2006 TAA Convention
Orlando, Florida
July 7-8

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Pre-Convention News

• Note from TAA Executive Director
• Lulu president filling in for Spain at TAA Convention
• Continental breakfast / check-in Friday at 8 a.m.
• Join fellow convention attendees in TAA hospitality suite
• Don't forget to sign up for one-on-one sessions with an authoring attorney
• Transportation from airport to the Grosvenor
• Lange to do presentation on Google Book Search
• Registration deadline extended
• Members share their TAA Convention experiences
• Google Book Search Explained
  
• Wakefield to report on Chilean textbook seminar at TAA Convention
• Alternate avenues for your existing academic content
• Marketing tips and strategies
• Learn how to develop a good relationship with your publisher
• Beyond the Three R's: The policies and politics of textbooks adoptions
• How "Talking Books" can expand market potential
• Learn about contracts, permissions
• TAA to hold special dinner for Fellows
• Convention session: Tax tips for authors
• Convention session: The ultimate price of defending your copyright
• Convention session: Quality, quantity and variety: Pointers for becoming a prolific author
• Convention session: Talk tips with Texty and McGuffey winners
• Convention hospitality suite
• Gray to present her 'Publish & Flourish' workshop at TAA convention
• How students with disabilities are shaping the future of textbook publishing
• Convention session: contracts & permissions
• Take advantage of free one-on-one sessions with an authoring attorney
• Call for convention presenters, ideas

Note from TAA Executive Director

Dear TAA 2006 Convention Registrants:

I am looking forward to meeting many of you at our Orlando convention. We chose this site as a safer one than the original New Orleans location and as a place where you can bring your family and be assured of a great time for them as well as yourself!

This is my first convention as Executive Director, and it is important to me to meet as many of you personally as I can. Please don't hesitate to introduce yourself to me and make me aware of what you want TAA to be for you and your writing career. I will have many exciting developments to tell you about.

It is one of the great traditions of this organization that attendees coalesce into informal dinner groups, so make your interest in going out with others evident, and don't be shy!

My hope is that every one of us will come away from this convention enthusiastic about TAA and resolved to make abundant use of its resources in the coming year. And don't forget to register for next year's convention! We will have great early convention registration rates!

Richard T. Hull, Ph.D.
Executive Director, TAA & TAAF
rthull62@hotmail.com

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Lulu president filling in for Spain at TAA Convention

Gart Davis, president of Lulu.com, will take the place of David Spain, Lulu's director of sales on the TAA Convention panel, "Alternate avenues for your existing academic content," due to a scheduling conflict on Spain's part. In an e-mail to TAA announcing the change, Spain said: "Our organization is very keen to participate....Please keep me in mind for future events; I'm a very big fan of what your organization is doing." For more on Lulu.com's portion of the presentation, click here.

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Continental breakfast / check-in Friday at 8 a.m.

Pick up your registration materials and mingle with other convention attendees during the convention's continental breakfast/check-in on Friday, July 7 between 8 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.

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Join fellow convention attendees in TAA hospitality suite

Mingle with your fellow authors and others in TAA's Hospitality Suite Friday, July 7 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday, July 8 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. This is where, traditionally, convention attendees make group dinner plans. Check with the registration desk for the location of the TAA Hospitality Suite (located within The Grosvenor Resort).

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Don't forget to sign up for one-on-one sessions with an authoring attorney

Authoring attorney and agent Michael Lennie, of Lennie Literary Agency & Authors' Attorneys, and authoring attorney Steve Gillen, of Greenbaum Doll & McDonald PLLC, will be offering free 15-minute one-on-one sessions during the TAA Convention in Orlando. To sign up for a session, contact Janet Tucker at TEXT@tampabay.rr.com

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Transportation from airport to the Grosvenor

A Mears Transportation shuttle from Orlando International Airport to The Grosvenor is $18 one way and $30 round trip. You can pay in advance on the Mears Transportation website: www.mearstransportation.com

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Lange to do presentation on Google Book Search

Roland Lange, strategic partner development manager with Google Book Search, will discuss Google in Brief; the Google Book Search Vision; Partner Program (free worldwide search marketing); New Initiatives (new ways for publishers to sell their books); and Google Library Project, building an on-line card catalog; at the TAA Convention in Orlando in June. Lange works with North American publishers of all specialties and sizes. He brings to the job more than 10 years of trade book publishing experience, most recently with Farrar, Straus & Giroux. He has also worked in the sales departments of Perseus Books Group, Harcourt Trade and Penguin. A graduate of Cornell University, he also has start-up experience as a vice president, sales with the new media start-up Jungle Media Group, publishers of Jungle and Jungle Law magazines.

