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.”

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The Importance of Textbooks

By Charles Corbin

Any of us who have served in academia, especially those who are at research intensive universities, are aware of the many anti-text arguments. Numerous hours are spent in tenure, promotion, and salary (merit raise) meetings debating what “counts” as scholarship and what doesn’t. Often textbooks are discounted. In a journal article published in Kinesiology Review in 2022, The Importance of Textbooks in Kinesiology, my coauthors, Hyeonho Yu, Diane L. Gill, and I, offer a historical perspective on the role of textbooks in physical education and kinesiology. The historical perspective provides a base for the discussion of topics related to the value of textbooks in our field and more broadly in all fields.

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WIPO Publishes Contracts Toolkit for Authors and Publishers

The World Intellectual Property Association (WIPO) has published a new toolkit for authors and publishers that includes “a checklist of the most essential considerations while drafting and concluding a contract.”

Contracts in Publishing: A Toolkit for Authors and Publishers, was drafted by Brian Wafawarowa, Chairperson of the Publishers Association of South Africa (PASA), and Isobel Dixon, a renowned South African poet and Head of Books at Blake Friedmann Literary Agency in the UK, in consultation with several international author and publisher organizations.

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2024 TAA Textbook Award Winners Share Insight, Inspiration

Fifty-six textbooks were awarded 2024 Textbook Awards by TAA, representing more than 100 authors. We recently reached out to these award-winning authors asking several questions, including how they fit writing time into their schedule, what pedagogical elements in their textbook they are most proud of, and what they wish they had known before they started writing their textbook. We hope their answers provide insight and inspiration for your writing projects.

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Cengage Seeking New Textbook Authors

Cengage, the leading provider of higher education materials, is currently seeking new textbook authors across all disciplines to join its creative team.

“While we’re eager to collaborate on full-length narratives, we’re equally interested in working with writers on smaller, focused projects as well,” said Erika Longstreth, Cengage’s Author Relations Manager. “If you’re a writer looking to contribute your unique viewpoint, whether through a comprehensive narrative or more targeted endeavor, we’d love to hear from you.”

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Why You Shouldn’t Publish a Custom Textbook (And Why You Should)

By Sierra Pawlak

In her 2023 TAA webinar, “Is Custom Textbook Publishing Right for You?” Rebecca Paynter describes the journey of creating a custom textbook. Paynter is the associate director of the editorial team at the University of Arizona Global Campus, or UAGC. UAGC hosts online courses that are five weeks long, “which is not a lot of time for students to read a traditional textbook in full,” says Paynter. Because of this, her department creates custom textbooks for many of these courses, with the help of “faculty and other subject matter experts to better meet student needs… and potentially [create] books that can meet unmet needs out in the broader market,” she says.

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