What Does Your Contract Allow Your Publisher to Do?

In her 2025 TAA Virtual Conference session, “Can My Publisher Really Do That?”, Brenda Ulrich, an intellectual property attorney with Archstone Law, said that authors often ask her questions that boil down to “can my publisher do that?”, but what they’re really asking is, “what does my contract allow my publisher to do?”.

“At the end of the day, the rules of your relationship with your publisher come down to what’s in the contract,” she said. “That’s why it is really important to carefully negotiate a contract from the start and make sure that from the start you understand what it means. That way, when things get dicey and divisive, the contract is the road map that you, the publisher, your lawyer, and ultimately, perhaps even a court, will look at to determine whether you or your publisher can ‘do that.’”

She shared some of the most common questions she hears from authors. Here are two:

TAA Board Welcomes New Executive Committee Members

The TAA Board welcomed new President Dione Taylor, new Vice President/President-Elect Christine Tulley, and new Secretary Jamie Pope on July 1. Former Board Secretary, Brenda Ulrich, an intellectual property attorney at Archstone Law, was appointed a three-year term as Board member.

Taylor is ascending to President after serving two years as Vice President/President-Elect. She is Director of the Pupil Personnel Services, School Counseling program in the School of Education at Point Loma Nazarene University. She conducted research with graduate students around the topic of cultural competence and published the results in an article entitled Developing graduate and undergraduate student cultural sensitivity and emerging competence using the Intercultural Development Inventory®.

2025 TAA Virtual Conference: A Resounding Success

We’re thrilled to share that the 2025 TAA Conference on Textbook & Academic Authoring was a tremendous success — and it’s all thanks to our incredible attendees, speakers, sponsors, and staff who made this event truly special.

Held virtually June 9-10, this year’s conference brought together textbook and academic authors from across the country for two days of learning, connection, and inspiration. With 147 participants and a lineup of close to two dozen expert-led sessions, the event offered something valuable for every stage of the author journey — from first-time writers to seasoned scholars.

Charles ‘Chuck’ Corbin Inducted into TAA Council of Fellows

Health and physical education textbook author Charles “Chuck” Corbin was inducted into the TAA Council of Fellows, which recognizes distinguished authors who have a long record of successful publishing. Any author whose textbook or other instructional and academic works have established his/her presence in scholarly publishing over time and who has been innovative in the presentation of material, is qualified for nomination into the TAA Council of Fellows. Induction into the Council of Fellows is the premier honor bestowed by TAA.

On behalf of the association and its Awards Committee, TAA Board President Paul Krieger, said: “I extend our warmest congratulations on your induction into the 2025 TAA Council of Fellows. This well-deserved honor recognizes not only your extraordinary accomplishments as an author, educator, and scholar but also your deep and longstanding contributions to the TAA community. Your body of work exemplifies the values and mission of TAA. It is our honor to recognize you with this distinction, and we thank you for the legacy you continue to build.”

Christine Harrington Receives 2025 TAA Author Mentoring Award

Dr. Christine Harrington, a professor in the Department of Advanced Studies, Leadership and Policy at Morgan State University, has been awarded a 2025 Author Mentoring Award from the Textbook & Academic Authors Association (TAA).

TAA’s Authoring Mentoring Award is given to a teacher, administrator, fellow author, or other professional colleague who takes extraordinary care to encourage and advise earlier career authors.

On behalf of the association and its Awards Committee, TAA Board President Paul Krieger, said: “This honor is a testament to your unwavering dedication to mentoring emerging scholars, your generous spirit in sharing knowledge and experience, and your tireless efforts to amplify diverse voices in academic publishing.

Steven Barkan Receives 2025 TAA Social Justice Award

Steven Barkan, textbook author and Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of Maine, has been awarded a 2025 TAA Social Justice Award from the Textbook & Academic Authors Association (TAA).

TAA’s Social Justice Award recognizes individuals that make a significant contribution to authoring or educating academic authors in social justice, human rights, and/or diversity, equity, and inclusion. Strong nominees have the following characteristics: have authored a work or works that address issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in a meaningful way or have provided trainings or other efforts to improve how academic authors address issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in their writing.