What is Poaching?

First and foremost, it’s a crime! Poaching is a broad term that includes, but is not limited to, smuggling protected animals dead or alive, killing endangered and threatened animals, killing animals out of their hunting season, using illegal weapons, killing animals on closed land, or leading others to kill animals illegally as an unlicensed guide.

The callous details surrounding each poaching case are often chilling. In one Utah case, two teenagers, participating in a group training dogs to chase black bears, shot the mother bear and two cubs that had taken refuge in a tree, and then left the bears abandoned on the ground.

Criminal poaching rings in Montana have a substantial impact on statewide wildlife populations. For example, in two separate organized poaching-ring investigations that came together in 2005, more than 100 mature big game carcasses were found. Each animal was decapitated and the carcass left to rot.

Why do Poachers Kill?

Poaching is described by wildlife officers as everything from an “addiction” to a money-making industry. Most poachers see nothing wrong with the activity at all, but it’s a crime. Many poachers “thrill kill” animals to obtain a trophy for the wall. A poacher may kill a large elk or deer, chop off the head and valuable antlers and then leave the rest of the animal lying on the ground. Some stockpile the antlers or submit macabre photos depicting the kill to magazines that glorify the killing of a trophy animal.

Poaching has received study and analysis by researchers in the United Kingdom. The predominant view of poaching in the ecological literature is that it is unequivocally detrimental in terms of its impact on biodiversity. Sandra Bell and others, in a 2007 article published in the journal Biodiversity and Conservation, state that poaching is rarely seen as unambiguously good or bad by citizens. In one study, researchers found that attitudes toward illegal fishing in Lithuania were best represented by a multi-dimensional spectrum of acceptability, based not only on the perceived threat to fish stocks, but also on a sense of cultural aesthetics, fairness, and identity. Similarly, another study identified a spectrum of ‘deviance’ for tree theft in a North American forest.

In their case study, Bell and colleagues found that poaching cannot be understood simply as an individual action. While individual motivations are important, these feed into and are supported by an underlying cultural logic. This cultural logic is itself flexible and responsive to the changing situation in which local fishermen and hunters, as well as environmental managers and enforcers, find themselves. It encourages environmental managers to distinguish between different forms of poaching and, perhaps, to direct research efforts into investigating the differential ecological impacts of the varied forms of poaching, rather than regarding them all as environmentally destructive. A striking feature of the situation in this study is that people who admit undertaking what they perceive as least detrimental forms of poaching are antagonistic towards what they think are truly harmful forms. Indeed, the fact that they appear willing to act and to support actions against types of poaching they agree to be threatening is a message of potentially great importance for environmental management strategy. However, these efforts can be undermined by the perceived injustice of a system of environmental management that appears indiscriminate in its treatment of offenders.

Clearly, according to the results of this research, one size does not fit all when managing the poaching problem. However, hunting and fishing regulations cannot be enforced effectively on a case-by-case basis. The human reasons for poaching cannot and should not be considered when these regulations are enforced. Law enforcement cannot be subjective, which only leads to bribery and corruption. With this variation in public opinion about poaching, law enforcement treads a difficult path.

Poaching rings can be commercial enterprises, such as a southwestern Montana ring near Gardiner. Between 1999 and 2004, a convicted commercial poacher was paid an estimated $90,000 by about 30 associates who poached more than 40 large and mature bull elk. Or a ring can be a family operation, as was the case in northwestern Montana, near Seeley Lake. A family poaching ring in operation from 1990 to 2002 killed dozens of game animals, including elk, moose, bear, and antelope, and more than100 buck deer.

Increasingly, wildlife officers find that organized poaching rings are proliferating because many of the poached animals can be traded on a lucrative black market. A set of bighorn sheep antlers may go for tens of thousands of dollars, and poachers can sell bear gall bladders to China where they are churned up for an aphrodisiac. Whether it’s for money or a thrill, it’s a crime!

State Wildlife Enforcement

All states and U.S. Territories have wildlife laws and regulations. They are enforced by wildlife officers trained in the fish and game regulations for the particular state. Regulations, including hunting and fishing seasons, differ from state to state. Interstate transport of an illegal take can be litigated as a felony by the Federal Government under the authority of the Lacey Act.

In Arizona, wildlife officers are stepping up efforts against the rising number of illegal immigrants hunting at night for meat to feed their families, and, in some cases, entire neighborhoods. “They know that buying drugs on the streets of Phoenix is illegal, but they don’t view shooting a deer as that big of a deal,” said Dinquel, a 20-year veteran with the game and fish department.

“Poaching is completely out of control in California,” said Dan Taylor, director of public policy at Audubon California. Poaching violations rose to 17,840 in California in 2007, up from 6,538 in 2003. Fishing violations also rose from 8,001 in 2003 to 15,892 in 2007. Taylor said the current penalties are not strict enough to discourage people from poaching. Cases of “extreme” poaching spiked in 2008, according to the California Department of Fish and Game. That year, a man in Gilroy was found with 335 dead birds, a Tuolumne County man was found with the scattered remains of an estimated 26 deer in his home, and two men in Monterey County were arrested for poaching 66 abalone.

