On Demand – TAA Webinar on how publishers evaluate book proposals and query letters

The Query Letter and Book Proposal are the go-to means of communicating an author’s ideas to prospective publishers. But how do publishers assess Book Proposals? When they read a Query Letter, how do they evaluate the idea, the author, and the market? In this TAA Webinar, available on demand, Publishing Consultant John Bond examines these common author documents and then uses a publisher’s magnifying glass to look at them through their eyes. By reviewing Query Letters and Book Proposals for the publisher’s wants, the author will be better equipped to create more attractive projects that will secure greater attention and possible publishing contracts. John shares best practices for creating these documents as well as the do’s and don’ts.

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Finding time to write: Important, yes! Impossible, no! Reviewing your student assignment practices

The best insurance policy for success in academe is to write (and publish) your work. Yet, you say, where or where do I find the time to write, especially with all the feedback and grading I have to do?

This article is the first in a four-part series focused on finding hidden pockets of time for your own writing. This article will reflect on one aspect of your teaching practice: the assignments you have students complete.

What happens when you hand out your syllabus in that first face-to-face class? The students breeze past your well-crafted course description, clearly written objectives, and inspiring teaching philosophy to one place in the syllabus—the assignments.

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TAA Committee for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Town Hall on Peer Review

Peer Review is at the heart of the process scholars use for advancing knowledge, testing theories, and authenticating claims and findings of research. Identity – both of the reviewers and the reviewed – is an inescapable component of peer review, and it can add an element of subjectivity to any assessment.

 Members of TAA’s Committee for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will conduct a Town Hall to hear from members about their experiences in peer review. Have you experienced biases in the peer review process? How did you become aware of it, and did the publisher address the issues? Are there ways you’ve seen diverse identities improve the peer review process?

Join us Tuesday, September 21 at 4 p.m. ET for a discussion guided by members of the Committee. Take this opportunity to include your voice in the discussion, and leave with strategies for reviewers and authors navigating DEI issues in the peer review process. Let’s learn from our experiences.

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President’s Message: Doing the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion

I once again find myself writing about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in textbooks. Not because I am—or feel myself to be—an expert in any aspect of DEI. Far from it. I am writing again because these concerns continue to weigh on me.

As a textbook author, I have a grave responsibility that goes beyond the obvious promise to deliver useful content for learning my subject. It is not only my descriptions and explanations and examples that affect my users—it is also the voice and vision that comes through those written words.

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