Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas

Holiday Message 2019: On Publishing Books

Dec 22, 2019

01:06:08

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In this holiday message, the speaker reflects on the publication of their book 'Something Deeply Hidden' and shares insights into the process of writing and selling a popular book. They discuss finding a literary agent and choosing a publisher, the lack of fact-checking in nonfiction books, challenges in obtaining images for publishing, and the potential impact of their book on the understanding of quantum mechanics.

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Quick takeaways

The host reflects on the past year of the podcast, expressing satisfaction with the guests and audience and discussing his desire to improve as an interviewer and explore new avenues of conversation.

The host provides insights into the process of writing a popular science book, emphasizing the importance of having an agent as an intermediary between the author and publishers, and explaining the various stages of the book's production.

The host shares personal reflections on his writing journey, expressing his ambition to engage in more scientific research, generate notable scientific results, and navigate the unpredictable nature of the publishing industry.

Deep dives

Overview of the podcast

In this podcast episode, the host takes the opportunity to reflect on the past year of the Mindscape podcast. He expresses satisfaction with the guests and audience, but also discusses his desire to improve as an interviewer and explore new avenues of conversation. He shares that while he has a soft spot for episodes focused on physics, he enjoys the diversity of topics covered in the podcast. The host also discusses his recently published book and the process of writing and getting it published. He mentions the importance of having an agent and editor, and the various stages of editing and proofreading a manuscript before its final publication.

Introduction

4min

Reflections on Technology and Transformation

17min

Writing a Textbook on Quantum Mechanics for Undergraduate Physics Majors

2min

Finding a Literary Agent and Choosing a Publisher

25min

Fact-Checking and Author's Responsibility in Nonfiction Books

3min

Obtaining Images for Book Publishing

12min

The Potential Impact of 'Something Deeply Hidden' on Quantum Mechanics

2min

Welcome to the second annual Mindscape Holiday Message! No substantive content or deep ideas, just me talking a bit about the state of the podcast and what’s on my mind. Since the big event for me in 2019 was the publication of Something Deeply Hidden, I thought it would be fun to talk about the process of writing and selling a popular book. Might be of interest to some of you out there!

Mindscape takes off for the holidays, so the next regular episode will be published on Monday January 6. It’s a good one — maybe my favorite episode thus far.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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