April
12, 2005
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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TAA announces
2005 Texty, McGuffey Award winners
Ten Textbook Excellence
Awards (Textys) and six McGuffey Longevity Awards were awarded by the
Text and Academic Authors Association in the college and elementary-high
school level fields of accounting/ business/economics/management, physical
sciences, computer science/engineering, humanities/social sciences,
communication/education/performing arts/visual arts, life sciences,
and mathematics/statistics. The awards will be presented at the annual
TAA awards banquet June 24 in Las Vegas during the TAA Convention. Each
author, including co-authors, and the book's editor or publisher, will
receive a plaque.
TAA thanks the judges
for volunteering their time to judge the entries.
Click
to view the winners in the Awards section
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TAA President:
Prohibiting textbook bundling not the answer
TAA President Michael
Sullivan is urging the Connecticut General Assembly to vote against
a bill (HB 6860) introduced by its Higher Education and Employment Advancement
Committee that would prohibit bookstores from selling textbooks bundled
with supplementary materials, such as CDs or workbooks, to public higher
education students.
"While the
intent to lower the cost of textbooks is admirable, the solution is
flawed," said Sullivan, in a letter to Connecticut General Assembly
Chair Roberta Willis. "Publishers routinely package supplementary
materials for their textbooks at no additional cost. For example, my
College Algebra text has a net price of $72 stand-alone. When packaged
with a Student Study Pak (Student Solution Manual, Tutor Center, CD
Lecture Videos, and Algebra Review), the net price is also $72."
What sometimes makes
bundled products look more expensive, said Sullivan, is bookstores'
practice of marking up the cost of the textbook by 35 percent, and then
sometimes the bundled package by 40 percent.
"Professors'
free choice also needs protection," he said. "The right to
choose the best book for the best value for students is at the heart
of what higher education in America is all about. HB 6860 would severely
limit the ability of teachers and educators to do what is best for the
educational process and their students."
Sullivan urges TAA
members to write to the Connecticut General Assembly with their concerns
about this bill.
List of General
Assembly members and their contact information: Downloadable
PDF
Sullivan's letter
to the General Assembly: Downloadable
PDF
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Busy TAA People
Frederic H. Martini
(anatomy & physiology) Human anatomy and physiology author Frederic
Martini wrote the seventh edition of "Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology"
and the second edition of "Martini's Atlas of the Human Body". He also
co-wrote "A&P Applications Manual", the fifth edition of "Human Anatomy",
and the first edition of "Clinical Issues in Anatomy". All have March
release dates. The fourth edition of "Fundamentals of A&P" is currently
in production.
Frank Wang.
Former Saxon Publisher president Frank Wang's essay, "Reflections on
10 Years in Educational Publishing" was published in the March 23, 2005
issue of "Education Week" in its Commentary section. Read the essay
at http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2005/03/23/28wang.h24.html
Former
TAA People news
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Error
In the last TAA
News Alert, Paul Rosenzweig was listed as president of Royalty Review
Service, Inc. That was incorrect. He serves as a consultant with R&M
Royalty Review LLC.
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Featured TAA
Sponsors
Lennie Literary
Agency and StudioB Literary Agency are TAA's first Featured Sponsors.
Check out both company's ads on TAA's home page.
To become a Featured TAA Sponsor or a TAA Sponsor, contact Lisa Thorsell
at lisamt321@yahoo.com or (608)
687-9525. For more information, visit the TAA Sponsors section here.
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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 Convention
Schedule Updated
Check out the 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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Post Your Questions
About Text and Academic Authoring
TAA member Theodore
P. Snow recently posted a question on whether or not other authors had
been asked by their publisher to write and foot the bill for their own
ancillaries to the TAA Listserv that was responded to by TAA member
Steven Krantz. We hope that other TAA members benefitted from the exchange
as well. The purpose of the listserv is to facilitate an exchange of
information between members -- keep up the dialogue! To post a question
to the TAA Listserv, send an e-mail to: TAA@mail-list.com
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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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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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