|
Last Updated July 3, 2008
- TAA Publication Grants process revised: New form and rules simplify application process
- 2008 TAA Conference attracts record number of attendees
- Matson receives TAA's 2008 Norma Hood Award
- Henson receives TAA's 2008 Franklin Silverman Lifetime Achievement Award
- Asante receives TAA's 2008 Mike Keedy Award
- Pawlak receives TAA's 2008 Paul Anderson Award
- Membership in TAA continues to grow
- TAA Council heard proposal from CCC at June 19 Council meeting
- 2009 mid-winter TAA Council meeting Jan. 24
- TAA member receives President's Medal from Human Anatomy & Physiology Society
- TAA launches redesigned website
- Busy TAA People: Andrew Johnson
- Recommended Reading
- TAA Listserv split in two
- TAA Conference one-hour mentoring session winners announced
- TAA announces Council election results
- Chilean Ministry of Education seeks history, social science textbook researchers
- TAA conducting royalty rate survey
- Busy TAA People: Richard Hull
- Publisher offering member discount on textbook authoring reference books
- TAA unveils new Texty, McGuffey logos
- Busy TAA Person Matt Stevens
- TAA members respond with letters to Flores
- TAA asks members to help stomp the comp in Florida
- TAA announces 2008 Texty, McGuffey Award winners
- Nine candidates running for seats on TAA Council
- TAA sponsoring three new academic authoring workshops
- Sign up for the TAA Teleconference 'Royalty Q&A'
- Get $5 off your TAA membership renewal dues
- Update your Member Information with new online Member Update Form
- TAA re-posts results of 1991, 1999 Author-Publisher Relations Surveys
- Call for nominations to TAA Council
- TAA welcomes new members
- TAA members donate funds to provide gift memberships
- TAA thanks Sustaining and Contributing Members
- 2008 TAA Conference to feature 'Roundtable Discussions'
- Textbook Track: 'A Play of Words: Acting Out Contract Negotiations, Part II'
- General Session: 'Further Orientation to Las Vegas: Seven Things You Should Know About Casinos'
- General Session: 'Don't Get MAD: The Joys and Heartaches of Co-Authorship'
- 2007 TAA membership renewals up 10 percent
- TAA members to get 11 issues of 'The Academic Author' in 2008
- TAA launches a new Busy TAA People section
- Register to attend the 2008 TAA Conference at Harrah's in Las Vegas, June 19-21
Busy
TAA People
President's
Message
TAA Publication Grants process revised: New form and rules simplify application process
TAA has revised its guidelines for applying for a 2008-2009 TAA Publication Grant to make it a simpler process for members.
TAA's Publication Grants program provides individual grants of up to $750 to cover the cost of publishing already accepted journal articles, or for the preparation of artwork or other charts, diagrams or images to be included in accepted articles or academic books.
Applicants now only have to complete a TAA Publication Grant application form (link to form) and attach a copy of the journal's or editor's letter of acceptance and a copy of the journal's or editor's charge invoice.
TAA's Publication Grant period runs from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009. Members who joined TAA through a workshop and received a gift membership are not eligible to apply until they have renewed their membership for a second year.
The funds for TAA Publication Grants come from money distributed to TAA each year through the Authors Coalition (http://www.authorscoalition.org), and are part of the association's mission to assist textbook and academic authors.
TAA Publication Grants Information (members only)
2008-2009 TAA Publication Grant Application Form (members only)
2008 TAA Conference attracts record number of attendees
The 2008 TAA Conference at Harrah's in Las Vegas June 19-21, attracted a record number of attendees. Among the almost 80 participants of this year's conference were several first-timers, including several from the University of Las Vegas.
Attendees gave the conference high marks, and several commented positively on specific features of the conference, such as the pre-conference workshops, the Roundtable Discussions, and the 15-minute sessions with authoring attorneys, a literary agent and veteran authors.
Read conference testimonials here
Matson receives TAA's 2008 Norma Hood Award
 Margaret Matson and TAA Executive Director Richard Hull |
|---|
Margaret Matson, who has worked as a program assistant for TAA for more than 10 years, received the association's 2008 Norma Hood Award.
The Award, named after TAA's first executive director, Norma Hood, honors recipients for devotion and commitment to the association. It was presented at the 2008 TAA Conference on Text and Academic Authoring in Las Vegas, June 21.
"Margaret is the quiet, understated kind of worker that puts in hundreds of hours for TAA without saying a word or uttering a complaint," said TAA Office Manager Janet Tucker. "She is amazing—she knows what we need before we know we need it and makes sure that TAA gets it. She is always doing research to keep TAA up-to-date and current and quietly goes about her business tirelessly. She is Headquarter's backbone."
Henson receives TAA's 2008 Franklin Silverman Lifetime Achievement Award
 Kenneth Henson and TAA President John Wakefield |
|---|
Kenneth Henson, distinguished professor of education at The Citadel's School of Education, received the 2008 Franklin Silverman Lifetime Achievement Award from the Text and Academic Authors Association (TAA). The award is named after Frank Silverman, a former TAA president and founder of the TAA workshop program who died from brain cancer in 2004.
The award, presented at the 2008 TAA Conference on Text and Academic Authoring in Las Vegas, June 21, honors its recipients for a lifetime of excellence in authoring and a career of support and service to authors.
Henson is the presenter of the TAA sponsored workshops "Writing for Publication" and "Writing Grant Proposals". He has written and co-authored more than 300 national publications. His 40 books include five books on writing for publications and two Phi Delta Kappa fastbacks (monographs) on this topic. His biennial survey results have appeared in every other June issue of the Phi Delta Kappan for over 25 years. Henson has given this workshop on some 300 colleges campuses from coast to coast.
Asante receives TAA's 2008 Mike Keedy Award
 Molefi Kete Asante |
|---|
Molefi Kete Asante, professor of African American Studies at Temple University, received the 2008 Mike Keedy Award from TAA. The award is named after TAA Founder Mike Keedy. Asante serves on the TAA Foundation Board.
The Mike Keedy Award honors recipients for dedicated service on behalf of authors. It was presented at the 2008 TAA Conference on Text and Academic Authoring in Las Vegas, June 21.
Asante is considered by his peers to be one of the most distinguished contemporary scholars. He has published 65 books, among the most recent are The History of Africa: The Quest for Eternal Harmony (2007), Cheikh Anta Diop: An Intellectual Portrait (2006), Spear Masters: Introduction to African Religion (2007), Handbook of Black Studies, (2005), co-edited with Maulana Karenga, Encyclopedia of Black Studies, (2004), co-edited with Ama Mazama, Race, Rhetoric, and Identity: The Architecton of Soul, Erasing Racism: The Survival of the American Nation, (2003), Ancient Egyptian Philosophers (2003), Scattered to the Wind, Custom and Culture of Egypt, and 100 Greatest African Americans. The second edition of his high school text, African American History: Journey of Liberation, 2nd Edition, (2001), is used in more than 400 schools throughout North America.