California may be cracking down on poaching. Recently, the state Senate Public Safety Committee unanimously approved AB708, a bill that would set a mandatory minimum fine for some poaching violations, including hunting protected birds or hunting over the limit or out of season. The mandatory minimum fine for a first offense would be $5,000 for anyone illegally taking or trading amphibians, birds, fish, mammals or reptiles. The bill has already passed in the Assembly.

State wildlife law enforcement officers, often called Game Wardens, have arduous and sometimes dangerous jobs. They patrol the back country where there are no trails and must interact with lawbreakers who are armed. Recently, an armed confrontation between a father and teenage son reportedly fishing without a license and two Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife officers occurred. One officer reportedly had a handgun pointed at his head before he convinced the suspect not to shoot him, and a second officer later exchanged shots with the 18-year-old suspect during a chase near Ephrata before the teen was arrested. It marked the first time in “10 to 15 years” that a state wildlife officer fired his weapon at someone, said Lt. Steve Crown, who leads training for an enforcement division that includes 105 commissioned officers. “From a policing perspective, we are encountering a rougher crowd out there these days,” Cenci, deputy chief of field operations for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, said.

To be arrested for violating game laws doesn’t always mean killing animals. For nearly 20 years, the Oregon State Police Department’s Fish and Wildlife Division ran a decoy operation targeting violators who hunted out of season from their cars and roadways or at night with the aid of a spotlight. These violators were charged under state law for firing at a wildlife enforcement decoy, which is considered the same as firing at a live animal. All the same penalties apply.

The Federal Side of Wildlife Enforcement

There are Federal laws to protect migratory birds, endangered species, marine mammals and other kinds of wildlife and plants. Each is a separate Act, the most familiar being the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Constitution is the primary framework for Federal wildlife law. The Lacey Act is the most inclusive and explicit authority for Federal law wildlife enforcement. First enacted in 1900 and significantly amended in 1981, it is the United States’ oldest wildlife protection statute. The Lacey Act combats trafficking in “illegal” wildlife, fish, or plants. The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, effective May 22, 2008, amended the Lacey Act by expanding its protection to a broader range of plants and plant products. The Lacey Act now makes it unlawful to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase in interstate or foreign commerce any plant, with some limited exceptions, taken or traded in violation of the laws of the United States, a State, or a foreign country. Though several state courts considered the constitutionality of the Act, no court found it unconstitutional. Its most recent amendment occurred in 2009, adding the illegal removal of trees to the list of enforceable activities.

Here is an example of federal law enforcement action under the authority of the Lacey Act:

Federal officials reported that an Arlington wildlife importer for whom they’ve issued an arrest warrant is a fugitive. An arrest warrant was issued for Jasen B. Shaw, who is wanted for violation of the Lacey Act, the main federal weapon against illegal hunting and criminal trade in wildlife. The Dallas Morning News reported that the arrest warrant was issued Feb. 10, but was kept confidential for several months. The reason for withholding the report was not given.

In December, more than 26,000 animals were seized from 37-year-old Shaw’s company, U.S. Global Exotics. Many of the animals were dead or dying. The company was later shut down. A special agent for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service told the newspaper that investigators believe Shaw fled to his native New Zealand to avoid prosecution.

The Lacey Act is a powerful tool in law enforcement against poachers. Poaching in all its forms is a crime and it will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

International Poaching

It’s not just in the U.S.; poaching is a world-wide problem. It is the single most destructive force on large wildlife from cats to elephants. International poaching and smuggling are done for the money! There are poaching rings that sell to the black market everything from tusks to gallbladders. Wildlife smuggling is an environmental crime that is estimated to be a $15-20 billion annual trade. Stemming the flow of illegal animals and animal parts is an international effort.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) is the weapon of choice to fight this crime. It is an international agreement between governments, drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1973 at a meeting of members of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival and it accords varying degrees of protection to more than 33,000 species of animals and plants. To ensure that the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) was not violated, the Secretariat of GATT was consulted during the drafting process.

CITES is one of the largest conservation agreements in existence. Participation is voluntary, and countries that have agreed to be bound by the Convention are known as Parties. Although CITES is legally binding on the Parties, it does not take the place of national laws. Rather it provides a framework respected by each Party, which must adopt their own domestic legislation to implement CITES at the national level. Often, domestic legislation is either non-existent (especially in Parties that have not ratified it), or with penalties incommensurate with the gravity of the crime and insufficient deterrents to wildlife traders. As of 2002, 50% of Parties lacked one or more of the four major requirements for a Party: designation of Management and Scientific Authorities; laws prohibiting the trade in violation of CITES; penalties for such trade; laws providing for the confiscation of specimens.

CITES works by subjecting international trade in specimens of listed species to certain controls. These require that all import, export, re-export and introduction from the sea of species covered by the Convention has to be authorized through a permitting system. Roughly 5,000 species of animals and 28,000 species of plants are protected by CITES against over-exploitation through international trade. Each protected species or population is included in one of three lists, called Appendices. The Appendix that lists a species or population reflects the extent of the threat to it and the controls that apply to the trade.

