Educational Webinars

TAA webinars are one-hour live, interactive sessions that connect you to experts discussing a variety of topics designed especially for textbook and academic authors. Members can also access 250+ presentations on demand.

How to register for an upcoming webinar:

Members: You can participate in as many sessions as you'd like for free. To sign up, click the Register button below. Read Frequently Asked Questions About TAA Webinars

Non-Members: Join TAA today and receive access to all of TAA's live webinars and 250+ presentations on demand for one full year 


2024 Webinar Series

Artificial Intelligence 101 – Basics for Textbook and Academic Authors

CaitlinO'BrienCircle

When: April 9, 3-4 p.m. ET

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Presenter: Caitlin O’Brien, Director of Permissions, XanEdu Publishing

AI is impacting many areas of higher education, and textbook and academic authors want to know more. Join Caitlin O’Brien, Director of Permissions for XanEdu Publishing, for an informative one-hour webinar on the basics of AI as it relates specifically to textbook and academic authors. O’Brien, an expert in this ever-changing field, will provide an overview of AI, its capabilities and limitations, and what authors need to know to use these tools safely and ethically.

Caitlin O’Brien is the Director of Permissions for XanEdu Publishing and serves on XanEdu’s internal AI task force. Together, she and her team manage the assessment and licensing of thousands of copyrighted materials per year for reuse in custom educational materials. While her 16-year international publishing career has mainly focused on rights and permissions in educational publishing, she’s also provided copyediting, proofreading, and fact-checking services to trade and academic publishers, media outlets, tech startups, and indie authors. As a writer and musician herself, she loves using her skills to help fellow creatives put new, beautiful things into the world! Learn more


Writing Better Literature Reviews: How to Make Them Engaging and Stylish

Katherine FuscoWhen: Tuesday, April 16, 12-1 p.m. EST

THIS WEBINAR HAS BEEN CANCELLED.
 

Presenter: Katherine Fusco, Scholar, Teacher, University of Nevada, Reno; Developmental Editor and Coach

Although scholars in the humanities and social sciences don't always have a discrete "literature review" section in their articles and books, they still need to explain what the authors who have come before have said about the topic at hand. This can be some of the most tedious and painful writing an academic scholar performs, and it can be even worse to read! This one-hour webinar will cover strategies for writing about previous literature in ways that are more engaging and stylish. You'll also get hands-on time to practice strategies for writing better literature reviews.


Strengthen Your Writing by Self-Editing

When: Wednesday, November 13, 2-3 p.m. ET

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Suzy BillsPresenter: Suzy Bills, Editor, Author, Faculty Member, Brigham Young University

You’ve finally finished your manuscript, and you’re ready to send it on its way. But don’t hit Send or Publish just yet. If you complete some self-editing first, your readers will be better able to focus on your brilliant ideas, not on any grammar, punctuation, and clarity issues in your writing. This one-hour webinar will explain common writing issues and how to fix them. Learn more



Working Smarter With Word: Editing Tips for Academic Authors

When: COMING THIS FALL

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Presenters: Julie Peterson Combs, Professor, Educational Leadership Department, Sam Houston State University; Micki M. Caskey, Professor Emerita, Portland State University

Is cleaning up your writing a chore? The writing editing process can be compared to cleaning one's house. Having the right tools and routines can make editing more efficient and even more effective. Two seasoned authors share their tips (in Microsoft Word) for faster editing. Learn more

Julie CombsJulie Peterson Combs is Professor in the Educational Leadership department at Sam Houston State University. Previously, she worked as a school principal for 10 years at an award-winning school. She teaches Academic Writing and Research Methods to doctoral students and various leadership courses in the principal certification program. In addition to maintaining an active research agenda, she has co-authored The Trust Factor (Routledge) and Foundations of Academic Writing (ICPEL Publications).




