September
10, 2004
Get Publishers
to Compete for Your Textbook
Math Professor William
McCallum says having something unique to offer to a publisher really
paid off when it came time for he and his 12 co-authors to publish their
calculus textbook.
McCallum and his
co-authors had participated in a National Science Foundation-funded
project on calculus textbook reform in 1989. Textbook publishers knew
about the project and were eager to publish a book on a new way of teaching
calculus. "Unlike most authors looking to publish their textbook,
we didn't have a proposal to shop around," he says. "We had
come to the stage where publishers sent proposals to us."
McCallum and his
co-authors weren't looking for the highest royalty rate or the fattest
advance in their search for a publisher. Instead, they were looking
for a publisher willing to change the way calculus was being taught.
"Since it was a different textbook, it would need more attention,"
he says. "What we needed were workshops and conferences that would
enable publishers to spread the word." They had other specific
demands: an annual newsletter about calculus reform, lower-end production
values (two-color, etc.) and a four-year revision cycle.
"We negotiated
things that decreased our profit rather than increased it," jokes
McCallum. "I would recommend to budding authors that they should
have a reason for writing a textbook other than money. It has to be
a project you will feel satisfied or good about even if something financial
doesn't come out of it."
The resulting textbook,
Calculus, was published in 1992 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. It
is now in its third edition. It is co-authored by Deborah Hughes-Hallett,
University of Arizona; Andrew M. Gleason, Harvard University; Daniel
E. Flath, University of South Alabama; Sheldon P. Gordon, Suffolk Community
College; David O. Lomen, University of Arizona; David Lovelock, University
of Arizona; Brad G. Osgood, Stanford University; Andrew Pasquale, Chelmsford
High School; Jeff Tecosky-Feldman, Haverford College; Joe B. Thrash,
University of Southern Mississippi; Karen Rhea, University of Michigan.
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NACS Survey Finds
Print Textbooks Still Number One
A National Association
of College Stores survey found that 73 percent of college students still
prefer a print textbook over an e-book because of the ability to write
in the margins and highlight text -- as well as the ability to sell
the book when they are done with it.
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Textbook Rental
Bill Passes California Legislature
Assembly Bill 2678,
which urges textbook publishers to change many of their current practices
and requires the California State University and Community Colleges
to implement alternatives such as textbook rental programs, passed the
California State Legislature with bipartisan support. The bill now goes
to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for approval by Sept. 10.
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Thomson to Distribute
Harvard Business School Publishing Materials
Thomas Higher Education
announced an agreement with Harvard Business School Publishing to distribute
case collections and article reprints throughout the United States.
The materials will be distributed through Thomson Custom Publishing
and are aimed at helping institutions and instructors in the higher
education, as well as other markets, integrate these materials with
Thomson classroom products into customized learning programs to meet
the needs of their students.
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of page for all news
Get Publishers
to Compete for Your Textbook
Math Professor William
McCallum says having something unique to offer to a publisher really
paid off when it came time for he and his 12 co-authors to publish their
calculus textbook.
McCallum and his
co-authors had participated in a National Science Foundation-funded
project on calculus textbook reform in 1989. Textbook publishers knew
about the project and were eager to publish a book on a new way of teaching
calculus. "Unlike most authors looking to publish their textbook,
we didn't have a proposal to shop around," he says. "We had
come to the stage where publishers sent proposals to us."
McCallum and his
co-authors weren't looking for the highest royalty rate or the fattest
advance in their search for a publisher. Instead, they were looking
for a publisher willing to change the way calculus was being taught.
"Since it was a different textbook, it would need more attention,"
he says. "What we needed were workshops and conferences that would
enable publishers to spread the word." They had other specific
demands: an annual newsletter about calculus reform, lower-end production
values (two-color, etc.) and a four-year revision cycle.
"We negotiated
things that decreased our profit rather than increased it," jokes
McCallum. "I would recommend to budding authors that they should
have a reason for writing a textbook other than money. It has to be
a project you will feel satisfied or good about even if something financial
doesn't come out of it."
The resulting textbook,
Calculus, was published in 1992 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. It
is now in its third edition. It is co-authored by Deborah Hughes-Hallett,
University of Arizona; Andrew M. Gleason, Harvard University; Daniel
E. Flath, University of South Alabama; Sheldon P. Gordon, Suffolk Community
College; David O. Lomen, University of Arizona; David Lovelock, University
of Arizona; Brad G. Osgood, Stanford University; Andrew Pasquale, Chelmsford
High School; Jeff Tecosky-Feldman, Haverford College; Joe B. Thrash,
University of Southern Mississippi; Karen Rhea, University of Michigan.
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of page for all news
TAA Sends Out
Entry Forms for Textys, McGuffeys
Ask your publisher
to enter your textbooks in TAA's Texty and/or McGuffey awards competition.
Deadlines for the nomination form and fee for 2005 awards is November
1, 2004.
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of page for all news
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