
I know you are supposed to develop a book proposal for a nonfiction book BEFORE you write it, but I wanted to write the book at my own pace and not have a looming deadline to worry about. When I had written about 72,000 words, I wrote a book proposal and queried 10 agents known for representing nature writers. One of them, Alice Martell, was an insect lover and collector and was so enthusiastic about the book that I signed her up without waiting for the others to respond!

My publisher, Workman/Hachette, wanted me to shrink my 80,000-word manuscript down to 60,000 words to allow room to illustrate the book with my photos. Fortunately, my editor, Maisie Tivnan, did a fantastic job deciphering what could be condensed or deleted. I had a hard time seeing those possibilities on my own, but they made perfect sense after she pointed them out.

My advice to aspiring authors is to follow your passion and convey it to others through your writing. Then be diligent in polishing your writing, letting your book proposal guide you by helping you discern what is special about your book compared to others on the same topic. And, of course, you must be persistent when querying agents or publishers, because rejection is par for the course.

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 an Advance Copy Virtual Business Chat, A Primer for Authors on Book Publicity. NASW member login required.

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.

View the recording of a recent Virtual Skills Chat presented by NASW’s Editing Committee How to Break into Editing. 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.

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.

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 Margie Patlak.

NASW invites publishers and publicists to purchase NASW website ads to promote their authors and books via NASW’s self-service purchasing portal.

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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