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.
4 Textbook writing blogs you should be following
Academic writing focused blogs are easy to come by in today’s digital world. Textbook writing blogs, however, are not so…
Develop a master publisher and writing contacts list for your textbook
Since 1987, when Robert Christopherson signed the contract for the first edition of his now best-selling textbook, Geosystems, his textbooks have gone through five different owners, and he has had 14 different editors and hundreds of editorial assistants. “Such dynamics in the publishing landscape is quite typical of the industry,” said Christopherson, who textbooks are now published with Pearson.
Two veteran authors share how to research the market for your textbook idea
Researching other textbooks in the market is an important step in determining whether your textbook idea is a viable one.…
Should you teach from your own textbook?
In a recent discussion in the Textbook Writing & Publishing Discussion Circle in TAA’s online member community regarding whether professors…