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 "Many thanks for the wonderful opportunity to participate in the TAA conference. The weather was perfect, the topics and presenters were excellent, and all events were superbly organized. I joined the TAA after attending Tara Gray's informative workshop 'Publish and Flourish' last June. Since then, I have published three articles in peer-reviewed journals. I just wanted to acknowledge that I wouldn't have accomplished that without her help. This is also the first time I attended the TAA conference. I enjoyed friendly atmosphere during all the sessions. I gained new insights and inspiration from the leading experts in the field of publishing educational texts. I also enjoyed forays into the history and culture of Buffalo, the jewel of Western New York." — Victoria A. Malko, Ed.D., California State University, Fresno "Congratulations on the success of the most recent TAA Conference in Buffalo. The hotel was excellent. Buffalo was friendly and Niagara Falls breathtaking. The TAA sessions were most productive with the speakers giving insightful information. I do hope that all participants realized the value for the money expended. It is my view that the TAA conference this year was the best yet." — Charles Williams, University of Florida, author of Personal Fitness: Looking Good/Feeling Good "As you know, this was my first TAA conference and you may have surmised it surely was not my first professional conference. I honestly can say this was one of the best conferences I've ever attended. You did a great job. I'm delighted I joined TAA and look forward to contributing to it and benefiting from it in the years ahead." — Michael D. Spiegler, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Psychology, Providence College |
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 August 10, 2007
2008 TAA Conference to be held June 20-21 at Harrah's in Las Vegas TAA's 2008 TAA Conference on Text and Academic Authoring will be held June 20-21 at Harrah's in Las Vegas. The room rate will be $99 per night. Harrah's is located on the Las Vegas strip between the Imperial Palace and Casino Royale, across from the Mirage. Both the sleeping and meeting rooms will be located in the hotel's Mardi Gras Tower. Visit the Harrah's Las Vegas website at https://www.harrahs.com/casinos/harrahs-las-vegas/hotel-casino/property-home.shtml How
to improve your role in the peer review process
Manuscript peer review is the essential element in promoting quality and excellence in papers published in scientific and professional journals because it provides authors with the opportunity to improve the quality of their submitted manuscript. Individuals who participate in the peer review process provide a valuable service to their colleagues and enhance the literature in their discipline. The strength and vitality of publications in academics' individual professions and disciplines is centered on the premise of the peer review process. Serving as manuscript peer reviewer is an important, critical professional activity, yet most peer reviewers do not receive any mentoring in the process from their colleagues. Peer review is only as good as the individuals who participate. Individuals who provide constructive reviews can enhance their own writing skills and extend their professional reputation through editors who will often look to good reviewers as future journal editorial advisory board members. When reviewing a journal, read and evaluate the manuscript from different three perspectives, and employing three critical assumptions: First
Perspective: Read the manuscript and gain an understanding
of the content and focus of the work. Here are some additional suggestions for how peer reviewers can improve the quality of their role in the peer review process: * Read any documentation provided by the journal on the style, content or process for the submitted review. Many journals also provide a series of questions reviewers should address in the review. If this is unclear, a reviewer should discuss any concerns with the journal editor. The review process is increasingly being conducted using websites that enable the reviewer to answer specific questions requested by the journal, to enter their comments directly, or to upload their reviews. * Write the review after reading the manuscript for the second or third time. Use constructive and courteous language in a format that enables the authors to understand the article's strengths and to address its limitations. * Complete reviews in a timely manner by the date requested by the editor. If there will be delay in submitting the review, let the editor know. Reviewers shouldn't hinder the manuscript process or increase the article author's anxiety by making them wait even longer to hear about their submission. Dr. Gayle A. Brazeau is an Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the University of Buffalo. She serves on several editorial advisory boards for scientific and educational journals. Transcripts available for three 2007 TAA Conference sessions The Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) has created transcripts of three 2007 TAA Conference sessions: "A Play of Words: Acting Out Contract Negotiations"; "Google Book Search: Opportunities for Academic Publishers and Authors in the Online Channel"; and "It's 2007. Do You Know Where Your Editor Is?" CCC will also be offering these sessions as podcasts on its Beyond the Book website: http://www.beyondthebookcast.com/ Read the transcripts