There are limitations to CITES, however. The most notable include:

• It focuses on trade at the species level and does not address habitat loss, ecosystem approaches to conservation, or poverty;

• It seeks to prevent unsustainable use rather than promote sustainable use, which generally conflicts with the Convention on Biological Diversity;

• It does not explicitly address market demand. Funding does not provide for increased on-the-ground enforcement; parties? must apply for bilateral aid for most projects of this nature.

By design, CITES regulates and monitors trade in the manner of a “negative list” such that trade in all species is permitted and unregulated unless the species in question appears on the Appendices or looks very much like one of those taxa, then, and only then, is trade regulated or constrained.

What You Can Do

This is a case of “Think globally, act locally.” In the U.S. and many industrialized nations, wildlife belongs to all people, but poachers who step into our wild backyard set out to exploit animals with the knowledge that they probably will not be caught. But by state and Federal wildlife agencies sharing information on poachers and citizens taking the role as stewards of wildlife seriously, these killings can be stopped. Here’s how you can help:

• Equip yourself with knowledge. Headed out to go hiking or bird-watching? Know your state’s wildlife regulations and hunting seasons so you can readily identify violations.

• If you see suspicious activity, don’t try to confront the individual. First, get a description of the poacher, the vehicle, and surrounding area.

• Second, call your state wildlife enforcement department immediately. The availability of cell phones makes this possible. Timeliness is necessary to catch poachers.

• Find your state’s poaching tip line and keep it on your cell phone list.

We can all fight this crime. You don’t have to be a wildlife enforcement officer, just an alert citizen.

Published in THE PATH issue #1, 2011

          Writing is often considered to be an activity done from the heart. It can be a form of personal expression, revealing what you think, what you know, who you are. So how could it then be that you, a writer, have committed a sin?

Have you gotten too close to your work?

You’ve worked hard; your boss likes most of your writing. But there comes a time in every writer’s career when introspection is necessary. Is it time for you? This list of seven deadly sins for writers might help.

1.  Deadly Sloppy Research. Nonfiction readers want accurate, reliable information. Nonfiction writers need to engage readers better than ever. After all, you are competing against 30-second commercials and all those TV shows that cover your subject. Don’t rely on your memory of something you saw on television; look it up. And use an authoritative source, preferably two or three. Never be satisfied with a random Internet search.

2. Deadly Prosaism. You want to present facts accurately. However, recitation of straight information  put readers to sleep. Readers want more than just facts and figures. Include action sequences or quotations from experts, especially experts who have name recognition, to add color to any technical explanation or historical exposition.

3. Deadly Stereotyping. Avoid describing habits of people using “conventional wisdom” no matter how well you think it explains a point. Never refer to a person’s race, creed or other characteristics that are beyond the person’s control in a way that could be construed as negative.

4. Deadly Carelessness. Editors will not correct a typo-laden manuscript for a writer who is too lazy to proofread. Even with self-published books, mistakes on every page annoy readers and make them suspect you are equally careless with facts. Don’t expect your word processor to do the proofing, either. Few computer spell checkers know the difference between “their” and “there.” Word processing and e-mail software can even create errors; so manually give your writing a once-over to make sure automatic formatting hasn’t put any tabs where they shouldn’t be.

5. Deadly Lazy Marketing. Never just open a market database and start querying publishers in alphabetical order. Read the entries in full; publishers are disgusted with nonfiction writers’ ignoring of clear statements that “we publish only fiction.” Read your chosen publisher’s full official guidelines. And even if you’re self-publishing, have a clear idea of your anticipated reader demographic and where to find them. Remember, writers who aim at “everyone” never hit anyone.

6.  Deadly Ego. Probably the No. 1 reason writers fail is that they expect their talent to absolve them of any real need to work. No author ever outgrows the imperfect first draft! Every writer can benefit from other authors’ input in the form of critique or collaboration. No successful author works in a vacuum.

7. Deadly Fear of Rejection. If a writer is paralyzed by the fear of rejection, the work never is submitted, let alone published. Every writer has experienced rejection at some time. It goes with the work. Relax and learn from it. Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner and Edgar Allen Poe received numerous rejections. All famous authors received rejections, but they didn’t let it stop them.

Conclusion

The “sins” of carelessness are easily overcome, just take your time and exhaust your sources. A feeling of pride in your work is necessary but shouldn’t become narcissistic. The fear of rejection, however, is often more difficult to overcome. There is no easy solution or recommendation, except to submit your work with the understanding that it may not get published the first time out. If the same piece is continually rejected, take a hard look at it and consult writer friends who have published. The editors rejecting the piece will not usually take the time to tell you how to improve the piece. They are too busy and want to spend time with pieces that will be published. The most important message is to keep trying, never give up.

