Given all the seismic changes in higher education publishing, authors need TAA now more than ever. About 20 years ago, I began my authoring career with a small publisher called Morton Publishing when printed books were the norm. Most of those small publishers don’t exist anymore because they have been acquired by larger publishers.

Consider all the changes in educational publishing over the past two decades. As textbook prices soared, lower cost alternatives emerged. We evolved from printed books to eBooks to Open Educational Resources (OER). Now the major higher education publishers offer various subscription models with lower fees by the month or by the semester. Printed books are quickly being phased out to transition to the new standard of digital and interactive books. Lastly, Generative AI is now a common tool being used by publishers, students, and authors alike.

It’s my privilege to enthusiastically report that we have had a banner year at TAA in 2023!

Thanks to the tireless efforts of our amazing new Executive Director, Kim Pawlak, and our two other new full-time staff members, Sierra Pawlak, and Kiley Thornton, TAA has been flourishing and the future looks brighter than ever. I’m proud to report that we ended 2023 with a record 3,020 members!

Allow me to highlight some other important accomplishments this year. We sent out a membership survey that revealed that thirty-one percent of responders said they joined the organization for our benefits and services. The top three benefits rated as most valuable were:  (1) educational webinars (31%), (2) our annual conference (18%), and (3) our monthly print newsletter, The Academic Author (14%).