Accessibility at the tipping point: Opportunities for authors

In October 2012, The Academic Author ran an article entitled “How to make your e-textbook more accessible to students with disabilities”. Since then, demand for accessible materials has continued to grow. This article will briefly recap the need for accessible materials, describe the progress (and sometimes lack thereof) in addressing that need, and examine the opportunities and challenges this represents for authors.

[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.

Join us 11/12 for the TAA Webinar: ‘Negotiating (or Renegotiating) Your ​Textbook ​ Publishing Agreement: A Creative Focus on Business Terms’

While there are many aspects of an author-publisher relationship, the key component is your textbook publishing agreement. Publishing agreements determine the responsibilities of each party, as well as the deliverables, dates, revenue sharing in the form of royalties, and many other key elements. Join us Thursday, November 12 from 4-5 p.m. ET for the TAA Webinar, “Negotiating (or Renegotiating) Your Textbook Publishing Agreement: A Creative Focus on Business Terms”.

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!

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.