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Registration deadline extended

TAA has extended the early bird registration deadline for the TAA Convention in Orlando, and the workshop by Tara Gray to June 1. Convention registration is $75 for members before June 1, $125 after; registration for non-members is $125 before June 1, $175 after. Registration for Gray's workshop is $175 for TAA members before June 1, $225 after. The cost for non-members is $225 before June 1, $275 after.

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Members share their TAA Convention experiences

Charles S. Williams, author of "Personal Fitness: Looking Good/Feeling Good," winner of a TAA Textbook Excellence Award and TAA William Holmes McGuffey Longevity Award in 2005, said this about TAA's annual conventions:

"Information gained at TAA conferences would have saved me a lot of trial and error experiences and saved me time. The presentations at the conference were fantastic and would help all authors at any stage of their writing." Charles P. "Pat" McKeague, a full time writer and a part time instructor at Cuesta College, who has published over 16 textbooks in mathematics, from basic mathematics through trigonometry, said this about TAA's conventions: "I attended the first TAA conference in Las Vegas and was very impressed with the other attendees. It was enlightening to talk with other authors, and share our concerns."

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Google Book Search explained

Tom Turvey, head of Google Book Search Partnerships, has agreed to share the company's vision of the services they are offering to thousands of book publishers worldwide today participating in Google Book Search, and how it has revolutionized both the discovery of books worldwide and increased book sales, during his TAA Convention presentation, "Google Book Search: Fact from Fiction," Saturday, July 8 from 1:15 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

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Wakefield to report on Chilean textbook seminar at TAA Convention

TAA President John Wakefield will give a report at the TAA Convention in July about his trip to the First International Seminar on Textbooks, to be held in Santiago, Chile, April 19-21.

The seminar, which is sponsored by the Chilean Ministry of Education, will feature plenary and panel sessions. Plenary speakers are scheduled to be Mr. Thomas Duffy (Indiana University, USA), speaking on "The Textbook of the Future: a Construction of the Teacher and the Learner;" Mrs. Bente Aamotsbakken (Norway) and Mrs. Susan Knudsen (Denmark) speaking on "Web Designed Learning Resources in Cooperation with Textbooks;" Mr. Mike Horsley (Australia) speaking on "Textbook Pedagogy: A Sociocultural Analysis;" Mr. Jaime Martinez (Spain) speaking on a yet to be determined topic; and Mr. Stephen Heyneman (Vanderbilt University, USA) speaking on "The Place of Textbooks and Textbook Policy in a Modern Education System."

Wakefield is scheduled to be on two panels and to present two papers: one on textbook pedagogy ("Textbooks That Teach: Structure and Design of Textbooks for Educational Purposes") and the other on textbook usage ("Textbook Usage in the United States: The Case of U.S. History"). The internet link to seminar information listing all the speakers and their topics is: http://www.textosescolares.cl/seminario/

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Alternate avenues for your existing academic content

David Spain, director of sales, business development, for Lulu, an open marketplace for publishing digital content, will serve on a TAA Convention panel entitled "Alternate Avenues For Your Existing Academic Content: Blogs, Web Publishing, Tradebooks, Self-Publishing."

Spain will talk about how Lulu's print on demand technology can be used by authors to publish their materials. "Authors of all types can utilize Lulu's free online tools to publish their work in a matter of minutes," he said. "The author has complete control over the publishing process from copyright, to layout, to pricing."

Lulu harnesses print on demand (POD) technology, meaning books will only be printed once an order has been placed. "It is a turnkey solution; we handle all commerce, printing, fulfillment, and distribution for you," said Spain. "Should you establish a royalty for your work, we provide royalty payments quarterly. There are no exclusive contracts; you can simply use Lulu as a resource for as long as you're happy."

>From an educational standpoint, the issue is clear, said Spain: "The cost of traditional textbooks continues to rise as the need for customization grows. Students are forced to pay exorbitant amounts for a book they are not fully utilizing. To supplement that text, more and more educators are developing their own course curriculum." As the amount of self-developed material grows, so does the need for an effective solution, he said, and Lulu provides a professional and effective outlet to publish and distribute that work. 

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Marketing tips and strategies

Geography author Robert Christopherson, whose four textbooks, including Elemental Geosystems and Applied Physical Geography, are the market leaders in the U.S. and Canada in physical geography, has agreed to serve on the TAA Convention panel, "Marketing Tips and Strategies." "I am aggressive in production and post-production support for my textbooks as part of an expanded view of marketing," he said. Some of the strategies he plans to talk about include: text-specific letterhead and business cards; a mailing address and e-mail address in the Preface; an accompanying CD-ROM; author involvement in ancillary production; working the booth at professional meetings.

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Learn how to develop a good relationship with your publisher

Marilyn "Winkie" Fordney, the author or co-author of more than 50 books in three different medical career fields, some of which were the first in the field, has agreed to serve on the TAA Convention panel, "Publisher-Author Relations." She will share her experience of more than 30 years of writing and dealing with publishers during the Saturday, July 8 session. Some of the topics she plans to cover include: Getting to know your editor's business and personal background; how to develop good rapport; do's and don'ts of developing good working relations; methods of communicating; solutions in interacting with a difficult editor.

