Authors express concern about new Cengage Unlimited subscription service

Cengage Unlimited, that gives students at U.S. higher education institutions access to all of the company’s digital higher education materials for $119.99 a semester has Cengage authors concerned about how their contracts will be affected.

“I think the authors should find out as soon as possible how we are going to be paid,” said mathematics author Pat McKeague, who did not receive any information from his publisher about the new service prior to its public announcement, and has not been able to reach his editor for more information. “My contracts require my written permission before any electronic version of my book can be published.”

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Member Spotlight: Andrew M. Pomerantz

TAA member Andrew M. Pomerantz is a Professor of Psychology at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and both a textbook and academic author in the psychology discipline.

He recently published two textbooks: the brand new My Psychology (published by Worth, for Introductory Psychology courses) and Clinical Psychology (4th edition, published by SAGE). He has also published dozens of articles in peer-reviewed journals.

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The most useful textbook & academic posts of the week: December 8, 2017

This week our collection of articles from around the web contains innovative practices and changes in the publishing industry, suggestions for Open Education, ways to repurpose your finished research into a journal article, academic friendships, social media impacts on author and publisher success, and actions to reduce predatory publishing practices.

As we come to the end of the first week of December, a month where many of our writing projects are faced with increased struggle as academic terms come to an end, remember the words of Nona Mae King, “Writing is more than a gift. It is a struggle that blesses those who see it through to the end.”

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Textbook proposal submission tips: How to evaluate the competition

When submitting a textbook proposal, most publishers will expect you to provide information on two to four of the closest competitors in the market and identify how your book will be different and better than the competition.

Three veteran textbook authors share their advice on how to study competing textbooks and which elements should be reviewed in making the case in a textbook proposal.

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#AcWriChat re-caps on getting organized, writing productivity, finalizing and publishing your work

TAA and Janet Salmons from SAGE Methodspace co-hosted a series of Tweetchats for the exchange of ideas and resources about academic writing and publishing using the hashtag #AcWriChat.

View a recap of the 11/3 Tweet Chat – Get Organized
View a recap of the 11/17 Tweet Chat – Writing Productivity
View a recap of the 12/1 Tweet Chat – Finalizing and Publishing Your Work

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