Textbook award-winning insight (Part 2): Boosting writing confidence, scheduling writing time, software

A couple of weeks ago, I reached out to winners of the 2017 TAA Textbook Awards and asked them to answer some questions about their textbook writing. I had so many great responses I decided to create a five-part series to share them. The first installment focused on why they decided to write their textbook and how they got started.

This second installment in the five-part series focuses on how they boost their confidence as a writer, how they fit writing time into their schedule, and what software they use.

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Textbook award-winning insight (Part 1): Deciding to write and getting the interest of a publisher

I recently reached out to winners of the 2017 TAA Textbook Awards and asked them to answer some questions about how they made the decision to write their textbook, how they interested a publisher, what they do to boost their writing confidence, how they fit writing time into their schedule, and more. I will be sharing their answers in a series of posts over the next few weeks.

This first installment of the three-part series focuses on why they decided to write their textbook, and how they got the interest of a publisher.

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Join us 4/6 for the TAA webinar, ‘Screencasting for Academic Authors: How to Create Instructional Videos on a Budget’

With the rise of e-books, online learning, and mobile technology, the demand for instructional media is exploding. Textbook authors, academic authors, and instructors are being called upon to design and deliver instruction in multimedia genres like screencasts and videos. Fortunately, authors and teachers today can produce effective screencast videos without going to film school or hiring expensive professional help.

Join us Thursday, April 6 from 1-2 p.m. ET, for the TAA webinar, “Screencasting for Academic Authors: How to Create Instructional Media on a Budget,” and presenter Michael Greer will walk you through a sample screencast project to show how you can get started today, even if you have no experience using video editing software. The webinar will demonstrate a simple step-by-step process you can use to create an instructional screencast and offer additional resources for authors who want to learn more about designing and producing educational media. In short, this webinar offers everything you wanted to know about screencasting but were afraid to ask! 

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Textbook development tip: Aim for good expository writing

The best way to ensure clarity is to write well. When editors mark passages “Not Clear,” they are not being stupid but are basing their judgments both on the perceived needs of your target audience and on standards of good expository writing. All good writing for any audience at any educational level has the same basic qualities, including clarity, concision, unity, coherence, and emphasis. Wordiness is perhaps the greatest enemy of good writing.

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Bringing textbooks to life: Strategies for improving student engagement

Educator, editor and author Michael Greer, of Development by Design, shares his philosophy behind, and strategies for, developing textbooks that enhance student engagement and learning.

TAA: As an educator, editor, and author, you are passionate about bringing textbooks to life to provide more effective and engaging student learning experiences. What inspired you to analyze and rethink content delivery for textbooks and other course materials?

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