Many trends are affecting the academic and textbook publishing industries. TAA regularly examines and reflects on these trends in its newsletter, during its annual conference, and in webinars and other communications with TAA members. One of the trends currently affecting the industry is consolidation, as corporations purchase academic and textbook publishing companies and consolidate them under large corporate umbrellas. A recent Chronicle of Higher Education article discussed an example of this trend. Informa, a corporation that owns the huge scholarly publishing company Taylor & Francis, bought Ashgate Publishing last summer. By November, Informa had closed Ashgate’s U.S. office and laid off several Ashgate staff, according to a petition at Change.org. The Chronicle article noted that Informa “has become the latest adversary for academics worried about consolidation in academic publishing.”
Join us in San Antonio for TAA’s 29th Annual Textbook & Academic Authoring Conference!
Mark your calendars, the Textbook & Academic Authors Association’s 29th Annual Conference is fast approaching. Don’t miss out on this valuable two-day writing conference where you will gain inspiration for your writing projects, network with veteran authors, and learn strategies to help increase your publishing success. The conference program is ambitious, offering a wide variety of session topics for both veteran and novice authors. Register soon to take advantage of early registration rates.
Call for nominations to TAA Council
As a member-driven organization, TAA relies on members’ willingness to get involved in governance and other activities of the association. The TAA Governance Committee announces a call for nominations for two open Council positions. Nominations must be received by March 1, 2016. The term for Council positions is three years, with terms starting July 1, 2016. Council members are required to attend two meetings per year, one in January in St. Petersburg, Florida, and one the day prior to the association’s annual conference, held traditionally in June. Most travel and lodging expenses related to attending these meetings is reimbursed. Any member of TAA is eligible to serve on the TAA Council.
Join us 2/4 for TAA webinar on what academic publishers want (and why)
In higher education’s charged, competitive environment, faculty are expected to publish peer-reviewed scholarship, yet receive little concrete guidance on how to navigate the complex waters of publishing. Join us on Thursday, February 4 from 2-3 p.m. ET for the TAA webinar, “Ask the Editors: What Publishers Want and Why”, to gain practical knowledge about the publishing process. Register
Join us 1/27 for TAA webinar on blogging for academics
You’re an academic, busy with research and teaching. You don’t have time to blog! Wrong. Not only can you blog, you can use your blog to get your work before a much wider audience and to lead an ongoing conversation about your topic. Join us Wednesday, January 27 from 4-5 p.m. ET for the TAA webinar, “Blogging for Academics: A Journalist Turned Academic Offers Tips, Techniques, Inspiration and a Few Warnings”, presented by Mark Leccese, author of 