Pawlak receives TAA's 2008 Paul Anderson Award
 TAA Executive Director Richard Hull and Kim Pawlak |
|---|
Kim Pawlak, associate executive director for the Text and Academic Authors Association (TAA), received the association’s 2008 Paul Anderson Award.
The Award, named after TAA’s very first member, Paul Anderson, honors recipients for extraordinary service to the association in recruiting new members. It was presented at the 2008 TAA Conference on Text and Academic Authoring in Las Vegas, June 21.
Pawlak was given the Award for bringing in more than 125 TAA members through a TAA Foundation gift membership campaign.
Pawlak has been with TAA since 1995, when she worked as a writer for The Academic Author and the TAA website. She was hired as editor of The Academic Author and TAA website in 2000. She was hired as associate executive director in 2006.
Membership in TAA continues to grow
As of July 1, 2008 membership in TAA stands at 1,481, up from about 1,300 at the same time last year. This growth in membership has been a result of several factors, including TAA's workshop program, gift memberships given by current members, the TAA website, and the TAA Conference, as well as the association's spring 2008 Teleconference Series, said Kim Pawlak, TAA's associate executive director.
"Gift memberships continue to be the best way to attract new members to the organization," she said. "If you know a colleague who you feel could benefit from membership in TAA, you can give them a one-year gift membership for only $15."
To give one or more gift memberships, you can fill out a secure online TAA gift membership form and pay by credit card, or print out and mail a PDF along with a check payable to TAA: Click here
Alternatively, you could donate $15 or more to the TAA Foundation, and your tax-deductible gift would go to purchase gift memberships for TAA's prospective member list. To make a donation to purchase gift memberships, send your check, payable to TAA, with a note identifying it to be used to purchase gift memberships for prospective TAA members, to Text and Academic Authors Association (TAA), P.O. Box 76477, St. Petersburg, Florida 33734-6477.
Other ways you can help TAA grow:
- Encourage your colleagues to visit the TAA website and tour the members-only section to test drive TAA's member benefits and services.
- Share with your colleagues how TAA has benefitted you as an author.
- Add a TAA banner to your website (located in the TAA Member Center. You will need your username and password to access this section).
- Ask TAA to send you copies of the TAA brochure and then send them to your colleagues, or leave a stack of them in your department's office.
TAA Council heard proposal from CCC at June 19 Council meeting
At the June 19, 2008 TAA Council meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada, the TAA Council heard a presentation by the Copyright Clearance Center regarding a request by CCC for a TAA endorsement of its Annual Academic Copyright License. The Council is currently evaluating the proposal.
Launched in June 2007, CCC's Annual Academic Copyright License is a single repertory license for on-campus faculty and staff. The AACL enables convenient, pre-approved permissions to re-use content in course management systems, paper and electronic coursepacks, electronic library reserves, research collaboration and more.
2009 mid-winter TAA Council meeting Jan. 24
The TAA Council will hold its mid-winter meeting in St. Pete Beach, Florida on Saturday, January 24, 2009.
TAA member receives President's Medal from Human Anatomy & Physiology Society
TAA member Kevin Patton was awarded the Human Anatomy & Physiology Society's President's Medal on May 26, 2008 for exceptional services to HAPS and its mission of promoting excellence in teaching and learning of human anatomy and physiology.
Patton was the sole recipient this year. The medal has been awarded only three times since its inception. Patton has served in many roles during his 20 years as a member of HAPS, including annual conference coordinator, Secretary-Treasurer, and President. He currently serves as HAPS President Emeritus, a position in which he acts as an ambassador of the organization and adviser to the current Board of Directors. Patton is also the founding director of HAPS Institute, a professional continuing education program that offers short graduate biology courses directed specifically at professors of human anatomy and physiology.
TAA launches redesigned website
The TAA website has been redesigned to provide a more streamlined look and better navigation tools. It also has more user friendly features, such as the ability for members to login to a section devoted solely to the interests of textbook authors, or a section devoted solely to the interests of academic authors, or both.
"We recognize that although our members have similar interests, not every academic is ready or has the inclination to write textbooks or other instructional materials, and not every textbook author is still publishing scholarly journal articles, working on his or her dissertation, or writing book monographs," said Richard Hull, TAA's executive director. "By allowing you to choose only the content you are interested in, we hope to encourage you to visit the TAA website more often."
Non-members can tour The Member Center and look inside some of its sections, such as How-to articles, Writer's Block essays, Authors Asking Q&A's, and the Mentor-A-Member mentoring directory.
Navigation buttons at the top of the page allow members to learn more about TAA, and its workshops, teleconferences and awards. They can also see what action issues TAA has been and is working on, and purchase members' books in the "Books for Purchase" section.
"We hope the more user-friendly website enables you to take full advantage of the services and benefits TAA has to offer, including free mentoring; free teleconferences; discounts on editing services, books and attorney fees; and publication grants of up to $750," said Hull.
To access the members-only features of the TAA website members will need their member username and password. Members who don't have a username and password should contact Jodi Matson at jodi.matson@taaonline.net.
The website was redesigned by Tammy Seidick Graphic Design.
Busy TAA People: Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson (North Mankato, MN) recently published an article in Gifted Child Today (2008, 31, 41-29) entitled, "Internet Strategies for gifted students." His latest book, Teaching and writing: Research-based strategies for teachers, tutors, parents, and paraprofessionals, Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, will be out in September 2009. He is also under contract to write a second edition of his social studies textbook, Making connections in elementary and middle school social studies, Thousand Oaks, CA, Sages.
Recommended Reading
What They Didn't Teach You in Graduate School: 199 Helpful Hints for Success in Your Academic Career, by Paul Gray and David E. Drew (Stylus Publishing, 2008)
TAA Listserv split in two
TAA has split the TAA Listserv into two separate Listservs, one for textbook authors and one for academic authors. Choose which Listserv (or you can subscribe to both) you would like to subscribe to, and subscribe yourself. The current TAA Listserv will only remain active for a few months to allow members to switch over to the new Listservs.
TAA Conference one-hour mentoring session winners announced
Michael Spiegler, Patricia Casey and Courtland Bovee are the winners of the early conference registration drawings for three one-hour mentoring sessions to be held at the 2008 TAA Conference at Harrah's in Las Vegas, June 19-21. To be entered into the drawing, you had to register for the conference by May 1.
Spiegler won the one-hour mentoring session with Authoring Attorney Michael Lennie. Casey won the one-hour mentoring session with Tara Gray, presenter of the TAA-sponsored workshop, "Publish & Flourish: Become A Prolific Author." Courtland Bovee is the winner of the one-hour mentoring session with Authoring Attorney Stephen Gillen.
TAA announces Council election results
|
Mathematics author Don Collins has been elected TAA vice president/president-elect. Collins will serve a two-year term as vice president beginning July 1 and succeed Paul Siegel as TAA president in 2010. Siegel, who is TAA's current vice president/president-elect, will succeed John Wakefield as TAA president on July 1. Collins has served two terms on the TAA Council. Siegel, a professor of communication, has been a TAA member since 2000, and chaired the TAA Conference in San Antonio, Texas in 2001.
