In preparation for this week’s Peer Review Week theme of “Quality in Peer Review”, I decided to reach out to several members of our TAA community for insight into the peer review process from either the author’s perspective, reviewer’s perspective, or both.
Regardless of the perspective, I asked for the answer to a single question, “What makes for a quality peer review process?” Eight TAA members share their insights: [Read more…]
The month of November is Academic Writing Month (AcWriMo). Throughout the month, TAA will be sharing resources and information to support your academic writing efforts. Look for information shared by TAA on social media with #AcWriMo all month long and join the conversation. [Read more…]
Nine candidates are running for five open positions on the TAA Council, the association’s governing board. Three are officer positions, Vice President/President-Elect, Treasurer, Secretary; and two are Council positions. Terms begin July 1, 2015. Officers serve two-year terms and Council members serve three-year terms.
Mike Kennamer
Mike Kennamer is running for the position of Vice President/President-Elect. Kennamer is Director of Workforce Development at Northeast Alabama Community College, President/CEO of Kennamer Media Group, Inc., and author of more than 50 publications. “I enthusiastically accepted the nomination to run for vice president/president-elect, as I wish to help continue the excellent progress made by current president, Karen Morris and support the work of president-elect Steve Barkan as we work to enhance membership benefits and reach additional authors while assuring long-term fiscal stability for TAA,” he said. [Read more…]
Q: “A publisher has expressed interest in my ideas for a book, and has asked for a proposal. What goes into a good proposal?”
A: Michael Lennie, Authoring Attorney and Literary Agent, Lennie Literary and Authors’ Attorneys:
Download ‘Writing a Non-Fiction Book Proposal’ from Lennie Literary Agency and for further information, see the books referenced therein. Click to download PDF
“A proposal should be as good as or better than the book itself because publishers sign non-fiction books based on the proposal and one or two sample chapters, not based on the completed book itself. Do not short change yourself by slapping together a generalized proposal. Read the book(s) and relevant articles, and do your best work!”
A: Kären Hess, the author or co-author of more than 30 trade books and college-level textbooks on a variety of topics including financial planning, dental marketing, art, literature, engineering, hospice care, reading, management and report writing:
“A cover page; an overview including what the book is about, the need, that is why the book is useful or necessary; the audience, that is who the book is for and who will buy it; the competition, that is, what makes the book different from or better than other books on the subject and a list of competing titles if any; author qualification; an outline with detailed subheads (can be narrative paragraphs, bulleted list of key points or a formal outline); and a sample chapter (not necessarily the first chapter, but what is considered the strongest chapter). Conclude with an offer to provide any additional information desired and contact information.
It should be obvious, but the proposal must be well written (clear, concise, forceful, error-free and nicely formatted). If it is an unsolicited proposal, a strong cover letter is a must.
Some proposals include an appendix with letters of endorsement, copies of articles about the author or the author’s work and the like.
Presentation is critical – the axiom you never get a second chance to make a first impression applies. Use a good printer and quality paper with a professionally appearing binder. Never submit a handwritten proposal.”
