Webinar Series

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. 

 

2022 Fall Webinar Series

Schedule coming in July

Sponsored by

2022 Spring Webinars - Watch On Demand

Beyond Productivity: How to Build a Joyful Writing Practice

Presenter: Michelle Boyd, PhD, Writer, Scholar, Founder, InkWell Academic Writing Retreats

Are you tired of feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or unconfident as a writer? Do you long to recover your love of inquiry and cultivate a joyful relationship with your writing? 
 
In this one hour webinar, Michelle Boyd of InkWell Academic Writing Retreats explains why writing is so emotionally taxing and how scholars can use social writing to overcome their writing fears. By the end of the session, you will better understand your own barriers and have a step-by-step plan for implementing your personalized social writing strategy. Watch

Social Media & Book Marketing Done Right & Done Wrong

Presenter: John Bond, Publishing Consultant, Riverwinds Consulting

Publishers want authors to participate in the marketing and promotion of their new book. But many times authors are novices in publicizing their work. Publishing Consultant John Bond examines author marketing and social media efforts done right and done wrong. He also looks at best practices for promoting your book, as well as explaining why some efforts are time consuming and produce little results. Real life examples will illustrate how authors can smartly and efficiently work with the publisher to market their work; social media included. Watch

The Future of Textbooks

Presenters: Eirik Wahlstrøm, CEO and co-founder; Ingrid Skrede, CMO, Ludenso

U.S. textbook publishers have been focusing on eTextbooks and all-inclusive access models in recent years, but how will that affect the future of print textbooks? Studies by Fredskild and Fredriksen (2020), show that students still preferred print textbooks over eTextbooks by 74%. Will this change in the rapidly evolving technological landscape, and how can print books still play a role in education in the future? Award-winning Norwegian EdTech Company Ludenso has partnered with one of Norway’s largest publishers, Aschehoug, to make their traditional textbooks come to life through Augmented Reality (AR), coupling it with relevant digital resources.

Eirik Wahlstrøm and Ingrid Skrede from Ludenso share what AR is and how it can be used in the existing and future print textbooks to better illustrate complex concepts and spark curiosity. Get a live demo of the technology, insights into the research findings from the initial tests of using AR in classrooms in the Nordics, as well as a step-wise guide into how you as an author easily can bring your books to life. Watch

Get the Best Index For Your Book: Create a Collaborative Relationship With Your Indexer

Presenter: Lisa Fedorak, Owner and Indexer, Fedorak Indexing Services

You’ve been working long and hard on your book and now you need to get an index for your book. Should you index it yourself, let your publisher take care of it, or hire someone yourself? And if it’s the latter, how do you go about getting a great index for your book when you’ve never gone through this process before and don’t know anything about it? This one-hour webinar presented by indexer Lisa Fedorak guides you through a collaborative relationship between author and indexer and give you information that can help you get the best index for your book. It covers when to start looking for an indexer, how to find and evaluate an indexer, things to discuss with your indexer at the start of the indexing process, what to expect during the process and dealing with revisions to the index. Watch

Connecting with a College Textbook Publisher in Changing Times

Presenter: Sean Wakely, Vice President of Product and Editorial, FlatWorld 

College textbook publishing has changed in many significant ways over the past twenty years. While the industry is still dominated by a small number of large publishers, their product and business models have evolved greatly. Pressure to create a variety of low-priced product options and resulting decreases in growth and profit have caused many publishers to pull back on the acquisition of new products. Consequently, acquisitions editors have often begun to focus on managing existing titles rather than on acquiring new products. If you are flexible, persistent, and creative, you can still find opportunities to write or contribute to a college-level textbook. Sean describes the current college textbook publishing landscape and provides you with actionable ideas about how to approach and form a relationship with the editorial staff who are responsible for bringing new writing talent into a publisher. Watch

2021 Fall Webinars - Watch On Demand 

New Publisher Practices and the Effect on Royalties

Presenter: Juli Saitz, CPA, Senior Managing Director, Ankura Consulting Group

Are you increasingly confused by the contents of your royalty statements? Do you wonder why the statements get longer but your checks are getting smaller? Juli Saitz, Royalty Expert and CPA has seen the shift in royalty reporting practices and reporting from all of the top higher education publishers. In this webinar she discusses how publishers are currently marketing textbooks and other electronic materials and provides a roadmap for evaluating your royalties and knowing what questions to ask of your publisher. In addition, she addresses the context of publishing agreements and the importance of reading the “fine print.” Watch

How to Hook Your Audience

Presenter: Erica Machulak, PhD, Founder, Hikma Strategies

In the era of “fake news,” it is critical that research be translated and published as widely and accurately as possible. Among many journalists, however, academics are notorious for their caveats, sub-clauses, and unwillingness to tell a good story. Research experts often find it challenging to engage non-specialist audiences in ways that preserve the rigor and credibility of their work. 

