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.
Industry News Round-Up Week of 5/18/26
Stay updated on the latest news, advancements, and changes that are shaping the textbook and academic authoring industry with our bi-weekly Industry News Round-Up. Have an item to share? Email Sierra.Pawlak@TAAonline.net.
Institutions Prepare for New Accreditation Regulations (May 18, 2026)
McMahon Tussles With House Democrats at Latest Hearing (May 15, 2026)
2026 TAA Institute Presenters Interviewed on Defend & Publish Podcast
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.
2026 TAA Institute Featured Book, ‘A Neuroarthistory of The Painters of Modern Life: Embodying Baudelairean Modernity’
Using a transdisciplinary method combining art history, literary studies, and neuroaesthetics, A Neuroarthistory of The Painters of Modern Life: Embodying Baudelairean Modernity by Lauren S. Weingarden, examines the modern urban experience of nineteenth-century Paris through language and images of fragmentation and transformation.
Dear Dr. Noelle: Musical Chair?
By Dr. Noelle Sterne
Q: It’s time for me to find a dissertation chair. I’m panicked. How?
—Chairless
A: You’re right to have at least a little trepidation. Here’s what a new “doctor” said in a study of how the choice and behavior of chairs affect doctoral students’ satisfactions:
TAA AI Committee Announces Association’s Position Statement on Artificial Intelligence
The TAA AI Committee, led by Chair Brenda Ulrich, has been working diligently on its three-prong goals of advocacy, education and support to TAA members around the issues that AI, and in particular GenAI and LLMs (Large Language Models), present in the academic and textbook publishing areas.