Apply for an academic or textbook writing grant from TAA

TAA offers two forms of grants to assist members and non-members with some of the expenses related to publishing their academic works and textbooks.

Publication Grants provide reimbursement for eligible expenses directly related to bringing an academic book, textbook, or journal article to publication. Contract Review Grants reimburse eligible expenses for legal review when you have a contract offer for a textbook or academic monograph or other scholarly work that includes royalty arrangements. The application deadline is October 31.

Creating a companion site for your textbook: What to consider

Companion sites can enrich the learning experience for readers by offering valuable features that can’t be shared on a printed page and/or might be too costly to include in an e-book. There are many factors to consider when planning or developing a companion site for your textbook. Janet Salmons, an independent researcher, writer, consultant, and founder of Vision2Lead, offers detailed advice for authors interested in creating companion sites for their textbooks.

Member Spotlight: Takiyah N. Amin

TAA member Takiyah N. Amin is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Africana Studies at Davidson College. An academic author in the dance studies discipline, her most recent publications include an Article: “Arts in Society Redesign: A Learner-Centered Approach”, by Delane Ingalls Vanada, Dean Adams and Takiyah Amin, published by The International Journal of Arts Education; and a Book Chapter: “African American Dance Revisited: Undoing Master Narratives in the Studying and Teaching of Dance History” in Rethinking Dance History: Issues and Methodologies (Routledge.)

What are you currently working on?
Completing a book project that explores the work of Black women choreographers during the height of the US-based Black Power and Black Arts Movements.

7 Strategies for writing successful grants

Throughout my journey as a grant writer, reviewer, and mentor to aspiring grant writers, I have had multiple opportunities to read grant proposals that received funding—and many more that did not. One question I often get from novice grant writers is: “How do I get my proposal funded?” To address this question, it is helpful to examine strategies that successful grant writers have in common. Here, I highlight seven basic strategies that I consider “musts” when it comes to preparing grant proposals.

E-books, digital rights management, and the first-sale doctrine

There has been much buzz over the last couple of decades about the future of the textbook. Will print books continue to dominate? Will book rentals take a more prominent role? Will the market shift to e-books or to subscription-based access to cloud stored content or to more complex adaptive learning systems? Or will proprietary publishing fade to black as Open Education Resources improve in quality and increase in number?