Your Textbook Deserves Recognition: Nominate it for a TAA Textbook Award

You’ve put so much time and passion into your textbook. Now is the time for that work to be recognized by nominating it for one of TAA’s industry-respected awards:

  • Most Promising New Textbook Award: this award recognizes promising textbooks and learning materials in their first edition.
  • Textbook Excellence Award: this award recognizes excellence in current textbooks and learning materials.
  • McGuffey Longevity Award: this award recognizes long-standing textbooks and learning materials that have been in print for at least 15 years.

Top Hat Announces Debut of ‘Higher Listenings’ Podcast

Top Hat announced the debut of Higher Listenings, a podcast “where we connect with leading thinkers, authors and educators shaping the future of learning.”

Their first three episodes feature interviews with Dr. José Antonio Bowen, author of “Teaching with AI,” Terrell Strayhorn, PhD, a world-renowned expert on student belonging, and Top Hat’s very own Dr. Bradley Cohen.

Top Hat’s Managing Director of Learning Solutions, Donna Battista, is a TAA Board Member. Subscribe

Larson Texts and Big Ideas Learning Unify Under a Single Brand Identity

Larson Texts and Big Ideas Learning, founded by TAA member and multiple TAA Textbook Award winner Dr. Ron Larson, announced the unification of its two brand identities to Big Ideas Learning, a Larson Texts Company.

Both companies are leaders in K-Higher-Ed math education. According to a September 20, 2024 press release, Larson’s “contribution to mathematics education is monumental. From the publication of his first Calculus textbook in 1978 to the foundation of Big Ideas Learning, his vision has always been to make math accessible and engaging for students.”

Share Your Book Contracts, Royalty Statements for Complimentary Review

TAA member Joseph Rust, CPA, CFP, an accountant with Prager Metis CPAs, is seeking authors interested in sharing their book contracts and royalty statements for a complimentary review. Rust would also like to know what authors’ concerns and questions are when it comes to their contracts and royalties statements. He plans to take the information he learns to provide resources, including a glossary of royalty statement terms, to TAA members in the coming months.

Please reach out to him directly at jrust@pragermetis.com. His full contact information can also be found in TAA’s Professional Directory.

2025 TAA Virtual Conference on Textbook & Academic Authoring Call for Proposals Now Open

The TAA Conference Committee invites proposals for its 2025 Textbook & Academic Authoring Conference, which will be held online June 6-7. Presenting at TAA’s 2025 Conference provides an opportunity to share your knowledge, experiences, and ideas with other textbook authors, academic authors, and industry professionals. The theme is “The Future is Now.” We welcome proposals from first-time and veteran presenters! The deadline for submitting a proposal is October 13, 2024.

Publishers Strike Data Deals with AI Companies: What It Means for Academic Authors

By Kimberly Becker

Recent developments in academic publishing have dramatically shifted the landscape for authors. Major publishers like Taylor & Francis and Wiley have forged partnerships with tech giants, aiming to leverage vast academic content repositories for AI development. This means that copyrighted materials from these publishers are now being used to train AI models – a practice I previously advised against.

As a presenter at the recent TAA conference, I discussed the ethical integration of AI in academic writing. However, these new partnerships have rendered some of my initial advice partially obsolete. In light of these changes, it’s crucial to revisit this topic and explore its implications for TAA members.