"I look forward to assuming my own new duties as President with more than a bit of wholly-justified modesty," said Siegel. "So many of the folks on Council and in our general membership have published so very widely, and here am I not yet eaten through the modest advance on the second editions of my only two textbooks. So when I make a point of listening to y'all before daring to speak, it will be not only to show respect, but because without your sage counsel I will likely get it wrong."
Paul Rosenzweig, who has served two terms on the TAA Council, has been elected TAA Treasurer. He will succeed Michael Sullivan. "I am pleased to be able to serve TAA as Treasurer, following in the well-trod footsteps of Michael Sullivan, who did the job so well, for so long," said Rosenzweig. "Along with the new members of Council, I believe we are ready to innovate more programs to better serve TAA's mission and membership."
Tara Gray, who has served on the TAA Council since 2002 when she chaired the TAA Conference in San Diego, was elected to serve a third term on the TAA Council. Gray is also the presenter of a TAA-sponsored workshop. "I am so happy to serve again on the Council for Text and Academic Authors," said Gray. "It is an important opportunity to serve."
Barbara Waxer, a freelance author and developmental editor of computer software and Internet intellectual property textbooks, and Fred Kleiner, the author of two art history and archeology textbooks, were elected to the Council for the first time. Kleiner will serve the remaining one-year term of Paul Rosenzweig, who will be moving up to the Treasurer position before the end of his three-year Council term.
"I am honored and delighted to have been elected and pledge to work hard with my fellow Council members to make TAA an even more important voice in educational and academic publishing and to enhance and expand the services TAA offers to all its members," said Kleiner. "I hope there will be a record turnout for the upcoming annual conference in Las Vegas and look forward to meeting many new colleagues there."
Waxer, who will serve a three-year term, said: "By definition, TAA is a dedicated group of professionals committed to communicating around their interests and passions. I am excited to create reflexive dialogs, address significant questions, and implement strategies that help us create a better product that benefits all interested parties."
All positions begin July 1.
Chilean Ministry of Education seeks history, social science textbook researchers
The Chilean Ministry of Education is seeking individuals who have done research in the effectiveness of history or social science textbooks to present a session at the International Seminar on History and Social Sciences Textbook, November 11-12, 2008 in Santiago, Chile.
The goal of the seminar is to share the broad array of ideas and perspectives and to open a discussion relating to teaching practices in history and social science textbooks from a national and international perspective.
Members interested in submitting an abstract should contact TAA President John Wakefield for further information at jwakefie@msn.com or (256) 765-4482 by May 1.
More information on the seminar:
International
Seminar on History and Social Sciences Textbook
November
11-12, 2008, Santiago, Chile
The successful "Seminario Internacional de Textos Escolares -SITE 2006" demonstrated that high-quality textbooks were one of the most important factors in making the learning experience more relevant to students and teachers.
The Ministry of Education through its Textbook Unit, has decided to continue with an international forum to maintain the dialogue on textbooks and to develop academic competences related to teachers'' knowledge in this area.
The International Seminar on History and Social Sciences textbook will take place in Santiago, Chile, on the 11th & 12th November 2008.
The goal of the Seminar is to share the broad array of ideas, perspectives and to open spaces for discussion relating to teaching practices within History and Social Sciences textbooks from a national and international approach.
Specific goals:
- To analyze textbooks and teaching material considering the instructional design and content treatment in the light of their contribution to understand new social phenomena. To motivate History and Social Studies professionals to develop competences in the improvement of both the quality and the access to textbooks. To provide a forum to explore responses across the broad range of disciplinary perspectives found within History and Social Studies, especially in the area of citizenship. To exchange experiences considering relevant issues such as: the recognition and respect for individual and collective identity, the need for social and cultural cohesion, the multiple perspectives on history and contemporary issues within their historical context. To establish and maintain a center of essential information on the expert organization and publications interested in the field of textbook improvement.
- To discuss new studies related to textbook improvement developed in different countries by professional groups.
Teachers, graduate students, publishers, university-based faculty of education researchers related to History, Geography or Social Sciences are invited to be part of this Seminar.
The Seminar welcomes contributions on the following topics:
- History and Social Sciences didactics in textbooks.New disciplinary approaches History, Geography and other Social Sciences, and its treatment in textbooks.Content analyses in History and Social Sciences textbooks.
- How the subject of citizenship is shown in textbooks.
TAA conducting royalty rate survey
|
TAA is distributing a Royalty Rate Survey to its textbook author members to gather information that will provide them with a useful tool in negotiating new contracts and/or amending existing contracts.
The survey asks questions such as the author's name, and his or her publisher's name, discipline and level (college, high school, elementary); the main title of the book and edition; the units sold; royalty rates for domestic, foreign, and translations; number of authors and how royalties are split between them; and whether the rate was renegotiated and for what edition.
All author identifying information and that of their publisher or publishers will be held confidential. Other data will be aggregated, analyzed, and reported for the membership with no identifying information included.
"If knowledge is power, then the larger our response rate, the better armed TAA members will be when they go into future royalty rate negotiations," said TAA Executive Director Richard Hull.
The deadline for receipt of surveys is June 1. TAA plans to announce the results at the 2008 TAA Conference in Las Vegas, June 19-21. A copy of the report will be distributed to each person who fills out the survey. A copy of the survey will be included in the May issue of The Academic Author. Members can also fill it out the survey online: Click hereBusy TAA People: Richard Hull
TAA Executive Director Richard Hull published the second edition of Ethical Issues in the New Reproductive Technologies by Prometheus Books in 2005, as a revised, updated, and expanded version of the first edition, published in 1990 by Wadsworth. An electronic edition of the book, self-published by Hull, is available through his website, http://www.richard-t-hull.com.
Hull also published an article in Free Inquiry (vol 28, nos 2&3), entitled, "Can We Survive? The Changes Required to Deal Effectively With Global Warming," with co-authors Stephen Paley and George K. Oister. He is also completing, with coauthors Paley and Oister, an academic version of the two-part article, that will appear in a volume edited by Paul Kries and Randall Osborne, Global Community, Global Security, which will be published in 2008 by Editions Rodopi.
