What Does Your Contract Allow Your Publisher to Do?

In her 2025 TAA Virtual Conference session, “Can My Publisher Really Do That?”, Brenda Ulrich, an intellectual property attorney with Archstone Law, said that authors often ask her questions that boil down to “can my publisher do that?”, but what they’re really asking is, “what does my contract allow my publisher to do?”.

“At the end of the day, the rules of your relationship with your publisher come down to what’s in the contract,” she said. “That’s why it is really important to carefully negotiate a contract from the start and make sure that from the start you understand what it means. That way, when things get dicey and divisive, the contract is the road map that you, the publisher, your lawyer, and ultimately, perhaps even a court, will look at to determine whether you or your publisher can ‘do that.’”

She shared some of the most common questions she hears from authors. Here are two:

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2025 TAA Conference Bookstore Featured Book, ‘Mathematics of Secrets’

Mathematics of Secrets by Joshua R. Holden takes readers on a fascinating tour of the mathematics behind cryptography—the science of sending secret messages. Holden shows how mathematical principles underpin the ways that different codes and ciphers operate. Holden focuses on both code making and code breaking and discusses both ancient and modern ciphers.

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2025 TAA Virtual Conference Bookstore Featured Book: ‘Learning Evidence-Based Research Skills the Peak Practice Way’

Learning Evidence-based Research Skills the Peak Practice Way: A Beginners Guide by Debra R. Hanna is the first book in a three-volume series designed to help undergraduate students develop evidence-based research skills. Supplemental digital learning exercises leverage Dr. K. Anders Ericsson’s peak practice principles. This first book focuses on research language and nine basic research skills.

Purchase in the 2025 TAA Conference Bookstore

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Why You Should Prioritize Rest

By Angelica Ribeiro, PhD

Recently, I spent about an hour doing nothing in particular. My husband and I sat outdoors; while he read, I stared at the sky. Surprisingly, even though I had two writing projects due soon, I didn’t feel guilty about taking the time to rest. Why?

Many writers, myself included, often overlook the importance of rest. We may view it as a waste of time or a reward we deserve only after completing a project. However, Claudia Hammond, author of The Art of Rest, argues that rest is essential and should be taken seriously.

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TAA Reduces Nomination Fees for Member Author Nominators

Starting with the 2026 Textbook Awards, TAA member author nominators will be able to nominate their works at a discounted rate. The TAA member-author nomination rate will be $250 (one book or two-book series) and $400 (three-book series). Publisher nomination rates will increase to $450 (one book or two-book series) $700 (three-book series). 2026 Textbook Awards Nominations are open September 1 to November 1.

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IBPA Compiles List of AI Tools Used By Publishers

The Independent Book Publishers Association (IPBA)’s Legislation & Standards Committee compiled a list of AI tools currently in use by publishers. Available to IBPA members only, it includes over 50 tools that can help with proofreading, image generation, manuscript evaluation, plagiarism checking, writing and posting on social media, summarizing book plots, and many more. The IBPA AI Resource Center also contains many resources such as a sample AI policy statement, and a site that helps you find out if your book has been used to train AI without your consent.

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