January
5, 2007
Why are
textbooks so expensive?
Association
for Psychological Science Immediate Past President Henry L. Roediger
says the root cause of the high cost of textbooks is the sale
of used books. Read his APS column, "Why Are Textbooks So Expensive?",
originally published in the Association's newsletter, The Academic
Observer, January 2005: Click
here
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'Textbook
Writing 101'
Read textbook
author M. Garrett Bauman's humorous and informative article on
why you should consider writing a textbook on the Chronicle of
Higher Education website: Click
here
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'Can
Plot Improve Pedagogy?'
Some textbook
authors are introducing plot into their textbooks. Read "Can
Plot Improve Pedagog? Novel Textbooks Give It A Try" (May
11, 2001) on the Chronicle of Higher Education website: Click
here
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2007 conference
proposal deadline approaching
The deadline
for Conference Proposals is January 12, 2007. Please click
here for a detailed description of session topics ideas and
then fill out a Presenter
Proposal Form before the deadline. View
more about the conference in the TAA
Conference section.
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TAA council
to meet this month
The TAA Council
will have its first annual meeting Monday, January 15, 2007 at
the Grand Plaza Hotel in St. Petersburg, Florida.
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Comp copy
e-pamphlet
TAA is preparing
an e-pamphlet that explains to faculty why they shouldn't sell
complimentary copies to book buyers. The e-pamphlet will be distributed
to college and university faculty development offices, which will
be asked to share it with their faculty. It will also be available
as a PDF download from the TAA website.
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Gift memberships
TAA Member
Jay Withgott gave gift memberships to Scott Freeman, April Lynch
and Lisa Weasel. Thanks Jay! Welcome Scott, April and Lisa!
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TAAF receives
three $1,000 donations
Text and
Academic Authors Foundation (TAAF) Board Members Michael Sullivan,
a mathematics author, and Kären Matison Hess, a criminal
justice textbook author, and TAA Executive Director Richard Hull
have all recently made $1,000 donations to the Foundation.
"The very
generous gifts of these members are most appreciated,"
said TAAF Board Chair Michael Lennie, who also recently made
a $750 donation to the Foundation. "Not only do Karen and Michael
devote many volunteer hours as Board members, but by their gifts
they demonstrate a real commitment to the worthy goals of
TAAF to make text and academic authorship an even more honorable
and diverse profession. We hope their selfless
example will provide encouragement to others, both members
of TAA, and all those interested in quality instructional materials
and scholarship, to build the corpus of the TAA Foundation."
Sullivan
said: "TAA, and its Foundation TAAF, provide important information
and education for creators of intellectual property. It is vital
that this work continue and for that a solid financial base is
required."
As a charter
member of TAA, Hess said, she has always felt supported and encouraged
by it: "I wholeheartedly believe in the mission of the
foundation: to support the creation and the creators of quality
educational and academic materials. I have been amply rewarded
financially through my writing and would like to support the efforts
of others in this small way."
Said Hull:
"The TAA Foundation, beginning to gain a head of steam, deserves
the chance to show its leadership in redefining the role of the
textbook in American education. Textbooks have become political
pawns of special interest groups. I believe TAAF has the potential
to help lead textbook authoring and selection back into the realm
of accurate presentation and interpretation of facts, as determined
by dedicated historians and scientists of the human condition.
It is a pleasure to be able to support its efforts."
As a result
of their gifts, Sullivan, Hess and Hull have become charter members
of the TAAF Founder's Society, which recognizes annual gifts to
the Foundation of $1,000 to $4,999. Lennie becomes a charter member
of the TAAF President's Society. As members of these Societies,
they will receive an invitation to a special event held the evening
before the 2007 TAA Conference, special insider e-mail news alerts
reporting TAA and TAAF news and information before the rest of
the membership, an inscribed fountain pen, and free admission
to the TAA Conference.
Click
here for more information about the Text
and Academic Authors Foundation.
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Ginsberg
gives first Academic Authoring Workshop at NMSU
Robert Ginsberg
presented his first TAA-sponsored Academic Authoring Workshop
at New Mexico State University on Dec. 8, 2006. Tara Gray, presenter
of the "Publish & Flourish: Become A Prolific Scholar Worskhop,"
who attended Ginsberg's workshop at NMSU, had this to say about
his presentation: "Bob Ginsberg's workshop is full of practical,
thoughtful advice from a prolific scholar and a journal editor
of many years. He gives a lively, entertaining presentation. I
recommend to you this highly interactive, informative workshop."
Learn more about Ginsberg's workshop: Click
here
Click
here for more feedback on Ginsberg's workshop.
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Correction
to featured sponsor ad
The phone
number on Lennie Literary & Authors' Attorney's Featured Sponsor
ad on the TAA home page has been changed to (858) 456-0138.
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Author's
Resource Center
Have an authoring
question? Get an answer from the authoring experts at TAA: TEXT@tampabay.rr.com
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Search
the TAA website
TAA recently
added a Google-powered internal search engine to its website.
Put in your search terms (e.g. textbooks, journals, grant writing,
etc.) and relevant pages on the TAA website that contain those
terms will be shown on Google. Go to the TAA
members only section to begin your search.
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Renew your
membership online!
TAA has just
launched a new online member form that will allow members to renew
online using a secure server. The form can also be used by new
members. Check it out in the TAA Member Center here.
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