Book Review: Guide to Textbook Publishing Contracts

One of the first experiences a textbook author will have is dealing with a publishing contract. Very few of us are attorneys ourselves and very few of us will have had any prior experience negotiating a publishing contract. Our expertise is in our teaching discipline—not in contract law.

I have learned—the hard way—that I should NOT be the only one looking at contracts and amendments presented to me by my publisher. I’ve therefore made it a habit to have an attorney specializing in textbook publishing contracts to review, suggest, and debate the points in anything I sign. Now I have a much better idea of the potential risks and rewards involved in each new professional writing project.

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Textbook award-winning insight (part 1): Getting started and boosting your confidence

I recently reached out to winners of the 2016 TAA Textbook Awards and asked them to answer some questions about how they made the decision to write their textbook, how they interested a publisher, what they do to boost their writing confidence, how they fit writing time into their schedule, and more. I will be sharing their answers in a series of posts over the next few weeks. This week’s installment focuses on why they decided to write their textbook, how they got started, and what they do to boost their confidence as a writer.

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Join us 4/13 for TAA Webinar, ‘Go on the (Virtual) Road to Promote Your Book’

Whether​ you are self-publishing or working with a major publisher, you will need to actively promote your textbooks and encourage faculty to adopt them. Traditionally, writers have taken book tours and given talks, but textbook publishers are unlikely to fund world travel. Why not offer a book tour online? Janet Salmons, PhD, author of Doing Qualitative Research Online and four previous books, did just that. While some “virtual book tours” simply place guest posts or advertisements on potential readers’ sites, Janet’s highly interactive approach includes webinars and online discussions with groups or classes.

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The most useful textbook & academic writing posts of the week: February 26, 2016

Print this quote and keep it next to where you write. This way, you will always be reminded, “The first draft is nothing more than a starting point,” as Andrew Stanton urges. You do not have to get the words out perfectly the first time; you just have to get them down. Remember, editing (and editing over and over again) exists for a reason! Below you’ll find excellent articles from around the web this past week. From the future of textbooks to how to get your first academic paper published, and so much in-between, I know you’ll find an article that is useful to you. And, as always, happy writing!

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