Submit a Proposal for the 2024 TAA Conference on Textbook & Academic Authoring

The Textbook & Academic Authors Association Conference Committee invites proposals for its 2024 Textbook & Academic Authoring Conference in Nashville, June 21-22, “Author Talk. Music to Our Ears.”

Presenting at TAA’s 2024 TAA Conference on Textbook & Academic Authoring provides an opportunity to share your knowledge, experiences, and ideas with other textbook authors, academic authors, and industry professionals.

The goals of this year’s program:

  • Explore and exchange ideas on the future of the textbook and academic authoring and publishing industry, especially emerging trends like AI.
  • Share successful writing tips and strategies and inspire you to complete your writing projects.
  • Promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in academic and educational materials.
  • Sessions will take place in three different tracks: General, Textbook, and Academic. Preference will be given to sessions that incorporate innovative and interactive elements.

We welcome proposals from first-time and veteran presenters! The deadline for submitting a proposal is October 15, 2023 (Look for Call for Proposals link at top of site).

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TAA’s Textbook Awards Are Coming Back!

The TAA Textbook Awards are coming back, and we’ll begin accepting nominations on September 1. Get ready to apply! We’ll be accepting nominations for the following awards:

McGuffey Longevity Award – to recognize long-standing textbooks and learning materials that have been in print for at least 15 years.

Textbook Excellence Award – to recognize excellence in current textbooks and learning materials.
Most Promising New Textbook Award – to recognize promising textbooks and learning materials in their first edition.

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Exploring diversity in science textbooks

When Kathy Burleson, a senior lecturer of biology at Hamline University, was preparing to teach a course on the biology of women, she was surprised that she couldn’t find any images of the female muscular system to use for the class. “I got really curious about the discrepancies in how women’s and men’s bodies are portrayed across anatomy and physiology textbooks,” she said. To learn more, she embarked on a research project in 2016 with the goal of helping to close diversity gaps in STEM.“Textbook images tell us a story about science and who belongs in science,” she said. “My hope is that, informed from interviews and data, we can give textbook publishers something to think about.”

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Don’t gloss over the glossary

Do you feel like you have fallen into the abyss when dealing with your glossary? Don’t let this problematic element overwhelm you. In his 2023 Conference session, Paul Krieger will describe the standardized process he created to improve his glossary. After doing some research and creating a clear set of guidelines for his editors to develop a master glossary for three related books, the end result was a much more consistent, complete, and user-friendly glossary.

Krieger is an award-winning teacher and the creator, author, and illustrator of Morton Publishing’s Visual Analogy Guide series. Due to the success of his first book on human anatomy in 2004, this unique book concept quickly evolved into a four-book series. He is Professor Emeritus of Anatomy & Physiology at Grand Rapids Community College and also works as a scientific illustrator.

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Is custom textbook publishing right for you?

Creating a custom textbook is nothing new; major textbook publishers have offered concierge services for decades, allowing professors to handpick and remix content into a more tailored text for their students. For some, however, this option still fails to meet their course’s needs. What if you could create a single resource that was consistent with your course’s structure, level, tone, and organization? And what if you could do this while controlling textbook costs for students and creating a source of revenue for you or your institution?

Today, there are myriad options, including OER and various tools and services for digital publishing, self-publishing, and print-on-demand. It is easier than ever for professors to author their own content, but no less overwhelming!

In her 2023 TAA Conference session, Rebecca Paynter, Associate Director of Editorial for The University of Arizona Global Campus, will discuss the evolving landscape of custom textbook publishing and most importantly, the questions you should ask yourselves before and during the creation of a custom textbook.

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