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Beyond the Three R's: The policies and politics of textbook adoptions

Christopher Stream, assistant professor of public administration at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who was designated as principal investigator by TAA for a potential grant to study state adoption policies and practices for textbooks, will present an update of his textbook adoption study, "Beyond The Three R's: The Policies and Politics of Textbook Adoptions," at the TAA Convention in Orlando. In this first part of the study, he introduces the topic of textbook adoptions in the U.S. and briefly mentions the major camps involved (schools, states, publishers, and special interest groups). He also plans to offer a general history of textbook adoptions in the United States and explain the range in special interest group involvement. "I will also give a picture of where we are today -- and the current debate (for example Intelligent Design)," he said. "I will conclude with a loose recommendation directed toward state policymakers."

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How "Talking Books" can expand market potential

Roger J. Steinberg III, product specialist for Kurzweil Educational Systems, Inc., will join Robert Martinengo, co-founder of the Center for Accessible Publishing, for a TAA Convention panel presentation on "The Accessible Author: How Students with Disabilities are Shaping the Future of Textbook Publishing," Steinberg will discuss text-speech technology and how it is being used by individuals, schools and other institutions. He will demonstrate, using Kurzweil's two assistive technology products, Kurzweil 1000 and Kurzweil 3000, how pages from a textbook can be scanned and turned into a "talking book" in a matter of minutes. The Kurzweil 1000 is an advanced scanning and reading solution for the blind or visually impaired. The Kurzweil 3000 is a scanning, reading and writing solution for people with learning disabilities or reading difficulties. "This technology is in widespread use and even students who are not necessarily disabled can benefit from it," said Martinengo. To learn more about Kurzweil's assistive technology products, visit www.kurzweiledu.com/products.asp

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Learn about contracts, permissions

Authoring attorney and literary agent Michael Lennie, of Lennie Literary and Authors' Attorneys, authoring attorney Steve Gillen, with Greenbaum Doll & McDonald PLLC, and Barbara Waxer, a multi-media textbook author for Thomson Course Technology, and co-author of Internet Surf and Turf: The Essential Guide to Copyright, Fair Use, and Finding Media, will serve on a TAA Convention panel on contracts and permissions, Saturday, July 8 from 1:15 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Lennie will address the matter of publishers' custom publishing through the packaging of works by different authors. "There is considerable opportunity in this practice for accounting error and accounting irregularities, both of which frequently take place," he said.

Lennie and Gillen will also discuss their experiences with regard to the publisher's willingness to accept changes to many of their standard contract clauses, including the author's reservation of certain rights; agreement to negotiate in good faith electronic rights royalty provisions at a future time when the publisher plans to use said rights; phase out of royalty rates when the author no longer participates in future editions; audit clauses; advances; etc.

"Another area of need is for an author to be aware of the undermining effect of communication with the publisher (normally through their editor), as to the ongoing contract negotiations when they are represented by an attorney or agent," said Lennie. "Publishers who find an attorney or agent to be driving a 'hard bargain' will sometimes use this 'back door' to divide and conquer."

Gillen also plans to discuss the unique issues that co-authors should consider and provide for.

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TAA to hold special dinner for Fellows

TAA will be holding a special dinner in recognition of its Council of Fellows members Thursday, July 6, 2006 in Orlando, Florida. The event, which will be held the evening before the 2006 convention, will be by invitation-only. TAA currently has 15 Council of Fellows members. In addition to honoring its Fellows members, the dinner will also recognize past volunteer service to TAA. Learn more about the Council of Fellows here.

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Convention session: Tax tips for authors

Paul Rosenzweig of Royalty Review Service, will present a session on "Tax Tips for Authors" at the TAA Convention in Orlando. He plans to provide information about tax planning benefits for textbook authors, whether or not they are also full-time academics; increasing cash flow, via very legitimate tax deductions; use of the home office deduction, despite what others may have said in the past; using authoring profits to enhance the retirement nest egg, along with sizeable tax deductions; recognizing that authors are not accountants (and accountants are usually not authors), and sometimes authors have been misled; and tax planning integrated with protecting personal assets.

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Convention session: The ultimate price of defending your copyright

Chris Harris will talk about his copyright infringement case against the Mercury News during a luncheon presentation at the TAA Convention on Friday. The luncheon will be limited to 40 registrants. To register for the luncheon, contact Convention Chair Chris Harris at crharris@mtsu.edu.

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Convention session: Quality, quantity and variety: Pointers for becoming a prolific author

TAA is seeking Council of Fellows members interested in participating in a panel on Friday, July 7 from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. to share their advice on becoming a prolific author. If interested in participating, please contact Convention Chair Chris Harris at crharris@mtsu.edu.