Micki Caskey


Micki M. Caskey
is Professor Emerita at Portland State University whose areas of specialization include academic writing, doctoral education, and middle grades research. She works with doctoral students and early career faculty to support their academic writing and scholarly productivity. Micki is co-series editor of The Handbook of Research in Middle Level Education and The Handbook of Resources in Middle Level Education as well as the former editor of Research in Middle Level Education Online, an international peer-reviewed research journal. She is author or editor of more than 75 publications and 125 conference presentations.


2024 Webinars - Watch On Demand

Navigate Your Writing Process as a Purposeful QuEST

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Navigate Your Writing Process as a Purposeful QuestPresenter: Margy Thomas, PhD, ScholarShape

Do you ever find yourself writing in circles, struggling with decision fatigue or a lack of purpose in your scholarly writing? Do you wish you had a structure for your writing process that felt expansive and flexible enough to account for the complexities of scholarship creation? 

In this one-hour webinar, Margy Thomas, PhD, of ScholarShape walks you through the simple yet powerful QuEST framework as a way of structuring your writing projects in any genre. Through this framework, you’ll begin to see your own creative process as a Story-Argument, an experience of meaning-making amidst uncertainty, so that you can create powerful Story-Arguments for your readers. Get a personalized QuEST map that can guide you through your Story-Argument process with a sense of purpose and help you recognize all the intangible and incremental progress you make along the way. 


2023 Webinars - Watch On Demand

Passion for Learning and Research: Is Earning a Doctorate the Right Path For You? 

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Presenters: Tasha Egalite, Ph.D., New Mexico State University; Kristin Kew, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Educational Leadership and Administration, New Mexico State University

In this presentation, two women scholars will share and reflect on their own doctoral journeys, the critical issues they encountered, and the hoops they jumped through while completing their dissertations. Some of the themes discovered during their research on the dissertation process and obtaining a doctorate were sustaining momentum, maintaining purpose, and creating meaningful works while furthering their learning in the fields of education and educational leadership. Learn how to determine whether to apply for a doctoral program and how to navigate some of the pitfalls and rabbit holes of the academic arena.


Blunders, Bad Ideas, and Bliss: My Experience Writing a Textbook

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Blunders, Bad Ideas and Bliss

Presenter: Erica Irlbeck, author of The Crisis Communications Guide for Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources

Are you contemplating writing a textbook? It can be a daunting process but there are many success stories and opportunities to learn from colleagues who have recently published their content. Erica Irlbeck, Ed.D, Professor of Agricultural Education and Communications at Texas Tech and author of The Crisis Communication Guide for Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources, share her journey in this engaging and interactive webinar. She is a passionate advocate for anyone contemplating writing their own content and will share what she learned through her own authoring journey. Joyce Mueller with XanEdu Publishing, a TAA Platinum Sponsor, also shares how you can author with XanEdu!


How to Leverage a Textbook or Academic Book to Launch a Consulting Career

Presenter: William (Bill) Sims Curry, textbook author and Founder of WSC Consulting

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Leveraging a textbook or academic book can be a powerful tool in launching a consulting career. Presenter William Curry, author of three public procurement textbooks, including Contracting for Services in State and Local Government Agencies: Best Practices for Public Procurement (winner of a 2017 Textbook Excellence Award), and founder of a consulting firm that specializes in consulting for state, local, and education entities that wish to implement best practices for public procurement, shares how you can use a textbook or academic book to position yourself as an expert in your field and attract potential clients.

You will learn how to:



  • Establish a consultancy firm and land your first contract.
  • Use your textbook or academic book as a marketing tool to help differentiate you from other consultants while showcasing your expertise to a wider audience.
  • Promote your consulting firm and sell your books through a dual-purpose website.
  • Join or expand your presence on LinkedIn to increase the number of potential clients and promote your book(s) and consultancy.

