Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Dean Kuipers, Trish Riley & Christine Heinrichs

Marrie Stone interviews Dean Kuipers, author of Operation Bite Back: Rod Coronado's War to Save American Wilderness, Trish Riley, author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Greening Your Business and Christine Heinrichs, author of How to Raise Poultry.

Download audio
.

(Broadcast date: August 5, 2009)

1 comment:

Marrie said...

Following this interview, I asked Trish and Christine about the level and type of expertise necessary to write and publish a how-to guide. Their responses are reproduced below.

Trish Riley:

"Expertise is critical in non-fiction publishing, as you can imagine. I had written about environmental issues for 15 years or so when my first book on Green Living came along. I'd met an agent a year or so earlier, and when the publisher announced that they were seeking an environmental journalist, she remembered my CV and contacted me. If an expert does not have the skills or time to write their own book, publishers are often happy to pair them with a writer who can make their book a reality."

Christine Heinrichs:

"Expertise is crucial. A publisher is going to search for your name and your track record. I'd been writing about poultry for at least eight years when I got the first book contract, had many contacts in the field and was regularly published in publications such as the Poultry Press. This was before magazines like Backyard Poultry got started.

I was also affiliated with the Society for Preservation of Poultry Antiquities -- I'm now historian, caretaker for a library of antique poultry books and magazines. Having this resource available in my office is invaluable. SPPA is a tax exempt nonprofit (I did the paperwork for that in 2002) and I've shaped the public face, an advocate for its members and the cause of historic breeds, based on accurate information and avoiding political controversy. I've made a point of making my blog a resource for factual information about historic breeds and small flock issues. The only political issue I've advocated about is the National Animal Identification System. Giving readers something they can't find other places -- original sources for historic material, good photos that illustrate rare breeds -- is my goal there."