Elsa Peterson has more than 20 years of experience in textbook and academic publishing as a freelance permissions editor, picture researcher, and developmental editor. Her most recent in-house position was as a senior developmental editor for psychology with McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Peterson recently authored a brief and accessible guide to copyright in the context of publishing titled Copyright and Permissions: What Every Writer and Editor Should Know (New York: Editorial Freelancers Association, 2012). She has also authored numerous articles about the business and craft of editing, and has presented TAA audio conferences on editing and copyright.
How to apply for copyright
Lisa Moore, Principal, The Moore Firm, LLC:
“It’s very easy to apply for a copyright registration. You can do it online. The Copyright Office’s website is actually an excellent resource.
The process is changing. Back in the day, you had to fill out the form depending on what you were registering. The Copyright Office changed that, and they’re now utilizing one common form that can be done online. It’s much cheaper that way, $35 and you get your registration back much more quickly. If you mail in the old paper forms it takes somewhere between a year and two years to get it back, but if you do it online it’s somewhere between three and six months.
Featured Member Karen Timberlake – Textbook project multi-tasking
Karen Timberlake has been writing chemistry textbooks for over 35 years, publishing more than 50 texts including subsequent editions, and…
Textbook writing advice for new authors
Dear “New” Author, Here’s some textbook writing advice I wish an “old” author had given me. It’s simply a scrambling…
The value of blogging about your textbook
As a supplement to a February 2012 TAA webinar, “The Benefits of Blogging About Your Textbook”, presented by Kevin Patton,…
How to negotiate textbook contracts strategically
Many textbook authors, especially new authors, are intimidated by the idea of negotiating their contracts, but strategic and artful contract negotiation is essential to ensure that you get the best offer possible.
“It is very important to negotiate your contract, because the first offer will not be the best deal, so you’ll just be leaving money on the table if you don’t negotiate,” said Stephen Gillen, intellectual property attorney at Wood, Herron & Evans.