No prizes for kids books

It is the time of the year again for science writers to pile in with their entries for the Royal Society's awards for science books. The RS has just put out the Call for entries for this year's awards.

You have until 2 April 2009 to fill in the on-line entry form and to persuade your publisher to send them seven "non-returnable copies of each entry".

There is a prize of £10,000 for the winner while the authors of the short-listed books get £1000. Sadly, they haven't lined up a big sponsor, so there is no Junior Prize this year.

The press release says that, after winning last year, Mark Lynas's Six degrees: Our future on a hotter planet "saw sale figures more than double throughout the months following the award".

Science communication brought to book

Science journalists and science writers – there is a difference – may be dismayed by the growing trend to "academicise" their humble trades. If you are among the perturbed then you should probably avoid reading Investigating Science Communication in the Information Age – Implications for public engagement and popular media or Practising Science Communication in the Information Age – Theorising Professional Practices.

Both catchily titled books are from Oxford University Press and, at £19.99 each for paperbacks, slightly less through Amazon, will hardly break the bank.

Richard Holliman, Senior Lecturer in Science Communication in the Science Faculty at The Open University, says that the books "support the teaching of an Open University postgraduate distance learning course" Communicating science in the information age.

The books include contributions from ABSW members, with chapters on "Science communication in fiction" by Jon Turney and Martin Redfern on "Speaking to the world: Radio and other audio".

2008 book winners announced

There it is, screaming atop the page at the Royal Society, Winners Announced. The puff of white smoke has gone up, and Six Degrees by Mark Lynas (Fourth Estate/Harper Collins) picks up this year's General Prize in the 2008 Royal Society Prizes for Science Books.

The Junior Prize goes to Big Book of Science Things to Make and Do by Rebecca Gilpin and Leonie Pratt, (Usborne).

For some reason, the detailed account of the event is over on Flickr, along with some pictures. (That's where you land if you follow the links in the above.)

The general prize is for a book on climate change. The title of the book that collected the junior prize explains itself.

ABSW briefing

ABSW Briefings 2008 are sponsored by - The Geological Society of London

How to write a popular science book

Thursday 13th March 2008
Welcome drinks: 6.30pm
Talk: 7.00-8.00 pm
Venue: The Council Room, The Geological Society of London, Burlington House, Piccadilly, LONDON W1J 0BG

(Entrance on Piccadilly, opposite Fortnum & Mason
+44 (0)20 7434 9944. W: www.geolsoc.org.uk)

Aimed at science communicators, writers, broadcasters and students this year’s briefings aim to provide an introduction or refresher to some of the basic skills that underpin the daily activities of a writer and broadcaster to help you develop your career.

Writing a popular science book can be a daunting challenge. Many journalists and communicators talk about wanting to write a popular science book; few manage to do so successfully.

We’ve found some that have. Joining us to share their expertise and anecdotes about how they wrote their successful science books are:

Gabrielle Walker

Gabrielle Walker is an author and broadcaster specialising in environmental science. She has a PhD from Cambridge University and has been visiting professor at Princeton University, Associate Editor at Nature, and Features Editor at New Scientist. She is a frequent presenter for BBC radio, and writes for many newspapers and magazines. She has written three popular science books: ‘Snowball Earth’ (2003), ‘An Ocean of Air’ (2007) and The Hot Topic (January 2008, co-written with Sir David King). She is currently working on her fourth book, which will be about Antarctica

Peter Tallack

Peter Tallack studied Genetics with Steve Jones at University College London, before working for nearly ten years on the editorial staff of NATURE, where he was, among other things, book review editor. He left to become Science Publishing Director of Weidenfeld and Nicolson, and, more recently, a partner of the London-based literary agency Conville & Walsh Ltd, where he specializes in popular science. Peter is also the author of IN THE WOMB (National Geographic, 2006) and the editor of and contributor to THE SCIENCE BOOK (Cassell, 2000).

