A Publishing Strategy to Last a Career

By John Bond

Early in one’s career, academics and researchers focus on individual wins (read: getting published). Long term, however, they are better served by developing a personalized Publishing Strategy. This may sound highfalutin, but it is simpler than it sounds and easier to develop and curate over time than most people think.

First, what is a Publishing Strategy? A Publishing Strategy is a long-term, intentional plan for when, where, and how you publish your research, aligned with your academic goals, research agenda, and career stage. Most people only start to think about this after achieving their first position in academia. They’re anxious to get their first publication under their belt. It is gratifying, invalidating. This first publication might enable them to fulfill a requirement for employment or for a research grant. These first few wins are important, but I suggest you quickly move past them to develop a wider plan.

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2025 TAA Conference Bookstore Featured Book: ‘Writing With Purpose, Peace & Passion: A Guide for Sustaining Your Academic Writing’

If you are an academic finding the writing difficult to do over time, you are not alone. It is one thing to master the skill of academic writing and publishing. It is quite another to keep writing over many years. Writing With Purpose, Peace & Passion: A Guide for Sustaining Your Academic Writing, by Margarita Huerta, is for anyone wanting help with sustaining an academic writing practice.

Purchase in the 2025 TAA Conference Bookstore

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Mastering Consistency: The Power of a Style Guide

By Robert Christopherson

A key to facilitate the flow of manuscript through the production process is an author-prepared Style Guide, or Editorial Style Guide, specific to the author’s book. The Style Guide is sent along with the manuscript to editors, project managers, CEs, and DEs. The Guide adds efficiency to the writing process and eliminates countless back-and-forth to check what the author wants and prefers.

There are several comprehensive published style guides available. For the past 35 years, I found the The Chicago Manual of Style most helpful, now in its 18/e. I think I first used the 1969, 12/e.  The first edition of the CMOS was 1906. What I am suggesting here is a short, personalized Style Guide, specific to your writing. My texts are in Earth systems science and physical geography. Your guide will vary depending on your subject discipline.

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How to Start Writing (Even When You Don’t Know What You Want to Say!)

By Nathan Pritts

I’ve seen how writing—whether through a short reflection, a shared strategy, or a full article—can become a powerful tool for professional development. It’s about refining ideas, sparking discussions, and contributing to a community of practice.

But after a recent faculty workshop I led, a colleague pulled me aside and said, ‘I’d love to write more, but I have no idea what I’d even say.’ If this sounds familiar, here’s what I want you to know: You already have something worth sharing.

What might seem obvious or routine to you, isn’t to everyone else. I’ve seen this firsthand in my own work when I’ve delivered faculty training and said things as simple as, “Spread your discussion board responses throughout the week” or “Make sure to respond to students who respond to you.” These aren’t groundbreaking ideas, but they’re useful. And when something is useful, it’s worth sharing.

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How to Bring More Joy into Your Writing

By Angelica Ribeiro, PhD

Recently, I found myself feeling good after a writing session. Even though I hadn’t completed a project, I was more focused, productive, and creative during that time, which made the experience more enjoyable. It was great to have a writing session that felt better than previous ones. But what made it better? As I reflected on this, I realized it was likely because I had rearranged my office shortly before I began to write. You might wonder, “How does rearranging my office impact my writing?” Let me explain.

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Do Your Publishing Research; Then Follow It

By John Bond

I have spoken to a fair share of happy authors over the years. Conversely, I have spoken with some disenchanted ones. They may have submitted their book idea (or whole manuscript) to several publishers and gotten no offer of publication. Also, some authors may submit a manuscript they labored over to a peer review journal and gotten nothing but the dreaded reject. No doubt this is a disheartening experience. It can hurt.

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