Published in Outdoors Unlimited April 2011

The Publishing Industry at a Glance
Just like in other media markets, there are the major players and independent counterparts. In publishing, the Big Six are the entrenched, powerful entities, the “majors” in publishing. But independent publishers, when viewed as a group, are a major power unto themselves.
Just to be sure who we’re talking about, The Big Six Publishers are:
1. Random House – Random House, the world’s largest English language general trade book publisher, is a subsidiary of media conglomerate, Bertelsmann.
2. Penguin Group – is collectively the second largest trade book publisher in the world, behind Random House.
And, in no particular order from here:
3. Hachette Book Group – Hachette Book Group USA (HBGUSA for short) is owned by French company, Hachette Livre.
4. HarperCollins – This house, under the News Corp umbrella, is based in midtown Manhattan and publishes a lengthy list of bestsellers.
5. Macmillan – Macmillan/McGraw-Hill, a division of the Educational and Professional Publishing Group of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
6. Simon & Schuster – a major trade house based in NYC that goes back to the early 1920s and was home to one of the industry’s most famous editors, Maxwell Perkins.
The book publishing industry is traditionally divided into the following sectors:
• Trade: Most of the books you find at the bookstore and intended for the general public, often divided into “adult trade” and “juvenile trade.”
• Professional: Books specific to a particular industry or even a particular company.
• Textbook: Books specifically targeted at students. This sector is divided into “el-hi” (elementary and high-school publishers) and “college.”
• Scholarly: Specialized books, primarily published by the university presses.
• Religious: Books published by religious organizations for their members or potential members.
Small independent publishers may be found in all of these sectors.

An Independent Publisher may be for You
Why might an Independent “Indie” Publisher be preferable? There are some common qualities associated with independent publishers – they’re open to riskier content, they are willing to take the time to develop an author’s career and they’re specialized. Nevertheless, independent publishers account for almost half the books published annually.
The large number of independent publishers means there are options available to meet many needs. There are publishers that exist for nearly every imaginable genre and sub-genre. Also, there are regional publishers, micro-publishers, and electronic-only publishers.
Most publishers, especially small and mid-size publishers, specialize in specific topics or groups of topics. This trend is caused not only by the personal preferences of the management, but also by strategic necessity. By specializing, a publisher develops a keen sense of the market and a set of deep relationships with relevant channels. Some are more risk-takers, others are only willing to buy sure things. Some have a long and storied history, others crop up to meet a need and only release one or two books. How do you find these publishers?
• Search the internet
• Check with bookstores and libraries
• Ask other writers who you know.

Qualities that might make an Indie Publisher attractive:
 Plenty of author control – the author agrees to all changes
 Print on demand – there are no storage issues
 No agent is required – in fact, most agents won’t work with indies
 Higher royalties – you’ll make more money on book sales
 Contract is straight forward and simple to understand – you won’t need a lawyer to interpret it
 Best of all, it’s not self-publishing – so there’s no stigma attached, no money up front.

Independent publishers may NOT be the answer to your publishing needs if:
 You want your book to be on the table closest to the front door of Barnes and Noble, this is definitely not for you.
 You are working through an agent,
 Your book contains color photos or illustrations.

What to Watch for
Here are some terms and statements to watch for in your search for an “indie” publisher:
 Book printer vs. publisher vs. book distributor; here’s the difference. A book printer is just that, a printer. A publisher works with the author to develop a marketable product and, through established contacts, will assist the author in selling the book. A book distributer gets books from the publishing house to the bookstores. A distributer does not print books or communicate with authors.
 RED FLAG: if a “Publisher” wants money upfront. This is the fastest way to distinguish an independent publisher from a vanity press. An independent publisher will never charge money for publication, marketing or any aspect of publishing your book.
 Look for a statement like this: “We are not a vanity or subsidy press. We will charge no reading or critiquing fees. Editorial services will only be rendered if a book is chosen for publication. If we elect not to use submitted material, it will be returned without comment (see our Submission Guidelines).”
 The publisher’s website and their catalog are the most reliable sources of information about the publisher and their practices.

Summary
For an author, independent publishers provide another avenue for publication, with many accepting unsolicited submissions, something that’s virtually unheard of at imprints of the Big Six. They come with upsides and downsides that differ with each publisher, but for an author the more options, the better.
For an increasing number of authors, it is the fastest and easiest way to publish without the stigma or cost of self-publishing or vanity publishing. As with any publishing venture, DO YOUR HOME WORK!

Published in Outdoors Unlimited January, 2011

1Mary Nickum presented this paper at the Outdoor Writers Association of America Annual Meeting, June, 2010 in Rochester, MN.

What is the difference between an abstract and a summary? Actually, there is a difference. An abstract is a description of the work, designed to stand alone.  The summary is used at the end of the work to underline the important points in the work. Busy executives often read only the executive summary at the beginning of a paper, assuming they have enough detail. Whether you’re writing an abstract or a summary, you are attempting to synthesize a body of information into a shortened form to be read quickly and easily by interested individuals.

   Abstracts can be classified into two common forms: indicative and informative. The typical distinction between descriptive and informative is that the descriptive abstract is like a table of contents whereas the informative abstract lays out the content of the document. The indicative abstract tells about the background of the work, who is responsible for the work, how and why the work was conceived and how the study was undertaken. This type of abstract is called indicative because it indicates what the work is but does not provide details about the work.

       An informative abstract provides details about the substance of a piece of writing because readers will sometimes rely on the abstract alone for information. Informative abstracts typically follow this format:

1. Identifying information (bibliographic citation or other identification of the document),
2. Concise restatement of the main point, including the initial problem or other background,
3. Methodology (for experimental work) and key findings, and
4. Major conclusions.

Edward T. Cremmins in his book, “The Art of Abstracting,” describes a three-stage analytical reading method that is necessary to prepare informative and indicative abstracts. Cremmins has over 30 years experience in research and testing, refining, using, and teaching the concepts of abstracting. According to Cremmins, preparation of abstracts is a three stage process.

