Crafting a persuasive academic book proposal is essential for convincing a publisher to accept and publish your work. It is a critical part of the publishing process, as your proposal will need to be both well-written and convincing. Your proposal should be clear, concise, and compelling, setting out the argument for why your book deserves to be published. It must also be relevant to the publisher’s mission and contain a comprehensive outline of your book’s structure. In order to create a persuasive academic book proposal, you must have an in-depth understanding of your topic, the market for y ..read more

Are you looking for a greater understanding of the mind-body connection in academic writing? Do you want to know how to get into the optimal writing flow and avoid writing blocks burnout while completing your writing project? In her 2023 TAA Conference session, “Discover the 5 Cs of Your Optimal Writing Flow,” Dr. Michelle Rivera-Clonch, Co-Founder of Writing in Depth: An Academic Writing Retreat, will pull from physiological psychology to help authors understand their brain/body reactions to experiencing adversity in the writing process. It will focus on identifying ways that invite ..read more

TAA’s CDEI Committee is launching a survey in late April to gather information on several DEI-related publishing issues in nine categories, including reviewer-related issues, editor competencies, positive representation, case studies, understanding bias, incorporating triggering sensitivities, inclusive scholarship, and language. The goal of the survey is to learn more about how TAA can support its members and their publisher’s efforts to incorporate DEI topics in their writing. The CDEI Committee will also be hosting the April 26 TAA Conversation Circle discussion on Diversity, equity, inclus ..read more

When you are deciding where to submit your next journal article manuscript, considering the journal’s publishing model is very important. Disruption has been the norm in many areas of life. Scholarly publishing is no exception. In the 1980s, scholarly publishing seemed monolithic. Journals fell into two categories: first was traditional subscription publications. The accessibility of the content in these journals was limited to subscribers. Second, were journals published by learned societies or associations. These publications were provided as a benefit to members of that society. Journal art ..read more

What are similarities and differences between academic and textbook writing? Find out in the 2023 TAA Conference session, “Academic vs. Textbook Writing – Similarities and Differences”, presented by Kenneth L. Campbell, Professor of History at Monmouth University. As an author of both textbooks and academic works, Campbell will explore the similarities and differences between these two types of writing. On the one hand, good writing is good writing, and it seems like many of the same principles should apply to both academic and textbook writing—and he believes they do. On the other hand, speci ..read more

The first article in this series, based on Rachael Cayley’s October 19, 2022 TAA webinar, “Confronting the Anxiety of Academic Writing”, covered the concerns of writing product and writing process and how they are so deeply rooted that they start to feel inevitable. In this second article, we discuss some of the ways that Cayley suggests tackling the intellectual and practical difficulties associated with writing. To tackle the intellectual difficulties, she says, you need to reconceptualize writing: “Writing is not a simple matter of writing up something that has already been created. Pr ..read more

The Authors Coalition of America, LLC, has identified a number of American authors who may be due royalty payments from non-U.S. sources. These royalties have been received to compensate authors for the foreign reprographic use of U.S. copyrighted materials. While the majority of reprographic royalties distributed to ACA are the result of surveys and samplings in foreign countries done on a non-title specific basis, and therefore are remitted to organizations representing the categories of authors for whom the funds were collected (like TAA), ACA also receives royalties due individual authors ..read more

“I want to feel more joyful through the process of my writing.” If this statement resonates, you will not want to miss the 2023 TAA Conference session, “Empowering Joyful Writing”, by Dr. Tracey Hodges, Owner and Chief Creative Officer of The Empowering Advocate LLC. The stressors of current life are pushing more and more people to seek joy in their work. Writing is one task that may not spark joy for many of us— it is challenging, vulnerable, and time-consuming. However, this session will explore strategies and mindsets that will allow you to engage in more joyful writing and appreciate the p ..read more

Network with other textbook and academic authors and gain knowledge on writing and editing strategies, writing productivity, textbook contracts and royalties, and much more! You will leave inspired! You’ll have the opportunity to participate in more than two dozen educational sessions, one-on-one mentoring sessions with veteran textbook and academic authors and industry professionals, and plenty of networking and information-sharing sessions. TAA’s 35th Annual Textbook & Academic Authoring Conference will be held online, June 9-10, 2023, on an interactive virtual conference platform ..read more

During a career spanning several decades, I have often reflected on the relationship between teaching and textbook writing. Indeed, in my experience, every successful textbook author I have met or read about has always been a very accomplished—often a prize-winning—teacher. The reverse does not seem to be the case, however. I know of excellent teachers whose textbooks never gained traction. And there are thousands of great teachers who do not have the slightest interest in writing a textbook. (I too never aspired to textbook authorship until a publisher approached me about becoming the junior ..read more