How to Improve Your Writing Productivity

Writing Productivity WebinarPresenters: Bec Evans and Chris Smith, founders of Prolifiko and co-authors of Written: How to Keep Writing and Build a Habit that Lasts 

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You’ve got the ideas. You’ve found the right collaborators. You have the best tools at hand. So why aren’t you writing? Or at least – writing as much as you think you should? Writing involves two elements: technique and practice. To write, you need to understand how to structure a paper, compile a dataset and organise your references. Whatever your field, there will be certain technical and structural things that you need to know. All crucial knowledge. But sometimes you still sit in front of your computer and struggle to complete the task at hand. You need more than to know how. Knowing how is important, but that alone won’t get the writing done. You’ll also need to find a practice that means you turn up and keep going. 

Using practices developed from neuroscience and behavioural science research, this webinar covers:

  • What stops you writing: procrastination, perfectionism, distraction and building a plan to overcome them
  • What keeps you going: finding time, creating a habit, building support and finding accountability


Creating Deliverables to Manage Multiple Projects Effectively

Creating DeliverablesPresenter: Dr. Tracey S. Hodges, Owner and Chief Creative Officer, The Empowering Advocate LLC

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UPS, Fedex, the post office, and even Amazon are exceptional at deliverables. Have you ever imagined you could be just as effective with your goals and projects? Are you tackling several projects and finding yourself getting lost among the tasks? Learn how to create clear deliverables for your project as well as systems to help you make progress on multiple projects at the same time. Like the delivery systems we know so well, thorny issues are bound to come up, and we will tackle some options for managing overwhelm, too. Gain a sense of purpose and attainable goals! 


Taxes & Authors: What You Should Know in 2023

Taxes & Authors What You Should Know in 2023Presenter: Robert M. Pesce, Partner, Marcum LLP

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While it is understandable that most writers would prefer to concentrate their time on their writing, writing is a business and you need to make sure you’re taking care of all of the tax deductions that you should be. Robert M. Pesce, a partner with Marcum LLP,  shares the basic tax information you should know as an author, including: 

  • What type of entity should you be?
  • Are you keeping good records on your business deductions?
  • Income from Royalties and other sources
  • Qualified Business Income Deduction
  • Tax deductions
  • Home Office Deduction
  • Self Employment Tax (“SE Tax”)
  • Pension Plans, SEPs, IRAs
  • Foreign Tax Credit 


Getting Your Journal Article Published: Simple Steps to Success

John Bond webinar

Presenter: John Bond, Publishing Consultant, Riverwinds Consulting, author of The Little Guide to Getting Your Journal Article Published: Simple Steps to Success

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Getting your research and academic work published in a peer review journal is essential to your career. The process seems difficult and mysterious, but it doesn't need to be that way. 

Publishing Consultant John Bond presents practical steps for any aspiring writer and researcher to follow to go from idea and raw data to submitting a top quality manuscript for possible publication. Topics include: "Developing a plan and Timeline," "Determining a Target List of Potential Journals," "Writing and Editing Your Work," and "Understanding Journal Review the Decision Process." You'll also learn the 13 most Frequently Asked Questions.


The Future of Textbooks: Bringing Books to Life With AR From an Authoring Perspective

Future of Textbooks

Presenters: Eirik Wahlstrøm, Co-founder and CMO, Ludenso; Rob Heathcote, PG Online Publishers; and Biology Teacher Sarah Dudley

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Augmented reality (AR) in education provides a number of ways to help students learn by making abstract concepts easier to understand and remember. Today, an increasing number of publishing houses are starting to bring their books to life with AR - but how do you as an author utilize the full potential of this immersive learning experience in a simple, pedagogically valuable, and affordable way?

Eirik Wahlstrøm from Ludenso, Rob Heathcote from PG Online Publishers, and Biology Teacher Sarah Dudley discuss the potential role of AR in the authoring process of science, anatomy, history, and language learning titles. Learn best practices for creating AR books, practical advice, and tools, as well as share feedback from students using AR to learn.