When reading documents for abstracting, first you explore the material to identify candidate information for retrieval (Stage 1). Next, respond to the selected information and synthesize (Stage 2) the most relevant information into a draft abstract. Finally, you should review the material and draft again to add value (Stage 3) to the abstract.

In Stage 1, you are exploring the material to find tidbits of information that standout as vital to anyone seeking information on this topic. You will scan the text to identify passages containing information with potential for inclusion in the abstract. Mark those parts in the margin of the text that contain information on purpose, methods, findings or conclusions/recommendations.

That stage of abstracting completed, you will move on to organizing or responding to and synthesizing the material. Here your cognitive skills are challenged to transform extracted material identified in Stage 1 to a product of high craftsmanship. To meet this challenge you may have to consult dictionaries, handbooks or other material so as to be confident with the intricacies of the subject matter being abstracted. If you are confident in your knowledge of the subject, continue to develop the abstract. Most abstracts have a small word count requirement, so being concise or “writing tight” is a highly valued skill.

The final stage, adding value to the abstract, is where your particular knowledge, ability and writing style can shine. Stage 3 is, essentially, the critical reading stage. The goal of this final reading stage of the completed version of the draft abstract is to ensure that it contains adequate value and meaning, and, if not, to add more of these qualities to it. Additionally, this reading is beneficial in identifying questions or problems of style that either may be resolved independently by the abstractor or may be brought to the attention of an editor or reviewer.

When writing an abstract, then:

1. Scan the document purposefully for key facts,
2. Tell what was found,
3. Tell why the work was done,
4. Tell how the work was done,
5. Place findings early in the abstract,
6. Place general statements last,
7. Differentiate experiment from hypothesis,
8. Be informative but brief,
9. Be exact, concise and unambiguous,

10.  Use short, complete sentences.

Advice on how to get started writing abstracts:

1. List It on Your Website. The most obvious thing you can do is list it as a service offering on your website and/or blog. When you do, list a brief explanation of what it is and how it can benefit the client.
2. Pitch Clients. Many times, clients won’t even realize the value that abstracts can bring them. So, devise a special query seeking this kind of work. 
3. Or start an abstracting service, which requires very little financial investment. The materials you will need are probably things you already have at home. You`ll need a reliable computer with a multi function printer, and as with any business, you should have both a land line and cell phone so that your customers can always reach you. An abstracting service business offers a great deal of flexibility in terms of hours, as long as you meet your deadlines.
4. The income potential for abstracting services is promising. You can expect to be paid between $5 and $15 per article. The speed of your reading and writing ability will have a huge effect on your earning potential. If you can complete only one article per hour, you`ll be earning $6 to $20 per hour, however if you can complete as many as 3 articles in an hour, you could easily find yourself  bringing in as much as $45 dollars per hour (from www.funcareers.com).

Published in Outdoors Unlimited, October 2010

Published in Outdoors Unlimited, April, 2010

Many newspapers and other review media buy book reviews. Have you ever thought of writing book reviews for fun and “profit?” Fun is probable, “profit” is relative. But those who buy reviews often pay per word, just as most columns. In fact you could be the sole contributor to a column for book reviews. The outlet, whether newspaper or magazine, will decide the broad subject area of the books to be reviewed. You may get to choose the books or the editor may choose which books will be covered. If you are proposing a book review column, you may wish to begin by proposing a column regarding books about the outdoors. Then, if the outlet says their readers are most interested in hunting and fishing, you can suggest several titles of new books that would fit this column. Be prepared to provide details of your background in education and experience or provide writing samples, showing you are knowledgeable about this field.
When you’ve secured a column in the local Sunday newspaper to review the newest books on hunting and fishing you need to be able to find the books to review. You might begin your search in bookstores to find publishers’ names. Don’t wait for books to arrive in the bookstore before deciding which books to review, however. Most commonly you’ll review the book based on the Advanced Reader’s Copy (ARC). ARCs are proof copies or pre-publication copies produced by the publisher as a last check before final printing. These can only be obtained from the publisher and may not be sold or distributed by the recipient. To obtain these copies, write directly to the publisher. Choose publishers based on books that you know or have seen in the bookstore. Write to them describing your column, how often your column will be published, the circulation of the paper or magazine and a little of your background. Most publishers will be more than willing to supply you with ARCs and they will be free of charge. Most likely, they will add your name to their mailing list for future books in the same field. Yes, you saw this coming, you’ll have the column and free books to add to your collection as well!
Now, what exactly is a book review and how is it constructed? Book reviews are just that; they tell the reader a little about the author, what the book is about, how useful it will be and who will find it interesting. Book reviews are often short, sometimes 200-300 words, but reviews in your column, depending on how many books will be covered in each column and the limits imposed by the editor, could be as long as 500-600 words.