Publisher offering member discount on textbook authoring reference books
Atlantic Path Publishing is offering TAA members 50 percent off Self-Publishing Textbooks and Instructional Materials, by Frank Silverman, 30 percent off Writing and Developing Your College Textbook, Second Edition, and 40 percent off Writing and Developing College Textbook Supplements, both by Mary Ellen Lepionka. Silverman's book regularly lists for $32.95, and Lepionka's books regularly list for $37.95 and $19.95. Learn more about these books or purchase one of these books: Click here Visit the Atlantic Path Publishing site: Click here
TAA unveils new Texty, McGuffey logos
TAA has created new logos for its Textbook Excellence Award and McGuffey Longevity Award. These logos can be used by all Texty and McGuffey winners, past and present. Please link your logos to http://www.taaonline.net/awards, or the website associated with the year that you won your award (scroll to the bottom of main awards page for the link). Silver stickers containing either the Texty or McGuffey logo can be ordered for $40 per 100. These stickers can be used on already printed textbooks taken to conferences or sent as complimentary copies. To order stickers, contact Janet Tucker at TAA headquarters at (727) 563-0020 or TextandAcademicAuthors@taaonline.net Download Texty and McGuffey logo images: Click here
Busy TAA Person Matt Stevens
4/4/08 — Matt Stevens was interviewed by the journal of the Design-Build Institute of America, Design-Build Dateline, about his book, Managing a Construction Firm on Just 24 Hours a Day. Read the interview: Click here
TAA members respond with letters to Flores
TAA Executive Director Richard Hull has called on TAA members to help convince Florida Representative Anitere Flores of Miami to include an amendment in a new textbook bill she is presenting to the Florida legislature that would ban the sale of complimentary copies in the state. The bill, HB 603, as it currently stands, would legitimize the sale of complimentary copies by faculty to book resellers and on to students. See below news item for more.
TAA member letters to Flores:
Dear Ms. Flores:
As a long-time faculty member at a public university where many students are financially stressed by the cost of higher education, I am certainly supportive of reasonable efforts to control costs. But I don't think your proposal to let complimentary examination copies of textbooks be sold to students is reasonable. Those copies are provided by publishers so that faculty can make informed choices of text selection. How else would faculty become familiar with books that may be appropriate for courses that they teach?
Yes, the cost of new textbooks is high. But the substantial majority of students resell their books at the end of a term, which brings down substantially their costs. Then these books are sold as used copies, for which authors and publishers receive no revenue whatsoever. So it is not uncommon for a book in a new edition to be sold once as a new book and then 5 or 6 times as a used book. There must be incentives for people to write textbooks. Perhaps you should propose legislation that would require used book companies to pay authors a fee whenever their books are sold used. But please do not let complimentary copies come onto the open market.
Sincerely,
Jay Devore
Professor Emeritus
Department of Statistics
Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo
Dear Representative Flores:
With this message I hope to persuade you to delete the section of HB Bill 603 that legitimizes the sale of complimentary copies of texts (provided by textbook companies to professors). Instead I urge you to insert a provision that makes this practice illegal. I am a text author whose books have been widely used in Florida.
As an author I encourage my company to make it easy for professors to get copies of texts so that they can consider them for use in their classes. Wide distribution of available texts offers professors choices and increases the likelihood that the best book available will be chosen for use with students. Your bill would result in less access of new books to professors.
"Comp" copies are loaned to professors and prepaid envelopes are provided to allow easy return of copies that are unwanted. In my many years of college teaching, I found that more than a few college teachers solicit texts with the express purpose of selling them. This practice results in increased prices for student since free (unreturned) copies cost the publisher. The practice punishes both authors and students.
Please reconsider the provision in your bill that legitimizes the sale "comp" copies. Instead I urge you to insert a provision that makes the practice of selling "comp" copies illegal. Such a provision would help you achieve your goal of keeping down the cost of texts for students in Florida.
Charles B. Corbin, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
Phoenix, AZ
Dear Ms. Flores:
It has come to my attention through the Text and Academic Authors Association that you are sponsoring HB 603, which has a provision that would legitimize the sale of complimentary copies of textbooks. As an educator who tries to teach students to do the right thing and as an author who is concerned about protecting intellectual property, I am opposed to this bill in its current form.
I have served as a professor at the University of Florida for the past 30 years. During this time, I may have received 4 complimentary books that I did not request. Yet, I have received numerous complimentary books that I was considering for adoption for various courses resulting in savings to the State of Florida. Please be advised that I could not identify those books that I requested and those that I received without a request. So how can it be expected that a Professor would make the ethical decision on which books to sell if your bill becomes law?
It is my suggestion that a faculty member donate the one-half percent of the books they receive without a request to the library or to a needy student. Selling all complimentary books reminds me of what I read about in China and their disrespect for U.S. copyright laws. As a Florida citizen, you should be trying to protect my rights for the development of intellectual property. By allowing someone to buy and sell books that I have not received a royalty payment is not fair.
Ms. Flores, please reconsider your bill as it will only benefit a very few greedy business individuals and not the students, teachers, authors, publishers and no legal minded Florida tax payer.
Charles S. Williams, Professor
Department of Tourism, Recreation & Sport Management
Dear Representative Flores:
I have been a textbook author for more than 30 years and continue to be appalled by the "industry" that is involved in buying, selling and reselling comp copies of textbooks.
I strongly recommend that you add a provision to your bill, HB 603, which would ban the sale of comp copies to book resale companies, and through them to students.
1. A comp copy sent to a faculty member is a loan and not a gift. Selling a comp copy is not a legitimate transaction - it is a form of theft.
2. Publishers provide prepaid address labels, or mailers, or websites from which prepaid address labels can be downloaded to facilitate the return of comp copies should a faculty member not wish to keep the copy.
3. Comp copies that are purchased from a faculty member by resale companies for about 10% of list price and resold for 75% of list price is without question price gouging.
4. The repeated reselling of comp copies costs the publishing industry millions of dollars annually. The only way for the publisher to deal with such a loss is to bring out new editions and raise prices of textbooks.
Again, I recommend that you to add a provision to your bill, HB 603, which would ban the sale of comp copies to book resale companies.
Thank you for your serious consideration of my request.
Sincerely
Antony C. Wilbraham
Emeritus Professor of Chemistry
Member of the Text and Academic Authors Association
Dear Representative Flores:
I understand that you are backing a bill in the Florida legislature that would legalize the re-sale of the complementary copies of college textbooks. From what I gather, you are basing your argument in favor of the bill (HB 603) on false arguments.
In fact, the re-sale of comp textbooks is a major factor in driving the prices of textbooks through the roof! If you analyze where the money is going, you will find that it's not all going to the publishers, and certainly not the authors. It's going to the bookstores and used book sellers.
A college bookstore typically pays 50% of the new price for a used or complementary textbook in good condition, and then they sell the same book for 75% of the new book price. That's a return of 50%! The publisher and the author, who combined have put in the creative effort to write and see the book through to completion, and who have taken all the risks, get nothing out of this transaction. That's why prices are so high on new books; the publisher knows it will see seriously diminished sales on the second and subsequent years of a given edition. The re-sale of used and comp textbooks is the major reason for the high prices and also the high frequency of new editions. Ultimately, the students bear the brunt of the practice of re-selling used or complementary textbooks.
Textbook publishers acknowledge the right of the textbook owner to re-sell her/his book, but in fact complementary copies are not owned by by faculty member who has it on loan - that's why a number of states have laws on their books making the sale of comp copies illegal. I would hate to see Florida taking a step backwards to further enrich the used book trade, at the expense of the publishers, the authors, and ultimately, the students.
