Sea Change:
An Atlas of Islands in a Rising Ocean

By Christina Gerhardt

Published by University of California Press

Low-lying islands are least responsible for global warming, but they are suffering the brunt of it. Sea Change: An Atlas of Islands in a Rising Ocean weaves together essays, maps, art, and poetry to show us—and make us see—island nations in a warming world.

From North to South, from Greenland to Pine Island in the Antarctic Ocean, via the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, the book offers a unique bird’s eye view of all the islands, islets and atolls dotting the huge expanses of water covering three quarters of Planet Earth. 

Transporting readers to the islands — with graphics, scientific evidence and an insightful summary of the local history and culture — it invites the islanders to speak for themselves. Each chapter ends with a poem/ piece of literature, reflecting the islanders’ determination to live and a defiant sense of hope, sometimes against all odds.

The challenge

I was briefed in April for a June launch date which didn’t give me much time to promote the book. Moreover, the author is based in Hawai’i and the publisher in California which didn’t make communication especially easy. The book was a hardback, produced in quite a large format, 320 pages long (with several maps) and with a price of £30, likely to be considered by many readers, and the media, as too expensive.

The solution

Despite all this, and despite the competition of several books on this topic, my PR campaign made the most of the author’s original approach; for each island she would summarise the culture and history, including at least a literary excerpt from a local author. This stressed that the islands were geo-political entities in their own right, each with its own national identity. 

The result

The book was reviewed in the Guardian newspaper and the Scotsman commissioned a piece by Christina. The Bookseller, the weekly magazine of the publishing trade, picked up on the Scotsman’s coverage and announced the book in its pages. The New Scientist; Environmental Journal; and The Earthbound Report (blog) were among the scientific/ environmental media which reviewed the book. Last but not least, Christina was one of the two women guests on BBC World Service’s programme, The Conversation (the interview went on for just under 30 minutes).

“Thanks so much again for all your work this summer in support of Sea Change. I really appreciate it.”

Christina Gerhardt, Associate Professor at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa