Bartz v. Anthropic Copyright Case: A Landmark Settlement for Textbook & Academic Authors. What’s next.

As the only association devoted solely to supporting and advocating for the interests of textbook and academic authors, TAA represents not only its nearly 3,600 author-members, but thousands more. In the historic ruling for U.S. copyright holders in the case of Bartz v. Anthropic, in which the court awarded $1.5 billion to authors and publishers whose books were pirated by Anthropic to train its large language models (LLMs), educational/textbook and university press/academic authors represent almost half of the close to 500,000 works infringed in the class.

At a September 25, 2025 hearing, attended by TAA Executive Director Kim Pawlak, TAA Board Treasurer and mathematics textbook author Michael Sullivan, and TAA Board Member and Intellectual Property Attorney Brenda Ulrich, the court granted preliminary approval of the settlement agreement proposed by the plaintiffs, which outlined the claims process for authors and publishers.

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Dear Dr. Noelle: Wrestling Down the Writing

By Dr. Noelle Sterne

Q: Why is writing—or even beginning—my dissertation so danged hard?

     — Chewing My Pencil

A: It’s undeniable: writing your dissertation is hard. All that time you devote to research is a worthy endeavor but, no matter how many brilliant analyses you’ve collected, at some point you know you’ve got to get to it. In my longtime dissertation coaching and editing practice, I’ve witnessed, cautioned, and counseled many dissertation writers on the difficulties of the actual writing. A new doctoral candidate who came from the corporate world confided, “I struggle daily with understanding the shift from business writing to writing as a researcher according to certain expectations and standards.”

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2025 TAA Virtual Conference: A Resounding Success

We’re thrilled to share that the 2025 TAA Conference on Textbook & Academic Authoring was a tremendous success — and it’s all thanks to our incredible attendees, speakers, sponsors, and staff who made this event truly special.

Held virtually June 9-10, this year’s conference brought together textbook and academic authors from across the country for two days of learning, connection, and inspiration. With 147 participants and a lineup of close to two dozen expert-led sessions, the event offered something valuable for every stage of the author journey — from first-time writers to seasoned scholars.

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2025 TAA Conference Bookstore Featured Book: ‘Writing With Purpose, Peace & Passion: A Guide for Sustaining Your Academic Writing’

If you are an academic finding the writing difficult to do over time, you are not alone. It is one thing to master the skill of academic writing and publishing. It is quite another to keep writing over many years. Writing With Purpose, Peace & Passion: A Guide for Sustaining Your Academic Writing, by Margarita Huerta, is for anyone wanting help with sustaining an academic writing practice.

Purchase in the 2025 TAA Conference Bookstore

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How to Bring More Joy into Your Writing

By Angelica Ribeiro, PhD

Recently, I found myself feeling good after a writing session. Even though I hadn’t completed a project, I was more focused, productive, and creative during that time, which made the experience more enjoyable. It was great to have a writing session that felt better than previous ones. But what made it better? As I reflected on this, I realized it was likely because I had rearranged my office shortly before I began to write. You might wonder, “How does rearranging my office impact my writing?” Let me explain.

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Do Your Publishing Research; Then Follow It

By John Bond

I have spoken to a fair share of happy authors over the years. Conversely, I have spoken with some disenchanted ones. They may have submitted their book idea (or whole manuscript) to several publishers and gotten no offer of publication. Also, some authors may submit a manuscript they labored over to a peer review journal and gotten nothing but the dreaded reject. No doubt this is a disheartening experience. It can hurt.

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