March
29, 2005
Advertising-Supported
Textbooks
A number of Fortune
500 companies have expressed interest in sponsoring a revolutionary
new concept in textbook publishing: sponsorship and advertisement support
of textbook publishing. The concept promises electronic and print textbooks
at zero cost to students. wowio, a new project developed by the Applied
Management Sciences Institute of Houston (www.ams-institute.com),
utilizes a new medium (commercial sponsors and advertisers) who subsidize
the production, distribution, and operating costs of texts and supplements.
wowio uses proprietary technology that enables highly-targeted student
profile and advertisement matching. The integration of the medium and
the technology results in free e-books and e-supplements. AMSI has formed
a strategic alliance with Freeload Press (www.freeloadpress.com),
a traditional publishing firm that provides text and supplement content
for wowio. Freeload Press also can produce on-demand print copies. "Our
hope is that eventually all textbooks will be free for students," says
John (Jack) Ivancevich, a professor of organizational behavior and management
at the University of Houston, who came up with the idea. For more information,
contact Ivancevich at jack@ams-institute.com
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CCC To Hold Beyond
the Book in Austin, TX
Copyright Clearance
Center's Author & Creator Relations will present Beyond the Book - Austin,
the latest in their ongoing conference series on the business of writing
and publishing, at the Texas Memorial Museum at the University of Texas
at Austin ( www.tmm.utexas.edu ), Thursday, April 28, 6 to 8 p.m. The
Austin Beyond the Book will discuss researching and writing about music
for a range of audiences, from the journalistic to the scholarly. Panelists
include Grammy-winning author Elijah Wald, co-author with Dave Van Ronk
of the memoir, The Mayor of MacDougal Street to be published by Perseus
Books in April 2005; Jan Reid, author of The Improbable Rise of Redneck
Rock, and a founding contributor and writer-at-large for Texas Monthly.
A new edition of Redneck Rock is being published this spring by University
of Texas Press; Robert Cochran, author of Our Own Sweet Sounds - A Celebration
of Popular Music in Arkansas, and who is considered that state's "leading
folklorist." For more information visit http://www.copyright.com/BeyondTheBook
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Vote
for TAA Council Officers, Members
The TAA Council,
the association's governing body, is holding elections for vice president/president
elect, secretary and two Council positions. The nominee for vice president/president
elect is Christopher R. Harris, a photojournalism professor at Middle
Tennessee State University. The nominee for secretary is Ronald E. Pynn,
outgoing TAA executive director and professor emeritus of political
science at the University of North Dakota. The nominees for two three-year
terms on the Council are: Tara Gray, director of the Teaching Academy
and associate professor of criminal justice at New Mexico State University;
Paul Rosenzweig, president of Royalty Review Review Service, Inc., a
firm that represents authors who wish to confirm the accuracy of their
royalty payments; and Mary Kay Switzer, associate professor of communications
at California Polytechnical State University, and former TAA Council
secretary.
Click
to download Candidate Bios and Position Statements PDF
Visit the Members
Only section to download a voting ballot.
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TAA Hires PI
for State Adoption Study Grant
The TAA Foundation
hired Christopher Stream, a professor of public administration at the
University of Nevada, Las Vegas, as principal investigator (PI) for
a potential grant to study state adoption policies and practices for
textbooks.
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Preliminary TAA
Convention Schedule Now Online
Check out the preliminary
convention schedule for the 2005 TAA Convention here.
TAA's 18th Annual
convention will be held at the Imperial Palace Hotel, located right
on the Las Vegas strip. To register for the convention, contact TAA
at (727) 563-0020 or TEXT@tampabay.rr.com
or download registration forms here.
Registration is
$75 for members before May 1, $125 after. Registration for non-members
is $125 before May 1, $175 after. Non-member registration includes a
one year membership to TAA. A pre-convention workshop, "Publish and
Flourish: Become a Prolific Scholar," will be held Thursday, June 23,
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday, June 24 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Cost is
$175 for TAA members before May 1, $225 after; non-members $225 before
May 1, $275 after. Room rates for TAA convention attendees are $85 per
night until May 20. Call the Imperial Palace to reserve your room: (800)
634-6441. You can find more information about the TAA convention here.
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Add TAA Website
URL to Your E-mail Signature
Help spread the
word about TAA — add TAA's website URL to your e-mail signature:
Member of the Text and Academic Authors Association http://www.taaonline.net
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TAA Seeks New
Executive Director
TAA is seeking a
new part-time executive director to lead the association as it embarks
upon a national growth initiative with the goal of becoming a major
institutional force in the world of text and academic authoring. The
new director will be encouraged to explore and bring forth new proposals
to help position the organization for growth and fiscal health. Remuneration
is $30,000 per year; but significant incentives are negotiable for meeting
performance and goal objectives. While the offices are currently in
St. Petersburg, Florida, the organization is open to relocation to any
college community in the United States. Application deadline is April
20, 2005. The full job posting follows:
----------
The Text and Academic
Authors Association (TAA) is a Florida not-for-profit organization committed
to the advancement of textbooks and academic authoring, and to the creation
of quality educational materials at every level. The organization is
seeking applications and nominations for the position of
EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR
The director will
assume responsibility for the overall management of the organization.
This includes day-to-day operations, execution of Council priorities
and strategic plans, within a framework of approved policies and available
funds. The director will be encouraged to explore and bring forth new
proposals to help position the organization for growth and fiscal health.
Specific areas of
responsibility include: supervision of staff, budgeting, accounting,
membership recruitment, service, and retention, membership database
management, organization publications, member communication, public
relations, Web site, planning of events and national meetings, and development
of chapters.
While the offices
are currently in St. Petersburg, FL, the organization is open to relocation
to any college community in the United States.
The position presently
is half time. Remuneration is $30,000 per year. No benefits are currently
offered. However, TAA is embarking on a national growth initiative with
a goal of becoming a major institutional force in the world of text
and academic authoring. Significant incentives are negotiable for meeting
performance and growth objectives. Substantial growth will lead to a
full time directorship with commensurate pay and benefits.
To apply, please
send a letter of interest and a vita with references to Dr. Michael
Sullivan, President TAA 9529 S. Tripp, Oak Lawn, IL 60453-3234. E-mail
m_sullivan@att.net
Deadline for applications
is April 30, 2005. The Association anticipates a two-stage evaluation
process. It is expected that the initial pool of applicants will be
reduced and the remaining candidates will be invited to submit a proposal
outlining short- term strategies and goals for the Association. A final
decision is expected by July 1, 2005. Equal opportunity employer.
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Become a TAA
Sponsor
Featured Sponsor:
Click here for example.
TAA Sponsors: Click
here for info.
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Sound Off!
TAA is always looking
for columns on issues related to text and academic authoring (plagiarism;
used books; comp copies; contracts; royalties; journal submission guidelines,
etc.) for publication on the TAA website or in The Academic Author.
400-word maximum. Please send your name, title, school, college or university
affiliation (if any), phone number and e-mail address along with your
column to Kim Pawlak, Editor, kmpawlak@centurytel.net
or mail it to S2874 Spruce St., Fountain City, WI 54629 or call (608)
687-3106.
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