2026 TAA Institute for Textbook & Academic Authors

June 12-13, 2026 | Virtual | Registration opens on January 1, 2026

   

Join us for the Textbook & Academic Authors Association's first-ever TAA Institute for Textbook & Academic Authors, designed to support authors across different experience levels. Do a deep dive on topics especially important to you!

The Event Will Also Feature:

• A Keynote Presentation by Futurist Bryan Alexander
• Mentoring sessions with veteran authors and industry experts
• Co-Working Sessions for focused writing time
• A Learning Library packed with authoring resources
• A bookstore where you can feature your books and build your personal library

2026 MICHAEL SULLIVAN LECTURE KEYNOTE | Friday, June 12 | 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. ET

How the AI Revolution is Impacting the Future of Textbook & Academic Publishing

Presenter: Bryan Alexander, Futurist

Join published academic book author and futurist Bryan Alexander as he explores the impact the "AI revolution" is having on the future of textbook and academic publishing. This interactive and engaging talk will explore emerging and potential AI uses in the textbook world, including:

• Publishers using it to create or assist in making manuscript reviews, indexes, art, and marketing
• Developing bots for reader interactions with materials
• Authors rapidly creating textbooks with AI
• Questions around content licensing, AI and copyright
• Sustained academic and popular opposition to general AI

He will conclude with several scenarios for possible textbook futures. Learn more about the Michael Sullivan Lecture on Textbook & Academic Authoring.

The keynote will be followed by a full hour conversation and Q&A for an extended discussion of these topics.

Bryan Alexander is an award–winning, internationally known futurist, researcher, writer, speaker, consultant, and teacher, working in the field of higher education’s future. He is a senior scholar at Georgetown University and teaches graduate seminars in their Learning, Design, and Technology program. From 2002-2014 he worked with the National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education (NITLE), a non-profit working to help small colleges and universities best integrate digital technologies. In 2013 Bryan launched Bryan Alexander Consulting, LLC, where he consults throughout higher education in the United States and abroad. He speaks widely and has published in The Atlantic Monthly and Inside Higher Ed. His book, Academia Next: The Futures of Higher Education (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2020), won an Association of Professional Futurists award. His latest book, Universities on Fire: Higher Education in the Age of Climate Crisis, appeared in 2023 and won the 2025 Frederic W. Ness Book Award. He has also authored Peak Higher Ed: How to Survive the Emerging Academic Crisis, Gearing Up For Learning Beyond K-12, and The New Digital Storytelling (2e).

LEARNING LABS

All Learning Labs will take place concurrently on Saturday, June 13, 2026 from 1:00-4:00 p.m. ET.

Presenters: Dr. Wendy Tietz, Accounting Professor, Kent State University, and Dr. Tracie L. Miller, Department Chair of Accounting, Franklin University, and authors of successful textbooks in multiple editions

Successful textbook authoring requires continual reinvention, strong professional relationships, and deliberate strategic planning, all while balancing authoring demands with teaching and personal life. In this Learning Lab designed for experienced authors, Wendy Tietz, PhD, and Tracie Miller, PhD, will share practical strategies for sustaining a successful textbook authoring career.

Drawing on more than 35 years of combined experience as the authors of multiple Pearson accounting textbooks, Drs. Tietz and Miller will share insights on how to plan effective revisions, build productive relationships with coauthors and editors, and maintain creativity and motivation across multiple editions. They will discuss how to use instructor, reviewer, and student feedback to guide revision plans, as well as how conference participation can inspire fresh ideas. The session will also address long-term textbook authoring considerations such as succession planning, ongoing professional growth and support, and leveraging AI tools to enhance author productivity. This session will offer practical ideas and renewed inspiration for experienced textbook authors.

Learning Lab attendees will discuss:

1. Revision Planning
• Developing a story for the next edition
• Beginning revision planning during the current edition
• Using instructor and reviewer data to guide updates
• Incorporating feedback from students through continued teaching
• Leveraging conference attendance for inspiration and relevance
2. Coauthors and Editors
• Building and maintaining productive relationships
• Navigating editorial changes
• Succession planning and continuity for long-term projects
3. Longevity and Well-Being as an Author
• Managing workload and deadlines
• Hiring and managing an assistant
• Continuing professional development
• Leveraging AI tools for efficiency and idea generation

Dr. Wendy Tietz, PhD, CMA, CPA, CGMA, CSCA, CITP, is an accounting professor at Kent State University in Ohio. She teaches introductory financial and managerial accounting, as well as advanced management accounting and advanced accounting analytics and technology. A nationally recognized educator, Dr. Tietz has received multiple teaching awards for her innovative approaches to accounting education. She has been authoring textbooks since 2007 and is co-author of three Pearson Education titles: Financial Accounting (14th edition, 2025), Managerial Accounting (7th edition, 2022), and Financial Accounting for Decision Makers (1st edition, 2026) which are used in many universities and colleges. Passionate about enhancing student learning through engagement and technology, she regularly presents at conferences across North America on topics including AI, Excel, data analytics, and instructional design.

