New Sample by Jamie Pope, ‘Anatomy of An Author’s Email or Letter to Adopting Faculty or Committee’

TAA members can download this new sample from TAA’s Templates & Samples Resource Library, “Anatomy of An Author’s Email or Letter to Adopting Faculty or Committee,” developed by Jamie Pope, co-author of Nutrition for a Changing World. It walks authors through the essential elements of what to include in the letter to potential adopting faculty or a committee, with concrete examples based on what she does when she is reaching out to these groups for her own book.

Access to TAA’s Templates & Samples Resource Library is included with TAA membership. Not a member? Join TAA for only $30.

New Sample by Jamie Pope, ‘Anatomy of An Author’s Email or Letter to Adopting Faculty or Committee’ Read More

TAA Members Prefer the Annual Conference Be Held in June

In a recent survey of TAA members about what month works best for them for the association’s annual conference, 61 percent said June. Twenty-eight percent of respondents said May and only 10 percent said April. TAA’s conferences have been held in the first or third month in June since the first one, held in Las Vegas in 1988. The one-question poll was sent to 2,300 TAA members and 109 responded. As a result, the TAA annual conference will continue to be held in June each year at this time, said TAA Executive Director Kim Pawlak.

TAA Members Prefer the Annual Conference Be Held in June Read More

Macmillan Learning CEO Susan Winslow on ‘How Authors and Educators Can Shape AI’s Future in Education’

Macmillan Learning’s Marisa Bluestone posted an article in the publisher’s online Macmillan Community about CEO Susan Winslow’s Keynote presentation at the 2024 TAA Conference, “The Very Human Experience of Learning.”

The article, “How Authors & Educators Can Shape AI’s Future in Education,” shared how Winslow’s discussion with the authors in attendance, many of whom are also faculty, “focused on the critical role that they can and should play in guiding AI use in the classroom.” Bluestone recapped Winslow’s key message in her Keynote, that “learning is very much a human experience and while the integration of AI and other tech tools in educational settings may change how teachers teach and learners learn, the core of the experience—what makes us want to learn—has not.”

Macmillan Learning CEO Susan Winslow on ‘How Authors and Educators Can Shape AI’s Future in Education’ Read More

Author Tech Tool Suggestions: For the Tech Bewildered

By John Bond

We are living in a Golden Age of technology for authors. But sometimes these new or improved tools can be intimidating. Here are some simple steps for getting started on considering these tools that might improve your writing output and quality.

Before we start, take an inventory:

  • Currently am I making the best use of my time?
  • Will new tools make me more productive?
  • What’s wrong with your current tools?
  • What is available to you now through your institution?
  • What’s your motivation for a change?

Author Tech Tool Suggestions: For the Tech Bewildered Read More

A Short Conference Recap from a TAA Staff Member’s First-Time Perspective

By Sierra Pawlak

The 2024 TAA Conference in Nashville was my first conference as a new TAA staff member, and I was not alone. There were another 37 textbook and/or academic authors who attended for the first time.

The Thursday night TAA Council of Fellows networking reception felt so welcoming. You could walk up to any table, and you would be included into the conversation. I hope everyone else shared that experience. There was an overwhelming agreement that the food was delicious, and that the rooftop Pool Club Restaurant in which it was held was a beautiful space with expansive views of Nashville. I loved meeting everyone, and it made me excited to serve as a session moderator on Friday.

A Short Conference Recap from a TAA Staff Member’s First-Time Perspective Read More

How the TAA Conference Creates Happiness in Your Professional Life

By Angelica Ribeiro, PhD

In her book The How of Happiness, Sonja Lyubomirsky points out that about 40 percent of our happiness comes from intentional activities. She writes, “Our intentional, effortful activities have a powerful effect on how happy we are, over and above the effects of our set points and the circumstances in which we find ourselves” (Lyubomirsky, 2008, p. 64). That means we can create happiness by being mindful of our actions. Regarding our professional lives, one action we can take is to attend conferences related to our fields, such as the TAA conference.

After attending the TAA conference in Nashville, I realized that it goes beyond simply providing a platform for people to share knowledge. It encourages attendees to engage in what Lyubomirsky (2008) calls “happiness activities.”

How the TAA Conference Creates Happiness in Your Professional Life Read More