Sincerely,
Theodore P. Snow
Textbook Author
TAA asks members to help stomp the comp in Florida
TAA Executive Director Richard Hull has called on TAA members to help convince Florida Representative Anitere Flores of Miami to include an amendment in a new textbook bill she is presenting to the Florida legislature that would ban the sale of complimentary copies in the state. The bill, HB 603, as it currently stands, would legitimize the sale of complimentary copies by faculty to book resellers and on to students.
Hull will be meeting with Flores this Thursday, April 3, to explain TAA's position on comp copy sales, and to try to convince her to add an amendment that would prohibit the sale of comp copies by faculty and book resellers. TAA members are asked to send an email to Flores in support of TAA's position, before Thursday. Please e-mail anitere.flores@myfloridahouse.gov and send a copy to TAA.
Here is a copy of the letter sent to TAA members as an Action Alert e-mail on March 31:
Dear TAA Members:There is a bill in the Florida legislature, HB 603, that has a provision that would legitimize the sale of complimentary copies to students. Its sponsor is Representative Anitere Flores of Miami, a Republican. She thinks this measure would help lower the cost of textbooks to students.
I will be meeting with Representative Flores this Thursday (April 3) to explain TAA's position on these sales and try to convince her to add an amendment that would prohibit the sale of comp copies by faculty and book resellers.
Representative Flores has already met with Pearson Education and the Association of American Publishers, and has received TAA's Stomp the Comp brochure (download the brochure here). But she still doesn't see what's wrong with the sale of comp copies.
Her arguments are: 1) Any comp copy that is unsolicited by a faculty member is a gift from a publisher and can be legitimately resold without violation of any implicit agreement between publisher and faculty member; 2) What should a faculty member do with books that arrive unsolicited without any ready way of returning them?; 3) Regulation of the comp resale business interferes with the legitimate business of resale companies; 4) Resale of comp copies involves no price gouging; and 5) The practice of selling and reselling comp copies doesn't affect the cost of textbooks.
All of the above points are false.
1) While it is true that the resale of comp copies is not illegal, the resale of books in general, including comp copies, raises the costs to students by forcing publishers to charge higher prices and publish more frequent new editions to offset the lost sales from used books and comp copies.
2) Publishers provide prepaid address labels, or mailers, or websites from which prepaid mailers or address labels can be downloaded, to facilitate the return of comp copies. Comp copies can also be donated to groups that gather textbooks for use in prisons, or to be sent to third world countries.
3) A resale company should not be allowed to sell a book that was never on the market in the first place. By doing so, they are earning money on a product that the original creators did not earn money on.
4) Resale of comp copies that are purchased for 10% or so of list price for 75% of list price certainly qualifies as price gouging.
5) Repeated reselling of comp copies costs an estimated $1 billion per year annually in a business that nets $3.5 billion. The only way to deal with such a loss is for the publisher to raise prices and bring out new editions.
Please help us convince Representative Anitere Flores to add a provision to her bill, HB 603, that would ban the sale of comp copies to book resale companies, and through them, to students, by sending her an e-mail stating your position on this issue. Please include that you are a member of TAA. Send your emails to anitere.flores@myfloridahouse.gov
Please send a copy of your email to me indicating whether or not we can post it on the TAA website.
Sincerely,
Richard T. Hull
Executive Director
Text and Academic Authors Association
TAA announces 2008 Texty, McGuffey Award winners
The Text and Academic Authors Association has selected seven textbooks to receive a 2008 Textbook Excellence Award ("Texty"), and four textbooks to receive a 2008 William Holmes McGuffey Longevity Award ("McGuffey"). Two textbooks, Governing States & Localities, by Kevin B. Smith, Alan Greenblatt, and Michele Mariani, and Experiencing the Lifespan, by Janet Belsky, tied for a Texty in the College Humanities/Social Sciences category. The awards will be presented during a special session at the 2008 TAA Conference in Las Vegas on June 21, "TAA Awards Ceremony: Standing Out From the Competiton". Learn more about the 2008 TAA Conference: Click here
 Charles "Chuck" Corbin, holds a copy of his textbook Fitness for Life: Middle School, coauthored with Guy Le Masurier and Dolly Lambdin. The textbook won a 2008 Textbook Excellence Award from TAA in the El-Hi Communication/Education/Performing Arts/Visual Arts category. |
The Texty winners for 2008 are:
- Materials Chemistry, 1st ed., by Bradley D. Fahlman, published by Springer (College Physical Sciences category)
- Fitness for Life: Middle School, 1st ed., Charles B. Corbin, Guy C. Le Masurier, and Dolly D. Lambdin, published by Human Kinetics Publishers (El-Hi Communication/Education/Performing Arts/Visual Arts category)
- Computer Security: Principles and Practice, 1st ed., by William Stallings and Lawrie Brown, published by Prentice Hall (College Computer Science/Engineering category)
- Governing States & Localities, 2nd ed., by Kevin B. Smith, Alan Greenblatt, and Michele Mariani , published by CQ Press (College Humanities/Social Sciences category —TIE)
- Experiencing the Lifespan, 1st ed., by Janet Belsky, published by Worth Publishers (College Humanities/Social Sciences category —TIE)
- Writing for Life, 1st ed., by D. J. Henry, published by Pearson Education/Longman (College Language/Literature category)
- Environment: The Science Behind the Stories, 3rd ed., by Jay Withgott and Scott Brennan, published by Pearson Education, Benjamin Cummings (College Life Science category)
The McGuffey winners for 2008 are:
- Principles of Accounting, 10th ed., by Belverd E. Needles, Jr., Marian Powers, and Susan V. Crosson, published by Hougton Mifflin Company College Edition (College Accounting/Business/Economics/Management category)
- Quantitative Chemical Analysis, 7th ed., by Daniel C. Harris, published by W.H. Freeman & Co. (College Physical Sciences category)
- Fundamentals of Logic Design, 5th ed., by Charles H. Roth, published by Thomson-Engineering (College Computer Science/Engineering category)
- Grassroots with Reading, 9th ed., by Susan Fawcett, published by Houghton Mifflin Company (College Language/Literature category)
Click here for award winners' bios, advice and thoughts on winning the award
TAA created the Textbook Excellence Award in 1992 to recognize current textbooks and learning materials. To be nominated, a work must carry a copyright date for the previous or current year. TAA created the McGuffey Longevity Award in 1993 to recognize textbooks and learning materials whose excellence has been demonstrated over time. To be nominated, a work must have been in print 15 years and still be selling. Learn more about TAA's Texty and McGuffey Awards: Click here
Nine candidates running for seats on TAA Council
Nine candidates are running for five open positions on the TAA Council. One of the open positions is a one-year term as a Council member that will be vacant if current Council member Don Collins is elected Vice President/President-Elect. Other open positions include two officer positions, Vice President/President-Elect and Treasurer, and three Council seats. Terms begin July 1, 2008. Officers serve two-year terms and Council members serve three-year terms. Ballots will be mailed to members this week. They must be postmarked by April 15 to ensure counting.
