Charlie McDonnell will be releasing his first book, Fun Science, on 6 October.
Vlogger and filmmaker — and now writer — Charlie McDonnell has announced that he’s been working on his first book, Fun Science: A Guide to life, the universe & why science is so awesome, which is due to be released later this year.
In 2011, Charlie began a series called Fun Science on his YouTube channel, which was received very positively by his viewers.
“I get so many messages from people saying they’re able to learn from me in ways that they haven’t been able to in class,” says Charlie, speaking exclusively to TenEighty. “[This] tells me that anyone can love science if it’s communicated to them in the right way.”
Explaining that he’s always loved sharing science in his videos, Charlie admits that the medium can sometimes results in a limit on the information he can share. With a book, he will be able to go into much greater depth than previously. “I mean… there’s just so much science,” he says, “and I’m trying to guide people through all of it! I think it’d be almost impossible for me to accomplish what I’m trying to do with any other medium.”
Fun Science isn’t aimed at a specific demographic. According to Charlie, it is for “anyone who has even the tiniest interest in how the universe works”.
However, to get the most out of the book, you will need a basic grounding in science at the teen level. Charlie doesn’t want to put off younger or older readers though, saying: “I’m trying to convert people into science fans, no matter what their age!”
Charlie is collaborating with Fran Meneses, an illustrator who has worked on images for science publications previously. “Fran is an absolutely brilliant illustrator,” he says, “and Fun Science is going to be pretty much full of illustrations from her.”
But there will also be a fair amount of ‘not-so-sciencey’ illustrations too. “I use a lot of weird metaphors to communicate ideas so [Fran will] be bouncing off those to give it a really fun tone,” says Charlie, “which I think will be really different to how other science books look and feel.”
Despite a wide range of writing experience (films, YouTube videos, etc.), the writing process will surely be different for Charlie. “[It’s] always been one of my favourite parts of making my videos,” he says, “so being able to just focus that part and then send it off has actually been a real treat.”
The biggest challenge, however, is choosing what to include in the book, while also figuring out a way to communicate it all in a simple and entertaining way. “It’s all a huge challenge for me,” admits Charlie. “I’ve never worked on anything at quite this scale before, but I’m keeping the text silly and light, so that fun is helping me to push through all the writing right now!”
The announcement of Fun Science has already received positive comments from YouTubers, authors and fans alike.
EXCITING AND FUN ANNOUNCEMENT FROM @COOLLIKE https://t.co/5ylayPU9ZQ
— Hank Green (@hankgreen) February 29, 2016
@coollike Wooooo congrats! :D
— Spooksandchills 🍂 (@booksandquills) February 29, 2016
@coollike Congrats on the book– it sounds fantastic!
— Robyn Schneider (@robynschneider) February 29, 2016
@coollike !! Preordered! I am so excited for you, Charlie. You're a fantastic individual, you are SO loved. Thank you for everything.
— chai // 7!!!!!!! (@hamiltongrump) February 29, 2016
Though a book tour has not been confirmed, Charlie has expressed interest in holding a UK-wide tour once the book is released.
Fun Science is currently available for pre-order on Amazon UK and will be available on Amazon US soon.
Want more?
Estée Lalonde has announced her upcoming book, Bloom: navigating life and style. Alternatively check out how you could boost your channel through YouTube’s NextUp programme.
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