as PDF files: The purpose of writing is to transmit ideas, says Andrew Johnson, professor of Holistic Education at Minnesota State University, Mankato, not to show the reader how much you know about a particular subject. "I approach articles and books as if the reader knows nothing," he said. "I enter a teaching mode, trying to make things as simple as possible. I have to bring my ideas to the reader. I'm not famous enough for the reader to come to me." Johnson shares some tips for making your writing more readable:
Information key to win-win contract: Play 20 questions with your editor When negotiating a contract with an acquistions editor, gather as much information as you can about that person during the negotiation, said Steve Gillen, a publishing attorney with Greenebaum Doll & McDonald PLLC. "The more information you can gather about their interests, objectives, constraints, etc., the better armed you will be for the negotiation," he said. "Ask the editor questions about herself to find out how close she is to reaching her new contract signings goal (and possibly earning a bonus). The higher the advance, the more attention the acquisition editor will pay to your book." The traditional approach to negotiation, said Gillen, is to view it as a zero sum game where any advantage to you comes at the expense of the other side. "Accordingly, most negotiators employing this approach play their cards close to the vest and only reluctantly disclose any information about their own interests and objectives," he said. "However, in negotiations over intellectual property rights the pie is potentially limitless -- the object should be not to keep your opponent's piece small, but instead should be to make sure that the rights end up in the hands of the party best positioned to exploit them. You can effectively accomplish this objective without sharing some information with your opponent." The less you know about each other during the contract negotiations, Gillen said, the more likely it is that you will leave money on the table: "It's more advantageous for both parties to learn something about each other when negotiating a publishing contract. You want to leave the negotiation with both parties feeling good about the deal; feeling like it was a win-win situation. The negotiation is just the first step in the process of producing a book. You will need to work with this editor throughout the process, and a good relationship will go a long way in making it a smooth one." Gillen shares
21 questions to ask your editor during the contract negotiations:
Six of this year's Texty and McGuffey winners attended the TAA Awards Luncheon in Buffalo, New York June 21 during the 2007 TAA Conference on Text and Academic Authoring. After being presented with their awards from TAA President John Wakefield, Texty winners Frank Wilson, author of Finite Mathematics and Applied Calculus; Gregory Lewbart, author of Invertebrate Medicine, Judy Sklar Rasminsky, co-author of Challenging Behavior in Young Children: Understanding, Preventing, and Responding Effectively; Joseph Healey, author of Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Class: The Sociology of Group Conflict & Change; and Fred Kleiner, author of A History of Roman Art; and McGuffey winner Michael Sullivan, author of College Algebra; participated in a Q&A session with attendees. Q: What did you try to do different with your book? Joseph Healey: "I wanted to keep it simple and try not to tell everything about the subject. I focused on 4-5 key points and structured the book like a story, with a beginning, middle and end. I presented an analytical framework, applied it to case studies, and wrapped it up with a conclusion. I attempted to tell stories as well using several micro and macro stories. I approached the textbook with few assumptions about what knowledge students would bring." Frank Wilson: "I brought in interesting, real-life applications that make math interesting and then pulled the applications out of the stories. For example, my book includes 'Make it real' projects in which students gather data from areas of interest to their life and then use math to find the results." Q: "Does your book include ancillaries and did you do them yourself?" Michael Sullivan: "It isn't so much that you do your own ancillaries, but that you have control over it. My son did my first ancillaries." Frank Wilson: "I did my first ancillaries. It helped me work my own homework problems." Q: "How did you get started in textbook authoring?" Fred Kleiner: "I was seduced by the ability to teach on a larger scale. Money was secondary. I knew the moment I was hooked: when I was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and saw a student