Book Review: Guide to Textbook Publishing Contracts

One of the first experiences a textbook author will have is dealing with a publishing contract. Very few of us are attorneys ourselves and very few of us will have had any prior experience negotiating a publishing contract. Our expertise is in our teaching discipline—not in contract law.

I have learned—the hard way—that I should NOT be the only one looking at contracts and amendments presented to me by my publisher. I’ve therefore made it a habit to have an attorney specializing in textbook publishing contracts to review, suggest, and debate the points in anything I sign. Now I have a much better idea of the potential risks and rewards involved in each new professional writing project.

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[Infographic] TAA announces results of 2015 Textbook Author Survey

A survey of 403 textbook authors by the Text and Academic Authors Association (TAA) and digital book pioneer and industry expert June Jamrich Parsons has found that most have the same royalty rates for digital and print. Only 6 percent of respondents reported higher royalty rates for digital versions. This infographic illustrates the key findings of the survey.

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Join us 10/27 for the TAA Webinar ‘What is a Textbook Royalty Audit and How Do I Know If I Need One?’

A textbook royalty audit can provide answers to the many questions authors have about their royalty payments and the distribution of their books, including: “How are my royalties being calculated when my book is packaged and sold with other books or content?”, “How am I being paid when a custom book is printed with some of my chapter content along with other content?”, and “My book was ranked in the top 5 on Amazon.com! Why haven’t I seen an increase in my royalty payments?”

Join us Tuesday, October 27 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. ET  for the TAA webinar, “What is a Textbook Royalty Audit and How Do I Know If I Need One?”, where CPA Juli Saitz from FTI Consulting will share the steps involved in a textbook royalty audit and how to determine if you should conduct one to assert your contractual audit rights. Register today!

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How to deconstruct and decipher your textbook royalty statement

Deciphering royalty statements to determine whether royalties being reported are accurate can be frustrating for both first time and veteran textbook authors. Royalty calculations should be relatively straightforward. That is, the contractually agreed-upon royalty rate for the Work multiplied by the earnings received by the publisher. However, add in escalation clauses, various rates for different sales categories or channels, co-authorship, packaged products, electronic materials, custom editions, abridgements, agreed-upon deductions, returns for reserves, specific definitions of earnings, multiple titles in various editions etc., and the calculation of royalties becomes much more complex.

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New 2015 TAA Fall Webinars – Improve Your Skills

Summer is rapidly coming to a close, meaning fall and classes are just around the corner. Now is the perfect time to start thinking about and planning your fall writing projects. Whether you are interested in learning the steps for developing a textbook, creating an online presence to build your academic brand, educating yourself on textbook royalty audits or publishing agreements, or how to write clearer academic pose, TAA’s fall webinar series for textbook and academic authors has you covered. Join us as various industry experts share their expertise on academic and textbook writing topics.

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