Four 2026 TAA Institute for Textbook & Academic Authors presenters have been interviewed on the Defend & Publish podcast. All four will be sharing their expertise in sessions or Learning Labs at this mini-conference, which takes place June 12 and 13, and is aimed at providing both new and veteran textbook and academic authors a deep dive into topics such as AI and authoring, navigating DEI issues, contracts, publishing in the modern age, and more. Get $50 off registration with code DP26.

DP&L Episode 263: Interview with Brenda Ulrich, Academic Publishing Attorney

In this episode of Defend, Publish, and Lead, host Christine Tulley interviews Brenda Ulrich, a publishing attorney and TAA board member.

She highlights her upcoming 2026 TAA Institute presentation on publishing contract negotiation, “Top 10 Tips for Negotiating A Publishing Contract, 2.0,” which will be an updated version covering both fundamental negotiation strategies and new considerations brought about by generative AI and changing industry practices, including how content is increasingly fragmented, bundled in subscription services, and distributed through platforms like inclusive access. The session is designed to benefit both new authors who need to understand contract basics and veteran authors facing new amendments, contract updates, or navigating an evolving publishing landscape where books from 1992 are being moved to much longer and more complex modern contracts.

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DP&L Episode 276: Textbook and Academic Authoring Careers

In this episode, host Christine Tulley interviews Dr. Wendy Tietz from Kent State University and Dr. Tracie Miller from Franklin University to talk about textbook authoring careers. This is a path many academics never consider, yet one that can become a defining and decades-long creative endeavor. Both guests share how they stumbled into their first textbook deals not through deliberate planning, but through candid feedback at the right moment. Together, they explore how textbook writing differs from other scholarly genres — particularly its collaborative, audience-driven nature and the constant cycle of revision, edition-planning, and storytelling required to justify each new release to publishers. They also tackle the human side of the work: managing co-author transitions, navigating editor turnover, sustaining a brand, and balancing it all alongside full-time faculty roles. They will share their expertise on these and other topics during their Institute Veteran Textbook Author Learning Lab, “Pulling Back the Curtain: What It Really Takes to Sustain a Textbook Authoring Career”.

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DP&L Episode 277: Interview with Dr. Pat Goodsen author of Keep Writing

In this episode, host Christine Tulley interviews Dr. Pat Goodson, health education professor turned prolific academic writing coach, to explore practical strategies for building a sustainable writing life. Dr. Goodson shares how her journey into academic writing began not from an English background, but from listening to struggling graduate students and eventually developing a university writing support program called POWER (Promoting Outstanding Writing for Excellence in Research). Both provide encouragement to listeners approaching summer as a chance to revisit and strengthen their writing routines, and they give a preview of Dr. Goodson’s upcoming Learning Lab, “It Takes a System,” at the TAA Institute.

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DP&L Episode 280: Interview with Dr. Greg Lewbart about Textbook Authoring

In this episode of Defend, Publish, and Lead, host Christine Tulley interviews Dr. Greg Lewbart, a veterinarian and board-certified zoological medicine specialist at NC State, about his three-decade journey as a textbook author and editor. Lewbart traces his path from working as a corporate fish veterinarian in the 1980s to publishing his first book on fish clinical cases in 1998 — now in its third edition — and editing contributed volumes on topics like invertebrate medicine, where he coordinates roughly 40 specialist contributors.

He reflects on how the publishing landscape has changed, shares practical advice for aspiring textbook authors on crafting proposals, identifying publishers, and managing contributors (including the wisdom of preferring an upfront “no” over a missed deadline), and discusses his long involvement with the Textbook & Academic Authors Association (TAA), which he discovered in 2005 after winning a Texty Award. The episode closes with a preview of Lewbart’s upcoming New & Aspiring Textbook Author Learning Lab at the TAA Summer Institute, “The Textbook Author’s Journey: Developing, Proposing, and Publishing Your Book,” where he’ll guide attendees through the full textbook authoring journey, along with a time management tip drawn from his experience as a marathon runner: chip away consistently in small sessions rather than waiting for large blocks of time.

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