Long-time member and TAA Council member Don Collins, a mathematics textbook author and former managing editor at several major publishers, is running uncontested for TAA Vice President/President-Elect, a two-year term. Collins said his background as a former managing editor and textbook author will bring a unique perspective to the position.
Paul Rosenzweig, also a long-time TAA member and Council member, is running uncontested for Treasurer. Rosenzweig is president of (ca) RRS, Inc., a company that represents authors who wish to confirm the accuracy of their royalty statements. As Treasurer, he said, he "hopes to assist in bringing more current information to Council and the Executive Committee, to facilitate their continuing programs for the benefit of TAA's membership."
Seven other TAA members are running for three open Council seats. They are:
- John J. Edgell, Jr.
- Tara Gray
- Jan Lyons
- Fred Kleiner
- Nick J. Sciullo
- Barbara Waxer
- Frank Wilson
2008 TAA Council Nominees
TAA Vice President/President-Elect
 Don Collins |
Don Collins graduated from West Texas State University (now West Texas A&M University) with a BS degree in mathematics. He taught middle school/junior high mathematics in Texas and Illinois. After earning an MA in mathematics from Boston College, he entered the publishing industry working his way from editorial trainee up to managing editor. Some texts brought out under his direction are still industry leaders.
As his children were finishing college, he left publishing to pursue a doctorate, which he earned at the University of Houston. He taught mathematics and mathematics education courses at The Ohio State University, Sam Houston State, Texas Tech, before settling at Western Kentucky University. Along the way, he co-authored then authored seven textbooks. He is currently a visiting professor at the University of Texas at El Paso.
Position Statement:I am extremely flattered that the TAA Nominations Committee has nominated me for the position of TAA Vice President/President Elect. I believe that I am qualified to serve in this capacity having won two contested elections to the TAA Council in the past. During those terms I have learned the workings of the Council. But beyond that, I can bring some unique experience to the position of TAA President/President-Elect: I know publishing. I spent more than 21 years in the publishing industry as a managing editor. I have negotiated contracts and fought for my author's rights. After leaving publishing, I began a new career in academia and became a co-author and then author of seven textbooks. As Vice President/ President Elect, I believe that I can bring that unique perspective to the association.
Treasurer
 Paul Rosenzweig |
Paul Rosenzweig joined The Psychological Corporation in 1959 as Controller, supervising the accounting and financial operations, as the company grew in its publishing and consulting activities. In 1974 he was asked by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. to assume the title of Director of Subsidiary Accounting, charged with responsibility for acquisitions and new business startups. The group included an audiovisual publisher, consumer magazine, newsletter publisher, a professional training and reference publisher, and a management consulting and outplacement counseling firm.
In 1979 he became Vice President and Treasurer of Academic Press, Inc., a multinational publisher and distributor of technical books and scholarly journals, with revenues of $100 million. In 1986 he became affiliated with Moseley Associates, Inc., (management consultants to the publishing industry) conducting valuation, litigation support, acquisition and divestiture assignments. In 1990, he started Royalty Review Service, Inc., representing authors who wish to confirm the accuracy of their royalty statements. He continued as a consultant to successor firms from 1999 through 2007, and now practices in the same field as President of (ca) RRS, Inc. Paul was Chairman of the Publishing and Printing Accounting Committee of the NY State Society of CPAs from 1988 to 1990, and served on the Society's Litigation Support committee. He serves on Council of TAA and is also a member of The Authors Guild.
Position Statement:After two separated terms on Council, I recognized the pivotal role of Treasurer, which has been most ably served by Michael Sullivan (as Treasurer and interim Treasurer), needed a more permanent servant.
I joined TAA about 15 years ago, after accepting an invitation to speak at a convention in Las Vegas. Since then, I have also spoken at a number of other TAA conventions on my two favorite topics, taxes and royalties. I founded Royalty Review Service, Inc. in 1990 to assist authors in understanding their royalty statements and help recover previously underpaid amounts. As a CPA who had worked in the industry for over 40 years, I believed then, as I do now, that I could help "level the playing field" in the constant vagaries of royalty statement content, presentation and calculation.
As Treasurer, I hope to assist in bringing more current information to Council and the Executive Committee, to facilitate their continuing programs for the benefit of TAA's membership.
Council Positions
 John J. Edgell, Jr. |
John J. Edgell, Jr. received his B.S in mathematics and physics from Lamar University in 1959, his M.A. in mathematics and physics from Sam Houston State University in 1964, and his Ph.D. in mathematics education from the University of Texas at Austin in 1973. He taught mathematics in a pilot school for the National Science Foundation funded SMSG-Stanford University project from 1959 to 1964. He received a National Science Foundation scholarship to study advanced mathematics and physics and teach full-time at the host university from 1964-1966. He has been a mathematics and mathematics education professor at Texas State University-San Marcos since 1966.
John researches, writes, and presents papers and has published several original mathematics papers. For the past 25 years, he has conducted academic year formative field research on accessibility of selected mathematical ideas to classes of public school students from a constructionist perspective. This research has resulted in presentation of many papers and publications of many original mathematics-educational papers. John continues to be a prolific author in having written, presented, and published most of 32 papers in the last 36 months.
Position Statement:Initially, I humbly refused to allow my name to be nominated for the role of a Council member of TAA. After some urging and reflective thinking I re-considered. I have a long professional career, since 1959, in sharing academic and pedagogical ideas with others in schools, universities, research projects, and professional societal settings, including many publications. Many societal settings have been international, national, regional and state level organizations. As I learn I continue to be intensely interested in sharing with others. During the last 36 months I have written and presented 32 papers, most of which have been published. A review of these papers reveals distinctive unique presentation characteristics. I suggest that one reviews such. One source which features nine of my recent papers is the kcatm.org website. I believe that with my academic background and experience in writing that I can be a substantial resource for other authors.
 Tara Gray |
Tara Gray serves as Director of the Teaching Academy and Associate Professor of criminal justice at New Mexico State University, where she has published three books and many articles. Tara has served on the TAA Council since 2002 when she chaired the TAA Conference. She has presented the TAA workshop "Publish & Flourish: Become a Prolific Scholar" all over the country for more than 3,000 workshop participants. This workshop has recruited hundreds of members for TAA. For more information about Tara or her workshops, see www.taragray.com
Position Statement:I advocate a renewed emphasis on the dual goals of recruitment and retention. We are doing an excellent job with recruitment. We are working to improve retention by better serving academic authors who publish mainly in journals by broadening the scope of our conference, newsletter, news alerts, and workshops. Continuing to better serve both text and academic authors is my mission as your Council Member.
