In a survey of this summer’s TAA Writing Gym, 45 percent of respondents said they used the gym 2-4 days a week. “The TAA Writing Gym helped me move from writing sporadically to writing every day,” said one respondent. “My writing approach has improved as well since I am now thinking about my projects regularly and I can work through ways to approach topics even when I am not actively writing.”
Purdue global nondisclosure agreement runs roughshod over faculty rights
The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) has released a copy of a four-page non-disclosure agreement that appears to be a condition of employment for Purdue Global employees, including instructional faculty, that states that any work product, including all course materials “or other intellectual property that arises in any part in the course of … employment at Purdue Global, is commissioned and owned by Purdue Global as a work-for-hire and may not be used, duplicated or distributed outside of Purdue Global.”
Tech tools for the professional writer
In the winter edition of TAA’s newsletter, I shared with you the importance of having the right tools on hand for your career as a writer and provided a list of 32 tools in eight categories to get you started. If you missed that article, you can read it here.
In this article I highlight a few more tech tools with the goal of helping you find the tools that fit best in your belt! In these last weeks of summer, I encourage you to explore some of these tools that you may not have time to experiment with during the school year. You may just find that they can help you free up valuable time as the busy fall semester comes around again.
Welcome new members to TAA: August 2018
With membership in TAA, you are not alone. You become part of a diverse community of textbook and academic authors with similar interests and goals. We are pleased to announce the addition of 46 new TAA members who joined us in August 2018.
8 Biggest secrets to writing a winning manuscript
In her 2018 Textbook & Academic Authoring Conference presentation, “Discover How to Deliver What Editors and Publishers Need: Demystifying the Publishing Process,” Dr. Kathleen King shared key strategies for planning the work and working the plan toward successful publication.
As a professor, award-winning author, and editor, King shared her successful experience – having published more than 30 books and 150+ articles – summarized in the following eight biggest secrets to writing a winning manuscript.
The most useful textbook & academic posts of the week: August 31, 2018
“Half of my life is an act of revision.” Wise words from John Irving for all writers and ones that thread through our collection of posts this week.
We begin with discussions of how to manage multiple writing projects, interpret data visualizations, and use diary methods in qualitative research. We then share practical advice on successful publishing in journals, informed consent, fellowships, and balancing a PhD with a family. Closing out our list is the prediction that textbooks are here to stay, along with new resources including scholarly podcasts, open and interoperable annotation, YouTube videos, and open science tools.
Whether you are revising a manuscript or your writing craft this week, we hope that you will find value in some of the resources below. Happy writing!