We asked 2026 Textbook Award winners some questions about their authoring experience. Two respondents, Peter Copeland and Janok Bhattacharya, co-authors of Earth History: Stories of Our Geological Past (1e), winner of a 2026 Most Promising New Textbook Award shared their journey.

Q: Why did you decide to write your textbook?

Janok: “The idea was actually my co-author’s, Pete Copeland. Neither of us were that happy with the current textbooks on Earth History. They were mostly written for Geology majors, versus as a general elective course. We decided a narrative approach that tells the great stories of Earth History might be more appealing. Pete and I had written a paper together and we both thought we would work well with each other.”

Peter: “I decided to write this book after teaching the class a few times and realizing I was telling stories that were not in the book. So I decided to write a book that was centered around stories.”

Q: How did you decide which publishers to approach with your textbook idea? Can you share any tips for selecting a publisher?

Janok: “Pete approached Cambridge University Press (CUP) in 2016 and they seemed keen about our idea. We wrote two sample chapters, a preface, and an outline. CUP sent these to potential adopters and received positive feedback, following which we signed a formal contract in 2018.”

Peter: “Ten years ago, publishers still sent reps around to faculty offices to promote books and to encourage faculty to write books. I got a good response from Cambridge.”

Q: What strategies do you use to fit writing time into your schedule? How much time do you spend writing each day?

Janok: “Luckily I had a sabbatical leave from July 1 2019 to June 30, 2020 and given that COVID barred travel, I was able to devote a lot of time to work on the book. I typically work at home at least one day a week and spend that time writing and editing. In addition to writing, some topics in the book required research, especially in areas that I was not an expert. Rather than every day, I tended to write in blocks of time, especially days that I did not have classes to teach.”

Peter: “Writing a book was much like writing anything else. I find time between the things that have a close deadline.”

Q: Which pedagogical elements in your textbook are you most proud of?

Janok: “I was surprised at how good the figures looked. CUP insisted we pick a relatively narrow range of colors and this gives a feeling of coherence to the book. CUP also insisted we include learning objectives, Key Points, a point form summary, and review questions. We were a bit resistant to these at first, mostly because we were worried it would make the book too long. They originally told us we had to keep the words down to 130,000, but at about 180,000 in the final version we kept the book to the original target of 400 pages and at an affordable price point. In the end it really forced us to consider what we really want students to get out of each chapter.”

Peter: “I think the thing I’m most proud of is the concept behind the book. I think this is better done when the topic is explained from many angles.”

Q: What did you learn in the process of writing a textbook that you wish you had known before you started?

Janok: “I was surprised that it took 9 years from the proposal to final publication. CUP insisted that we take the time to get the book right, even though that delayed publication by three years. In retrospect, I believe taking the extra time paid off, as indicated by the awards we have already won. Although Pete and I had both taught Earth History many times, I did not appreciate the much higher and in-depth degree of knowledge required to write an authoritative textbook, versus give a 50-minute lecture. I learned a lot in the process of writing, and this forced me to read the primary literature in areas outside of my research expertise.”

Peter: “I learned more about the process of publishing, which was interesting. Because the text we wrote covers many topics, the research we did was very educational for the authors. I know all of these topics much better now than when I proposed to write the book.”