We’ve all been there. You have the perfect photo . . . verse . . . song lyrics . . . vignette . . . you name it . . . to open your book or a chapter within it. Having labored long and hard to locate just the thing, you are now certain that nothing else will do. There’s only one problem. It’s not yours and either you can’t determine who owns the rights, or you can’t figure out how to reach them, or they’re dead or out of business, or they won’t answer you.
Understanding your audience: Writing for learning
Laura Frost is a professor of Chemistry at Florida Gulf Coast University and Director of the Whitaker Center for STEM…
Forming a publisher relationship: The acquisitions editor
For aspiring higher education authors and content writers, one of the first goals is to connect with a publisher. The next step is to leverage that connection into an immediate contract offer or build a working relationship that will one day result in a contract.
In this first installment of a three-part series, I’ll provide some insights about acquisitions editors. The acquisitions editor is the gatekeeper to forming a productive publisher relationship, so it’s particularly useful for authors to understand who acquisitions editors are and what typically motivates them.
Let’s start with a brief overview of the acquisitions editor’s role, key responsibilities, and performance metrics. Then I’ll cover how authors can leverage this knowledge in building a relationship with a publisher.
Executive Director’s Message
Did you hear it? The clarifying question…the laughter of recognition…the applause of approbation at seeing a colleague’s excellent work recognized…the intent…
4 Steps to promoting your textbook
Recently a member posted a question in the Textbook Writing & Publishing Circle in TAA’s online member community requesting input on how other authors promote their work. In response to this question, veteran textbook author Robert Christopherson, author of Geosystems, the leading physical geography texts in the US and Canada, offered a four-step approach that encourages authors to define their market niche and take a proactive role with the publisher’s marketing team.
3 Key principles for strong academic writing
In her academic writing blog, “Explorations of Style”, Rachael Cayley offers three key principles for strong academic writing: 1) using writing to clarify your own thinking, 2) committing to extensive revision, and 3) understanding the needs of your reader.