Shannon Brescher Shea: Growing Sustainable Together

Sustainable

Sustainable

GROWING SUSTAINABLE TOGETHER:
PRACTICAL RESOURCES FOR RAISING KIND,
ENGAGED, RESILIENT CHILDREN

Shannon Brescher Shea
North Atlantic Books; June 16, 2020; $16.95
ISBN-10: 1623174716; ISBN-13: 9781623174712

Shea reports:

I dreamed I would publish a book since I was a kid. I never expected it to happen through Twitter.

Growing Sustainable Together started when I fell in love with manatees at age 10.

Fast forward 20 years. When I became a mom, I struggled to balance my love for environmental action with my desire to spend as much time as possible with my kids. When I talked to other environmentalist moms, almost none reported the same dilemma. I wondered, “What did they have that I didn’t?” My first book proposal, a set of profiles of “green moms,” revolved around that question. When I received a rejection that said, “Nice idea, but no one is going to buy it,” I realized I was the only one asking this question!

Shannon Brescher Shea

Shannon Brescher Shea

Sitting in my basement, I had a lightbulb moment. What if there was no conflict between being an environmentalist and a good parent? Propelled by the idea that environmental activities could help you raise your kids to be good people, I put together a new proposal.

In the midst of shopping my book to agents, I posted a summary to Twitter as part of Pitch Madness https://pitchwars.org/pitmad/, which I had heard about through the Twitter writing community. In this quarterly event, editors and agents invite you to send them your proposal or manuscript by liking a tweet describing your book.

Much to my surprise, an editor liked one of my tweets! In a few weeks, I had an offer. There was a catch: I had to write the book in six months or less. The publisher needed to fill its Summer 2020 catalogue quickly.

Thankfully, I had already compiled much the research in preparation for my proposal. My advice to aspiring authors: work through most of your book's structural and thematic issues while writing your proposal.

While chucking my first proposal was frustrating, I’m glad I did. Moving beyond my personal insecurities resulted not only in a book deal, but a book I hope will prove useful to parents who want to raise kids to be sustainable world citizens.

Contact info:


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.

Review Advance Copy archives at https://www.nasw.org/member-article/advance-copyhttps://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 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.

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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