A book review should focus on the book’s purpose, content, and authority. A critical book review is not a book report or a summary. It is a reaction paper in which strengths and weaknesses of the material are analyzed. It should include a statement of what the author has tried to do, evaluate how well, in your opinion, the author has succeeded, and present evidence to support this evaluation. There is no right way to write a book review. Book reviews are highly personal and reflect the opinions of the reviewer.
My formula for a book review is:
1. List the specifics of the publication, including title, author, publisher, place of publication, price, and other details as required by your publication.
2. Identify the author of the book and his/her accomplishments in two or three sentences.
3. Discuss the contents of the book while analyzing its strengths and weaknesses.
4. Provide an overall evaluation and recommendation as to its use and users.

Begin by reading some good book reviews if you haven’t been paying attention to them before now. The New York Times Book Review section is considered the “gold standard.” Many magazines contain a book review or two when the editors become aware of a title that fits the focus of the magazine. Newspapers are harder to pinpoint. Some, especially, smaller town, local papers carry only reviews of books by local authors. Some carry none at all. Larger city papers usually have a book review section in the Sunday paper. Many of those reviews are syndicated but the paper may take some local reviews as well.
Book reviewing sounds easy and the writing seems to be not too burdensome. However, to do a good job, you must read the entire book, which can be time consuming. You may need to check some of the facts with a specialist, much as you’d verify facts in any other piece of writing. The more reading you have done in the field for which you plan to review, the better equipped you’ll be to provide meaningful reviews.

Good luck and most of all, have fun!

Published in: Outdoors Unlimited, January 2010

Traditional Publishers
These are the publishers that have been around for years and most of us recognize at least some of the names, such as Wiley, Knopf, McGraw-Hill, Simon & Schuster and many University Presses. These publishers have very specific subject interests and will only consider titles that fit within very structured guidelines.
If you decide to submit your book to one of these traditional publishers, you should first contact them via their website to obtain a “Guide to Authors.” Next, almost invariably (unless you are a celebrity) you must submit a proposal. The book proposal is a detailed description of your idea, table of contents, two or three sample chapters, timeline for completion, your background and qualifications for writing on the particular subject and a marketing plan for selling you book. If your idea is to be considered, the publisher will respond to you, usually within 6 months. If they are not interested, they may not respond at all, which can be extremely frustrating.
At this point, many authors decide to find an agent to pitch their work to a publisher. But an agent will require the same type of proposal and may be at least as hard to snare as a publisher. Agents do have more knowledge about the publishing world and individual publishers than most authors, especially new authors. They help negotiate contracts and work in the author’s favor, for a percentage of the profits from the book.
If the agent wants to see more of you chapters, great! However, this is far from a publisher promising to buy your work or a publishing contract. Much more hard work is ahead, but, at least you have someone’s ear. At this point or even earlier, many authors look elsewhere to publish their work. The electronic age has provided many new alternatives.

Self-Publishing
Self-publishing as a business model is as all-American as it gets, but it carries a stigma in some people’s eyes. If you’re worried about how people will perceive your books, don’t use your family name as the publisher name or consider writing under a pen name. That’s literally the only difference between self-publishing and any other kind of publishing, at least as far as the public can tell. The advantages of self-publishing your own books in terms of author relations , which should not be a problem, and minimizing out of pocket expenses are obvious. As is true for other self employment ventures, you have to be honest with yourself about how hard you’re willing to work to start a publishing business and you have to be realistic about the probable outcome.

Small or Independent Publishers
What is the difference between a “small press” and an “independent press”? Many independent presses may also qualify as, but are not always, small presses. As a general rule, independent publishers are non-conglomerate, non-publicly listed publishers. As you can see from this, the demarcation lines are blurred. The definition, in itself, is not that important. These publishers are often even more focused as to what subjects they will publish than are the traditional publishers. Being small, they publish fewer titles, therefore, they are more selective. These, of course, are generalities. To select a publisher, look at titles of books in the field in which you are writing in bookstores and libraries to see which publishers are active in your field. Most publishers have websites where you can find information about what they are looking for and how they require submissions to be presented.
Small/Independent publishers may give you more immediate and personal attention than the large/traditional publishers. For some, royalties may even be higher. One reason for this is most use print-on-demand, publish-on-demand or may share printers, which keeps costs down. Storage and distribution costs are great for traditional publishers but nonexistent for print-on-demand publishers.

eBooks
When publishing your book electronically your costs are incredibly low (relative to hardcopy publishing). You will need to get the software to create the eBook, but, depending on the software package you choose, you can even get that free of charge. Whether you sell or distribute 1000 copies of your eBook or just one copy, your cost of producing the eBook remains the same fixed cost it took to produce the first copy. Actually, once you’ve bought your software, you can produce any number of eBooks without incurring any additional cost.
No hassles with publishers accepting your work. You can say what you want, how you want. You can be your own publisher and distributor. It’s another form of self-publishing, but requires less investment and, perhaps, is more “socially” acceptable.
Here’s how:
1. Get the software to create the electronic book .
2. Write your book.
3. Use the software to convert your document to the electronic book format.
4. Make your eBook available from your website. Note that even if you wish to sell your eBook, you may want to have a few sample chapters from your eBook available freely to whet the appetites of your prospective customers.
5. Publicize your eBook on the social media including blogs.