Dr. Tracie L. Miller, CPA, is an accomplished accounting educator, administrator, and professional leader with more than two decades of experience advancing the profession through teaching, scholarship, and service. She currently serves as Department Chair of Accounting at Franklin University, where she prepares the next generation of accountants by embedding data analytics, technology, and real-world application into accounting education. She also teaches as an adjunct faculty member at Austin Community College, where she previously served as Assistant Department Chair. She is also the author of Accounting, 15e, Financial and Managerial Accounting, 9e, and Survey of Accounting, 1e, all published by Pearson, which are widely used in introductory accounting education across colleges and universities.

New & Aspiring Textbook Authors

Coming soon!

Presenter: Christine Tulley, Author, How Writing Faculty Write, and Dissertation Coach, Defend and Publish

After years of publishing success, even the most accomplished scholars can find their writing practices feeling routine or uninspired. This intensive writing lab is designed specifically for veteran academic and textbook writers seeking to reinvigorate their craft and strategically plan their scholarly legacy.

Through collaborative discussion and practical exercises, participants will explore techniques for breaking through mid-career plateaus, experimenting with new genres and methodologies, and rediscovering the intellectual curiosity that first drove their work.

Learning Lab attendees will:

• Develop personalized strategies for sustaining productivity and creativity in their remaining scholarly years
• Create a concrete legacy pipeline mapping major projects, timelines, and resource needs
• Learn techniques for balancing mentorship responsibilities with protecting writing time
• Explore emerging formats and platforms for maximizing scholarly impact
• Connect with peers facing similar mid-career transitions and challenges

Whether you're contemplating a capstone monograph, exploring digital scholarship, or seeking to refine your textbook writing for evolving pedagogical needs, this lab offers a supportive space to reflect, reconnect, and chart an intentional path forward.

The Learning Lab will be followed by a full hour conversation and Q&A for an extended discussion of these topics.

Christine Tulley is the owner and president of Defend, Publish & Lead, LLC. She is the founder and director of the MA in Rhetoric and Writing at The University of Findlay and currently directs all faculty writing support, including development of tenure and promotion support materials and faculty writing groups. She is a regular contributor to Inside Higher Education and the author of several books on faculty writing support including Productivity, Professionalism, and Parenting (Routledge 2025), Faculty Writing Research (WAC Clearinghouse 2025) and How Writing Faculty Write (Utah State University Press 2018).

NEW & ASPIRING ACADEMIC AUTHORS 

It Takes a SYSTEM: Surviving and Thriving as an Academic Author

Presenter: Dr. Patricia (Pat) Goodson, Author, Becoming an Academic Writer: 50 Exercises for Paced, Productive, and Powerful Writing (3e) – Winner of the TAA Textbook Excellence Award (2018)

Succeeding as an academic writer requires more than isolated strategies or tools—it demands a well-developed, multi-dimensional, and intentional system. In this lab participants will learn what constitutes a useful writing system, its elements, and which resources are available to support  them as they design or re-configure a system of their own. By focusing on deliberate practice and self-awareness, participants will examine their own/current writing systems and complement it (or develop it for the first time) with sustainable behaviors, perspectives, tools, and support. 

In this Lab participants will:

• Explore strategies to implement a productive and sustainable writing habit that can carry them throughout their academic careers.
• Examine their current writing practices and supplement or redesign them based on recommendations offered.
• Familiarize themselves with tools and resources available to support their academic writing.
• Network with other Lab participants as a step toward developing a support sub-system, within TAA.

Patricia Goodson, Ph.D. is a Presidential Professor for Teaching Excellence (Emerita) from the Texas A&M School of Public Health. At Texas A&M she founded and directed POWER Services, a volunteer-led program to support graduate students’ and faculty’s academic writing. She has authored three books on academic writing: Becoming an Academic Writer: 50 Exercises for Paced, Productive, and Powerful Writing (3e); 90 Days, 90 Ways: Inspiration, Tips & Strategies for Academic Writers (co-authored with Dr. Mina Beigi and Dr. Melika Shirmohammadi), and Keep Writing: 101 Strategies for Academic Writers (with Dr. Margarita Huerta).

SCHEDULE

Friday, June 12, 2026 (All times are in ET)

Saturday, June 13, 2026 (All times are in ET)

• Be a TAA member in good standing.
• Be currently untenured.
• Have not published a textbook.
• Have published no more than 2 journal articles to date.