reading my book right in front of me." Joseph Healey: "Writing textbooks is hard, painful and difficult, but I really like it." Frank Wilson: "I wrote my book to address the student question, "When am I ever going to use this?". I started out writing supplements. After doing that for a while I thought 'I can write a book.' I put in a proposal to the publisher for whom I had written supplements. My reputation with them led to a contract. I now have three books out and four in the works." Judy Sklar Rasminsky: "I'm a freelance writer. I've worked for trade book publishers and magazines. The writing of this textbook was a big departure for me. My coauthor came from the day care frontlines. One of the children turned her center upside down because none of the teachers knew how to deal with his behavior. When she talked to her colleagues in the field, she discovered this was a common problem—they also needed help with difficult behavior. That was the origin of our book. It was originally conceived as a booklet for teachers. It was 40 pages long because it had to be short, easy to read, and practical. It was first published by the Canadian Child Care Federation and distributed to every day care center in Canada. Then it was distributed to the 30,000 members of the National Association for the Education of Young Children in the United States. Both the Canadian and American editions of this booklet are still in print and bestsellers. But we [Rasminsky and coauthor Barbara Kaiser] thought there was much more to say, and we wanted to reach out to students. This book is an expansion of the original booklet. It contains information and research-based strategies from several disciplines and combines my coauthor's practical frontline experience with my writing skills." Gregory Lewbart: "I had been writing some chapters and a publisher approached me to write some short case studies for a book. I had had an idea for the Invertebrate Medicine book in 1993, but the publisher thought the market wasn't ready for such a specialized book. In 2001 an acquisitions editor (from a different publisher) met with me and subsequently sent me a contract." Texty, McGuffey authors share award-winning advice, thoughts on their award, and their bios: Click here
TAA Council Member Tara Gray received the first annual Paul Anderson Memorial Membership Award for her efforts to attract new TAA members. Gray is the presenter of the TAA sponsored workshop "Publish & Flourish: Become A Prolific Scholar." The award was presented at a dinner sponsored by the TAA Foundation at the Hyatt Regency Buffalo in Buffalo, New York June 21.
Outgoing TAA Vice President Christopher Harris was awarded TAA's 2007 Mike Keedy Award, which recognizes dedicated work on behalf of authors. The Mike Keedy Award is named after TAA Founder Mike Keedy. The award was presented at the 2007 TAA Awards Luncheon, held during the 2007 TAA Conference on Text and Academic Authoring in Buffalo, NY June 22.
TAA Associate Executive Director Kim Pawlak was awarded TAA's 2007 Norma Hood Award, which recognizes devotion and commitment to the association. The Norma Hood Award is named after TAA's second executive director Norma Hood. The award was presented at the 2007 TAA Awards Luncheon, held during the 2007 TAA Conference on Text and Academic Authoring in Buffalo, NY June 22. Pawlak also received a Norma Hood Award in 2003, and a Mike Keedy Award, which recognizes dedicated work on behalf of authors, in 2000. Lennie receives 2007 President's Award TAA Council Member Michael Lennie was awarded the 2007 TAA President's Award by TAA President John Wakefield. The President's Award is given annually to someone who in the current President' view has great potential for service in TAA. The award was presented at the 2007 TAA Awards Luncheon, held during the 2007 TAA Conference on Text and Academic Authoring in Buffalo, NY June 22. Sullivan receives 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award TAA Interim Treasurer and TAA Past President Michael Sullivan was awarded the 2007 TAA Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes a lifetime of excellence in authoring and a career of support and service to authors. Winners are also recognized for having fulfilled the highest ideal of the association. The award was presented at the 2007 TAA Awards Luncheon, held during the 2007 TAA Conference on Text and Academic Authoring in Buffalo, NY June 22. 2008 TAA Conference to be held in Las Vegas The 2008 TAA Conference will be held in Las Vegas. The tentative date for the conference is June 20-21. The final date will depend on the choice of the hotel and its availability on that date. The Council had considered holding next year's conference in Chicago, but the lowest hotel rate that could be secured was $179, and that was for a hotel far from its preferred location on Chicago's Magnificent Mile. If you have any ideas for conference session topics, or would like to present at the 2008 TAA Conference, please contact Conference Chair Paul Siegel at PSiegel@hartford.edu or (860) 768-5418. |
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