 Fred Kleiner |
Fred Kleiner is Professor of Art History and Archaeology and Chair of the Art History Department of Boston University, where he has taught since 1978. Prior to that, he was an assistant professor at the University of Virginia. Fred has won Boston University's Metcalf Award for Excellence in Teaching as well as the College Prize for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising. The author of more than a hundred articles, reviews, and monographs on Greek and Roman art, architecture, and numismatics, Fred's research has been supported by the American Council of Learned Societies, American Philosophical Society, and John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. He is also the author of the 2007 Texty Award-winning A History of Roman Art and co-author of the 2001 Texty and McGuffey Award-winning Art through the Ages. From 1985 to 1998, he served as Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Archaeology.
Position Statement:"I joined TAA a decade ago as soon as I learned about the organization and am deeply grateful to all those who have worked so hard for so long to make TAA the unique and important voice it is in educational and academic publishing. As the author of two best-selling textbooks honored with Texty and McGuffey prizes, two scholarly monographs, and scores of peer-reviewed articles, as well as having been the long-time editor of a major journal and department chair with fundraising experience, I think I can make a contribution to TAA in several areas, including both its academic and textbook tracks. It would be a privilege to serve on the Council of an organization I respect so much."
 Jan Lyons |
Jan Lyons is an adjunct professor in Integrated Risk Management at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. She holds degrees in Economics and Systems Engineering from The College of William and Mary, Clemson University and the University of Alabama in Huntsville. She recently completed her first textbook, Risk Management for Technical Professionals, to fill a void in available Systems Engineering publications.
Prior to joining SMU, Dr. Lyons worked in varying capacities in Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Risk Management with Lockheed Martin, Martin Marietta Energy Systems and General Dynamics. She led efforts in financial risk oversight, business systems implementation, software program management, and mathematical modeling research and development.
Position statement:As my contemporaries and I leave the corporate world to pursue second careers based on our convictions and passions, associations such as TAA are invaluable as resources for information sharing and mentoring.
As a non-profit board member, I've seen how some non-profits, lacking a clear measure of success, struggle to determine what adds value to the membership and statue to the association. Of concern to me is the risks non-profits assume (often due to a historical focus) without a full appreciation of the gamble being taken or consideration of risk-reducing alternatives. To survive, even non-profits must continuously readjust to rapidly changing consumer expectations and new business models.
I've been pleased to see how TAA has embraced new technologies and new approaches to serving its membership and has stayed abreast of changes in the publishing industry. My goal on the Council would be to continue to enhance TAA's longevity, ensuring that the association remains viable and available as both an advocate and a resource for text and academic authors for years to come.
Nick J. Sciullo received his B.A. from the University of Richmond and his J.D. from West Virginia University. His work has appeared in several law reviews and is forthcoming in the Seton Hall Journal of Entertainment and Sports Law. He has also authored passages for the Oxford University Press's Encyclopedia of African-American History, forthcoming in January 2009. Nick has spoken at several academic conferences in the United States and England. His research interests include critical theory, rhetorical theory, race, postmodernism, and gender. His professional life includes work in government affairs, consulting, writing, and coaching debate at the college and high school levels. Nick is a frequent contributor to The Academic Author. He lives and works in Alexandria, Virginia and in his spare time enjoys visiting the DC Metro Area's many historical attractions, reading, and writing new scholarly articles.
Position statement:The Text and Academic Authors Association serves a vital role educating authors and protecting their interests. I believe in preserving the rights of authors to protect their idea and profit from their hard work. I believe in actively promoting the work of our members to encourage higher readership. The TAA should advocate strongly for its mission by encouraging members to advocate for TAA priorities by contacting decision-makers, using the power of the press, and encouraging membership amongst their colleagues. Lastly, I support encouraging cooperation and communication amongst members to promote a higher level of scholarly writing, interdisciplinary writing, and professional development.
 Barbara Waxer |
Barbara Waxer is a freelance author and developmental editor of computer software and Internet intellectual property textbooks for the academic and trades markets. Her clients include Cengage /Course Technology and Delmar Learning, Microsoft Press, Perspection Press, Pearson-Prentice Hall, and Sybex Press. Her 2006 text, Internet Surf and Turf: The Essential Guide to Copyright, Fair Use, and Finding Media, published by Cengage Course Technology, won the Text and Academic Authors Association "Texty" Award and the New England Book Show Award. Barbara also teaches Copyright and Digital Media at Santa Fe Community College and provides training in that topic to college faculty and student bodies around the country. Her current book, Adobe Photoshop Elements, will be published by Course Technology later this year.
Position Statement:I am a passionate advocate of technology in creating, marketing, and expanding the media outlets for textbooks. As both an instructor and software textbook author in higher education, I am aware of the conflicting goals that can define the text adoption process.
With a 20-year background in nonprofit management, I am familiar with the strategic expertise and resources necessary for growing an organization and expanding areas of interest for its interested publics.
If I am elected to serve the TAA Council, I hope to:
- Advance TAA initiatives to establish its permanency as an industry organization
- Expand resources and opportunities for authoring and academic newcomers
- Help expand and establish the Texty as a definitive, sought-after award
- Provide outreach to new communities, particularly to those technologically savvy.
 Frank Wilson |
Frank Wilson received his B.S. and M.S. in mathematics from Brigham Young University. He entered the Air Force as an officer in 1994. During his six years of service in the Air Force, he was stationed in Louisiana, Arizona, and Colorado. His last assignment was teaching cadets mathematics at the US Air Force Academy.
In 2000, he departed the Air Force and accepted a fulltime teaching position at Green River Community College in Auburn, WA. In 2005, he accepted his current position as residential faculty at Chandler Gilbert Community College. In 2007, Frank received a TEXTY award for his book Finite Mathematics and Applied Calculus. On the lighter side, Frank's children's picture book, Measure Up! A Bug Contest (2003), was a hit among kids and their parents. Frank fourth textbook, Applied Calculus, will be published in 2008. Three other textbooks are in development and will be published in 2010.
Position StatementAs an aspiring author in 2001, I discovered TAA while searching for insight online. The advice on contract negotiations on the website was invaluable and helped me negotiate my first contract. I officially joined TAA in 2006 and attended my first conference in 2007.
I believe TAA is a wonderful support network for aspiring authors as well as established authors. By bringing together our collective wisdom, we are better able to forward our profession as academic and textbook authors. I look forward to serving the members of TAA as a member of the TAA Council.
TAA sponsoring three new academic authoring workshops
 Drs. William Waters and Sonja Foss |
TAA is sponsoring three new academic authoring workshops by Dr. Sonja Foss, a professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Colorado, and Dr. William Waters, coordinator of composition, director of the Writing Center, and an assistant professor in the English Department at Northwest Missouri State University: "Destination Dissertation: Practical Strategies for Writing the Thesis or Dissertation"; "Sharing Results: Crafting an Article"; and "Individual Coaching to Facilitate Writing Progress".