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Convention session: Talk tips with Texty and McGuffey winners

TAA plans to hold an informal session from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday in which past and current Texty and McGuffey award winners can share their advice for writing an award-winning text. If you are a Texty or McGuffey Award winner and would like to participate in this session, please contact Chris Harris, TAA Convention chair, at crharris@mtsu.edu.

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Convention hospitality suite

TAA convention attendees will have the opportunity to mingle with their fellow authors and others in TAA's hospitality suite, which will be open both Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Drinks and light snacks will be provided.

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Gray to present her 'Publish & Flourish' workshop at TAA convention

Much is known about the steps scholars can take to become more prolific, said Tara Gray, who will present her popular writing workshop, "Publish and Flourish: Become a Prolific Scholar," as an 8-hour pre-convention workshop at the TAA convention on Thursday, July 6 from 8 am to 5 pm. Gray's workshop is $175 for TAA members before May 1, $225 after. The cost for non-members is $225 before May 1, $275 after. Non-members attending the workshop are given a one-year gift membership to TAA. To register, contact TAA at (727) 563-0020 or register online using the secure online form. Read Gray's article on the 12 steps to becoming a more prolific scholar here.

More info on Publish & Flourish workshop

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How students with disabilities are shaping the future of textbook publishing

Robert Martinengo, co-founder of the Center for Accessible Publishing, will present a session at the TAA convention that will provide authors with an overview of how their books are being converted into speech and Braille. The session, entitled, "The Accessible Author: How Students with Disabilities are Shaping the Future of Textbook Publishing," will also present information for instructors who wish to know more about how disabled students access their materials in alternative formats. "For many years, the needs of students who could not read standard print due to a physical or cognitive disability were rarely considered when making textbook adoptions," he said. "But with the advent of electronic text, synthetic speech, and inexpensive scanners, the conversion of printed books in to accessible formats has become widespread throughout colleges and universities, as well as high-school and even grade school."

He will also present pertinent information on the latest legal, technical, and cultural developments in accessibility will place the issues in context of the move towards electronic publishing and distance learning.

Martinengo was a Studio Director at Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic for four-and-a-half years, where he supervised hundreds of volunteers in the recording of audio textbooks. For the last four years, he has worked with hundreds of publishers to provide electronic files for disabled students attending California community colleges. He co-founded the Center for Accessible Publishing in order to bring the message to publishers that publishing accessible books can be good for business as well as good for students.

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Convention session: contracts & permissions

Authoring attorney and agent Michael Lennie, of Lennie Literary Agency and Authors' Attorneys, will present a session on contracts and permissions at the TAA Convention in Orlando.

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Take advantage of free one-on-one sessions with an authoring attorney

Authoring attorney and agent Michael Lennie, of Lennie Literary Agency & Authors' Attorneys, and authoring attorney Steve Gillen, of Greenbaum Doll & McDonald PLLC, will be offering free 15-minute one-on-one sessions during the TAA Convention in Orlando. To sign up for a session, contact Lennie at michael@lennieliterary.com or Gillen at SEG@GDM.com.

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Call for convention presenters, ideas

TAA's 2006 Convention Chair Chris Harris is calling on TAA members for their suggestions and ideas for presentations and presenters for the TAA Convention in Orlando, Florida July 7-8. In a conference call February 10, the TAA Convention Committee, made up of Harris, TAA Executive Director Richard Hull and TAA Member and Former TAA President Karen Morris, came up with the following list of possible presentation topics:

• Insider's Guide to Getting Scholarly Articles Published
• Quantity, Quality & Variety in Text and Academic Authoring (looking for TAA Council of Fellows members interested in sharing their strategies and tips)
• Contracts & Permissions
• Being Digitized: Issues of Intellectual Property Rights in the Digitized Revolution
• Ethics: Text & Images
• Censorship
• Alternate Publishing Avenues for Your Existing Content
• From Academic to Trade: How to Convert Your Academic Text To A Trade Book
• Marketing Tips & Strategies
• Talk Tips With Texty & McGuffey Winners (looking for Texty and McGuffey winners interested in sharing their strategies and tips)

The following presentations have already been accepted by the TAA Convention Committee:

• Tax Tips for Text and Academic Authors. Presenter: Paul Rosenzweig, of Royalty Review Service
• Accessible Texts. Presenter: Robert Martinengo, co-founder of the Center for Accessible Publishing, an advocacy organization for nonprint readers.

The Convention Committee welcomes additional ideas you may have for presentations and panels. They also encourage your participation in the program. Contact TAA Convention Chair Chris Harris with any suggestions or ideas you many have for presentation topics or presenters, or if you would like to be a presenter or serve on a panel: crharris@mtsu.edu (please include "TAA" in the subject line).

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