In summary, book publishers of today are not your dad’s publisher. The internet and all of the recent electronic capabilities have expanded the possibilities for publishing your book. You should examine all of the available avenues before deciding on the method best suited for getting your work into “print.”
Published in: Outdoors Unlimited, December, 2009

            When writing a feature article for a magazine, you’ll almost always have to find people to validate what you say. So if you’re working on an article on, say, breast cancer, you’ll need to interview experts who can explain technical terms and the benefits of treatment, patients who’ve battled with it, and maybe even a couple of celebrities who are willing to share their experiences. After all, the primary objective of any writer is to have a basic understanding of the subject and then to find the best way to communicate that information to the target audience.

            Getting a useful interview is harder than you might think.  Many scientists are notoriously fond of jargon. Getting them to stop using it can be next to impossible. The approach one writer suggests is to tell your subject to pretend you are a potential funder, that you are drunk, and you don’t have the faintest idea what his work is, but he won’t get a penny unless he can explain to you what his work is about. If that doesn’t work, you should find an expert with whom you can discuss the topic until you do understand it.

            Most writers are willing to admit that they don’t really understand the topic in detail; but, many don’t really know how to go about finding a reliable expert. Writers need to know how to ask questions. They also need to know who is the best person to approach and they need to have a feel for the varying personalities and preferences of the people – the subject matter experts–to know how best to approach them. Once the writer has found the appropriate expert to approach, strong listening skills are required to capture the information necessary and to know which follow-up questions need to be answered.

            Your readers hold you to a high standard of accuracy. Don’t be afraid to keep asking questions until you get it straight, and don’t be afraid to keep going back to your sources to clarify points, check  facts, and get responses to new information that comes up in your reporting. But, science is a highly competitive enterprise, filled with lively and interesting characters. Writing about science by only focusing on the research data would be like covering Congress by focusing only on the language of the legislation. Conflicts can lead you to hot areas of research—the most intense fights tend to be about important scientific issues—and they can also be a way to write about difficult areas of science in a lively way.

            So, your task then, as a writer tackling a science story assignment, is to “Get the facts, just the facts.” How do you find experts who can give you the facts? The internet is your first line of attack; but, beware, anyone can put information on the internet. You will still need to verify the information you find there with an expert. Think of it as getting a second opinion. With that word of caution in mind, here are some strategies for finding experts.

Search the databases: There are dozens of databases that contain listings of experts, along with their professional qualifications, details about their work and their contact information. Some of the popular databases are:

• http://www.experts.com Since 1994, Experts.com has been providing millions of users worldwide with access to the information and expertise that they need. As one of the nation’s most established and premier Internet registries, Experts.com serves as a “who’s who” of experts at the top of their respective fields.
• http://www.expertclick.com offers Journalist News Media Resource benefits; Directory of Experts Listing Information.
• http://www.refdesk.com/expert.html

Hit the bookstores: Find out the authors and publishers of the latest books related to your subject by visiting your local bookstore or Amazon.com. You can find contact details of the author or the publisher online and send them a request for interviews. Because authors are constantly looking for publicity, especially for their new books, they may be more than happy to help you.

Contact public relations: They can be your best friends, or your worst nightmare, but PR people serve a very important purpose when it comes to connecting you to quotable, media-savvy professionals. Keep in mind though, PR people themselves are not the experts. Do remember, too, that the bigger your publication, the more likely they are to respond to you.

Contact extension specialists at land grant universities: These individuals are specialists in their field, they have wide contacts within their fields, and a major part of their jobs is to communicate science to the public.

Be a collector: Companies often send out press releases regarding company changes, product launches and important events; authors announce their new books and professionals looking for publicity regularly offer tips and new ideas. The contact information for these people is on every press release and this is often the most helpful part of the press release. The contacts have agreed to be listed and typically are very responsive to interview requests.

Find a professional association: You’ll find dozens of associations, non-profit organizations and clubs on almost every topic imaginable. Look up the Encyclopedia of Associations (a three-volume set) at your library and find something that’s relevant to your subject of interest. You can call them and ask their public affairs department to recommend someone. You can also do this with the public affairs offices at universities.

            The best idea of all is to use a combination of several of the above techniques, instead of relying solely on one. That’ll not only give you a quick selection of experts, but the most credible ones as well. And that’s bound to help in securing more lucrative assignments.

            A session entitled “Experts: Who needs ‘em” with a panel of three writer/experts experienced in science communication will be presented at the OWAA Annual Meeting in Grand Rapids, MI in June, 2009.

Published in Outdoors Unlimited

            Outdoor communicators are often perceived by the public as authorities on fish, wildlife, and environmental issues. The writer has a responsibility to be accurate, as well as interesting and entertaining.  If you are expressing your opinion, or the opinion of an “expert”, say so.  Opinions are important, but they should not be presented as scientific fact and remember, beliefs are usually opinions. The credibility of the writer will be judged on the accuracy as well as the readability of his/her work.

            So where does the writer find the information necessary to produce an accurate yet interesting article? “Think locally,” advises David Periman of the San Francisco Chronicle, “Get to know your local biologist at nearby universities.” Learn their areas of expertise.  Establishing these relationships is important; when an important story comes up on deadline, a researcher who has met you is more likely to call you back. As in any beat, maintain an exhaustive list of sources, organized by topic on a computer where it can be easily searched, include e-mail addresses, home and cell phone numbers if you can.