Richard Hollingham

Richard Hollingham is a BBC current affairs presenter, author and writer, specialising in science and environment. He has filed stories from more than 40 countries including Antarctica (twice), Libya and Vietnam. He presents the BBC World Service environment programme One Planet and regular series on the network including Science Hotspots and Discovery. Richard is a former senior producer on the BBC’s flagship news programme, Today, and was its first dedicated science producer. Together with his wife, Sue Nelson, also a successful journalist, they wrote How to Clone the Perfect Blonde.



We hope to see you there.
Please RSVP by email to: briefings@absw.org.uk

Author finds happiness at the Royal Society

Just in case you missed it, the announcement of this year's winners of the prizes run by the Royal Society, Pursuit of happiness leads to top science book prize.

Tim Radford bangs the drum for science books

The recently retired science editor, and former literary editor, of The Guardian, Tim Radford, continues to merge his enthusiasms for science writing and literature. Queerer than we suppose, Tim's take on science books, accompanied the paper's coverage of this year's prizes.

Lots of nice quotes. "In a good science book, you are likely to read not just something you have never read before but something nobody has written before."

And he even managed to provoke a debate among readers. Perhaps there is life in the science book after all.

Beeb puffs books prize

The piece on BBC NEWS, Best popular science books named, has more details of this year's book prizes. With pictures of two of the books' covers and a brief history of the prize.

Royal Society announces short list

In its press release announcing the Royal Society Prize for Science Books , the Royal Society makes much of the fact that all six authors "are newcomers to the prize's shortlist".

Nice to see at least one ABSW member in there, which is why we are rooting for Henry Nicholls. The judges say of Henry's book, Lonesome George, that it "is a great piece of journalistic writing that makes you think about a wide range of complex issues ".

Long list brought to book

The Royal Society has announced the books that are on the "longlist" for this year's 2007 General Prize for the year's best science book.

• A Mind of its Own by Cordelia Fine (Icon Books)
• Bang! The Complete History of the Universe by Brian May, Patrick Moore and Chris Lintott (Carlton Books)
• Francis Crick, Discoverer of the Genetic Code by Matt Ridley (Harper Press)
• Giant Leaps by Jack Challoner and John Perry (Boxtree)
• Homo Britannicus by Chris Stringer (Penguin Allen Lane)
• In Search of Memory by Eric R. Kandel (WW Norton & Co)
• Lonesome George by Henry Nicholls (Macmillan)
• One in Three by Adam Wishart (Profile Books)
• Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert (Harper Press)
• The Goldilocks Enigma by Paul Davies (Penguin Allen Lane)
• The Rough Guide to Climate Change by Robert Henson (Rough Guides)
• The Science of Doctor Who by Paul Parsons (Icon Books)

There is a description of each book and its author(s) on the web site.

Science books, the Junior Shortlist

The PR machine rolls into action for "the world's most prestigious awards for science writing". Well, that's what they say. In reality, we are talking about the "Junior Shortlist" for the Royal Society Prizes for Science Books.

The six books shortlisted by the judging panel are:

• Can you feel the force? by Richard Hammond (Dorling Kindersley)
• How nearly everything was invented by the Brainwaves, illustrated by Lisa Swerling and Ralph Lazar (Dorling Kindersley)
• It's true! Space turns you into spaghetti by Heather Catchpole and Vanessa Woods (Allen and Unwin)
• KFK Natural Disasters by Andrew Langley (Kingfisher Knowledge)
• My Body Book by Mick Manning and Brita Granström (Franklin Watts)
• Science Investigations: Electricity by John Farndon (Wayland)

It is now down to "over 100 schools and youth groups" to pick the winner.

Nominations open for "green book" award

That's an award for books about the environment rather than books printed on recycled paper. The announcement is on Horganism the blog by John Horgan, Director of the Center for Science Writings at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. Edward O. Wilson, "one of our era’s greatest and most eloquent scientists," received the first Green Book Award for his book The Creation.

It says that "The CSW Green Book Award is an annual prize given to the finest work of science writing that draws attention to issues of environmental responsibility published in the previous year." The entry requirements, or how the thing works, aren't clear. There's an on-line entry form, so there's no harm in plugging your own magnum opus.

tag: environment, awards, science books, books