Designed for master's and doctoral students, "Destination Dissertation" facilitates participants' progress on the journey that is the dissertation or thesis. "Writing a dissertation or thesis is presented as taking a trip—you are on vacation from normal routine for a fixed amount of time, you discover exciting things and develop new skills, and you know you'll be able to deal with whatever comes your way," says Foss. "The workshop focuses on those places where you tend to get delayed on your dissertation or thesis journey and provides practical and concrete processes for managing potential difficulties with ease," says Waters.
The topics covered in the workshop include: Preparing to go: Conceptualizing the dissertation as a trip and learning what qualities to pack to make the journey a more efficient and enjoyable one; Planning the trip: Discovering the topic through a conceptual conversation that leads to the development of a pre-proposal; Advice from other travelers: Learning how to manage all that literature and develop a conceptual schema for the literature review through efficient coding and categorizing; Things to see and do: Coding data efficiently and developing an original and sophisticated explanatory schema from the data; Useful phrases: Using fast writing and slow revising to make the writing and editing processes efficient and effective; Avoiding delays and annoyances: Avoiding the incomplete-scholar roles that prevent progress on the thesis or dissertation—roles such as the housekeeper, model employee, patient, and proxy critic. The workshop can be two or three hours.
The second workshop, "Sharing Results: Crafting an Article", is a two- to three-hour workshop for professors who want to learn strategies for effectively crafting articles. This workshop provides participants with an understanding of concrete, practical steps that produce a high-quality article efficiently. Both new and seasoned scholars will benefit from the innovative strategies presented. The topics covered in the workshop include: Conceptualizing a project; Locating possible journals to target; Analyzing and "measuring" a target journal; Coding literature and developing a conceptual schema for the literature review; Coding data and developing an original schema or theory; Fast writing and slow revising; Writing collaboratively; Common errors to avoid; Revising and resubmitting; Enacting the scholar role instead of incomplete-scholar roles.
Dr. Foss and Dr. Waters are also the co-directors of Scholars' Retreat, annual weekly retreats that provide intensive, focused, and supervised writing time for dissertations, theses, and other writing projects. |
The third workshop, "Individual Coaching to Facilitate Writing Progress", provides participants personalized, individual time with Foss and Waters. In individual conferences, they work individually with graduate students or faculty members to facilitate their progress on their writing project. "These sessions take the form of intensive conversations about your project in which you will feel both supported and challenged as you talk through whatever aspect of your thesis, dissertation, book, or article is preventing you from completing your project," says Foss. "Participants discover that our friendly and supportive questions lead to profound insights that transfer into realistic expectations, clear goals, and useful strategies," says Waters. While coaching sessions deal with individual problems, typical topics that are covered in the coaching sessions include conceptualizing a project; assessing a project to be sure you have a doable research design; coding literature so you can manage massive amounts of literature efficiently; developing an original and sophisticated theory from your data; overcoming writing blocks; managing your time effectively; and developing strategies for writing regularly. This workshop offers one or multiple days of coaching sessions to faculty or graduate students. Individual sessions can be 60, 90, or 120 minutes each.
Foss is a professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Colorado Denver. Her research and teaching interests are in contemporary rhetorical theory and criticism, feminist perspectives on communication, the incorporation of marginalized voices into rhetorical theory and practice, and visual rhetoric. She is the author or coauthor of the books Destination Dissertation: A Traveler's Guide to a Done Dissertation, Rhetorical Criticism, Contemporary Perspectives on Rhetoric, Inviting Transformation, Feminist Rhetorical Theories, and Women Speak. Her essays in communication journals have dealt with topics such as invitational rhetoric, agency in the film Run Lola Run, feminine spectatorship in Garrison Keillor's monologues, visual argumentation, and body art. Dr. Foss earned her Ph.D. in communication studies from Northwestern University and previously taught at Ohio State University, the University of Oregon, the University of Denver, Virginia Tech, and Norfolk State University.
Waters is coordinator of composition, director of the Writing Center, and an assistant professor in the English Department at Northwest Missouri State University. His research and teaching interests are in writing theory and practice, the history of the English language, linguistics, and modern grammar. He is the coauthor of Destination Dissertation: A Traveler's Guide to a Done Dissertation and was the managing editor of La Puerta: A Doorway into the Academy. He also has published several poems in national journals. Dr. Waters earned his Ph.D. in language and linguistics from the University of New Mexico and previously taught at the University of Maine; University College in Galway, Ireland; and Cheongbuk National University in Korea.
TAA sponsors these and other workshops by covering the cost of the presenters' domestic travel expenses (including air, ground transportation, lodging, food, etc.). The host institution pays the speaker's fee. The speaker's fee depends on the length of time, the content and the number of participants of each workshop. To schedule one of Foss or Waters' workshops, contact Foss at Sonja.Foss@cudenver.edu or (303) 556-5526.
For more information on these and other TAA-sponsored workshops, contact TAA at TextandAcademicAuthors@taaonline.net or (727) 563-0020 or click here for TAA workshops information.
Sign up for the TAA Teleconference 'Royalty Q&A'
TAA will be holding its second members-only teleconference, "Royalty Q&A" on March 20 at 1 p.m. CT.
During this 60-minute open discussion, Paul Rosenzweig, the former president of Royalty Review Service, will answer participants' questions regarding royalties and royalty statements.
Other upcoming TAA Teleconferences include:
- "A Coach's Perspective on Finishing a Dissertation" on Friday, April 4 at 12 noon CT. "Don't Settle for a Publisher's Standard Contract: Terms You Can & Should Negotiate" on April 25 at 1 p.m. CT.
- "Basic Book Indexing" on May 8 at 1 p.m. CT.
Teleconferences are limited to 30 participants, so sign up today!
To learn more about these teleconferences or to sign up, click here.
TAA Teleconferences are free for members. To join, click here.Get $5 off your TAA membership renewal dues
Until December 31, 2008, renewing members can get $5 off their dues when they enter coupon code 5OFFMR when renewing online, or by sending in a special $5 off coupon that will be included in member renewal notices. A coupon will also be included in upcoming issues of "The Academic Author". Members who joined this year can also take advantage of this offer by renewing for another year anytime before December 31, 2008. Renew online
Update your Member Information with new online Member Update Form
Members can update their email, phone, mailing address, and/or university affiliation using a new Member Update Form accessible once they log into the members-only area of the TAA website. The Member Update Form can also accessed by clicking here.TAA re-posts results of 1991, 1999 Author-Publisher Relations Surveys
After a recent discussion on the TAA Listserv regarding royalty rates and the suggestion by one member to conduct a royalty survey, TAA decided to repost a July 1991, and a June 1999 article that announce the results of a TAA Author-Publisher Relations Survey.
View the 1991
article here: Click here
View the 1999 article here: Click here
Call for nominations to TAA Council
Two officer positions and two Council positions will be opening up on the TAA Council July 1, 2008. Any member of TAA is eligible to serve on the TAA Council. Self-nominations are encouraged. The officer positions include Vice President/President-elect, and Treasurer. Officers serve two-year terms. Council members serve three year terms.
TAA Council members are required to attend two meetings per