            National meetings of societies are large but good places to find specialists in the field of your chosen interest. The information on time and place of these meetings are usually available on the society websites. Another option for finding experts or story ideas is peer-reviewed scientific journals. Peer-reviewed simply means that experts in the field have read the papers and suggested corrections and revisions before the journals accepted the papers for publication. If you are unsure if a jounal that you are using is peer reviewed, check with your local librarian. Whether you use information from a peer-reviewed journal or a source from a local research institution, be sure to check the facts. Here are some tips:

• Don’t trust tips on blurbs or tip sheets. They can be helpful, but they can also be wrong. Always verify.
• Preliminary study information is often released as news but it is designed to create interest and obtain grants. It is often unreliable or incomplete.
• Don’t trust news releases. They too can be helpful, but sometimes wrong. Verify release information from the actual paper or the paper’s author. Double-check background information with other reliable sources.
• Be aware of the pitfalls of the peer-review system. Some jounals have more rigorous review than others. Again, double-check background information with other reliable sources.
• Ask a paper’s authors or researchers about previous news coverage of their work. Make sure that what you’re reporting is really new and wasn’t covered in detail just a few months ago.
• Ask about potential conflicts of interest. If any of the researchers have a financial interest at stake, this could and should be a red flag. You have to judge if stating the conflict will be enough to ease readers’minds or might the research information be called into question because of the financial interest. At this point, it would probably be in the best interest of your credibility to find another expert.
• Check trivial facts. Make certain that you have the expert’s affiliation and title.

            A word of caution however, be careful when relying on specialties. Not every aquatic biologist is an oceanographer. In this age of interdisciplinary research, the boundaries between fields are often blurred.  And always, remember that a scientist speaking may not be speaking as a scientist.  Rely on them only when they are speaking within their area(s) of expertise.  Really good scientists will tell you when they are expressing personal opinions or when your question is outside of their area.

            Now that you have a few good sources, how do you interpret the scientific information to make it understandable and interesting the public? First, be sure that you understand the topic and the information that you have collected. If you don’t have a complete understanding yourself, you will not be able to communicate the information accurately. Being a good science writer doesn’t require a college degree in science, however, it does require some healthy skepticism and the ability to ask good questions about things that can affect research studies and other claims. To separate truth from trash, you will need answers to these questions:

1. Was the study done, or claim made, on the basis of evidence only? How was the study designed and conducted? Was it laboratory research, field collections or observations?
2. What are the numbers? Was the study large enough to reach believable conclusions? Are the results statistically significant? That phrase simply means that based on the scientific standards, the statistical results are unlikely to be attributable to chance alone.
3. Are there other possible explanations for the study’s conclusions?
4. Was the study conducted free of any form of bias, unintentional or otherwise?
5. Have the findings been checked or replicated by other experts? And, how do the findings fit with previous knowledge on the topic?

            You must understand five principles of scientific analysis to find answers to these questions. They are the basis of scientific inquiry.

1.      Some Uncertainty is Acceptable. Science looks at the statistical probability of what’s true. Conclusions are based on strong evidence, without waiting for an elusive proof positive. But science is always an evolving story, a continuing journey that allows for mid-course correction. This can confuse the public, especially when preliminary information is reported as fact. Scientists then are accused of “changing their minds or flip-flopping.”

2.      Probability and Large numbers. The more subjects or observations in a study the better. A commonly accepted numerical expression is the P (probability) value, determined by a formula that considers the number of events being compared. A P value of .05 or less is usually considered statistically significant. It means that there are 5 or fewer chances in 100 that the results could be due to chance alone. The lower the P value, the lower the odds that chance alone could be responsible. Science writers don’t have to do the math, they just have to ask researchers: “Show me your numbers.”

3.      Is There Another Explanation? Association alone does not prove cause and effect. You must be able to distinguish between coincidence and causation. A chemical in a town’s water supply may not be the cause of the illness there. A study’s time span can be very important so that normal cycles are not confused with study results. Ask the researcher and yourself: “Can you think of any alternative explanations for the study’s numbers and conclusions? Did the study last long enough to support its conclusions?”

4.      The Dimensions of Studies.  For costs and other reasons, all studies are not created equal. Old records, statistics and memories are often unreliable. Case studies involving only one or two subjects usually are not considered a basis on which to draw broad conclusions. Far better is a study that follows a selected population for the long term, sometimes decades. Ask researchers in all scientific fields: “Why did you design your study the way you did? Is a more definitive study now needed?” Nevertheless, always bear in mind, exceptional claims require exceptional evidence.

5.      The Power of Peer Review. The burden of proof rests with researchers seeking to change scientific conclusions. Science is never accepted until confirmed by additional studies. Science writers should look for consensus among studies.

            Above all, have fun. Science is intriguing, funny and essential to everyday life. If you write too loftily, you lose some of the best stories and the ones to which your readers most relate. Your credibility will be judged on the accuracy as well as the readability of your work. The writer who has a reputation for accuracy and readability will sell more articles, as well as provide greater service to the public. The points discussed in this article will be illustrated in a session entitled “The Anatomy of a Science Story” with a panel of three experienced science writers at the OWAA Annual Meeting in Bismark, ND in June, 2008.

Published in Outdoors Unlimited