This one-hour webinar presented by Erica Machulak, PhD., founder of Hikma Strategies, offers a framework and actionable strategies to write research narratives that inform and engage non-specialist audiences. It focuses specifically on how to develop a brief, effective research summary tailored for a target audience beyond your field who may or may not have a research background. She explores how to create common ground, prioritize key points, preserve credibility, and invite curiosity. The principles discussed in this webinar can be applied to a wide range of genres such as op-eds, educational case studies, and summaries for funding proposals. Watch

Draw Your Readers in: How-to’s of Digital Textbook Illustration 

Presenter: Paul A. Krieger, author of Visual Analogy Guides

Have you ever wondered how digital illustrations for textbooks are created? Paul Krieger, an author and illustrator, demonstrates the process of how he uses a Wacom tablet and Adobe Illustrator software to create original illustrations for his books. He also designs his own book covers and offers tips for creating more appealing and effective book covers. In addition, he will show authors how they can easily start a handy digital sketchbook using an iPad, an Apple Pencil, and an inexpensive app called Procreate. Whether you are simply curious or want to try your hand at illustration, join Paul to see how digital illustration is done. Watch

How Do Publishers Evaluate Book Proposals and Query Letters

Presenter: John Bond, Publishing Consultant, Riverwinds Consulting 

The Query Letter and Book Proposal are the go-to means of communicating an author's ideas to prospective publishers. But how do publishers assess Book Proposals? When they read a Query Letter, how do they evaluate the idea, the author, and the market? Publishing Consultant John Bond examines these common author documents and then uses a publisher's magnifying glass to look at them through their eyes. By reviewing Query Letters and Book Proposals for the publisher's wants, the author will be better equipped to create more attractive projects that will secure greater attention and possible publishing contracts. John shares best practices for creating these documents as well as the do's and don'ts. Watch

AcWriMo Webinar Series: Are You Ready to Pursue Your Dream of Publication?

Eric J. Schmieder, TAA Membership Engagement Specialist and John Maxwell Team Certified Speaker, Coach, and Trainer, presented a series of inspiring and thought-provoking sessions to help you answer the ten questions necessary to put your publishing dream to the test.

The five-session series included: 

• Take Ownership and Build Clarity of Your Dream of Publication
• Control Your Reality and Follow Your Passion in the Direction of Your Dream
• Design the Path and Connect with People to Realize Your Dream
• Determine the Cost and Stay the Course to Move Closer to Your Dream
• Find Fulfillment While Generating Significance Through the Results of Your Dream
  

Please Note: These sessions were recorded but each recording was only available for 24 hours following the live broadcast due to licensing restrictions on the content. The handouts are still accessible here.

2021 Spring Webinars - Watch On Demand

Effective Organization Strategies for Developing a Textbook Chapter

Presenter: Eric Schmieder, author/co-author of several computer technology textbooks

Thinking about writing a textbook can be much like planning to climb a mountain. A daunting task that may be overwhelming and require both endurance and strength before even getting started. But what if I told you that like most major projects or journeys, the effectiveness of the whole is really defined by the quality of the small parts that get put together?

In this one-hour webinar, TAA's Membership Marketing Manager and author/co-author of several computer technology textbooks, Eric Schmieder, shares strategies for organizing your content at a chapter level in a way that defines your author style for content delivery. 

Adapted from content in TAA's Writing and Developing Your College Textbook: A Comprehensive Guide, 3e, Schmieder focuses on the organization of content into an effective table of contents through carefully crafted headings and then enhancing the sections with feature strands to engage the reader. Once you have applied these strategies to one chapter, simply rinse and repeat until all of the chapters come together for a finished textbook that exceeds your expectations.  Watch

Your Textbook Isn't Being Revised. Now What?

Presenter: Donna Battista, VP of Content Strategy, Top Hat

As publishing companies look to manage costs and focus on large introductory courses, many high-quality and high-value textbooks are not being revised. 

In this webinar, Donna Battista, VP of Content Strategy at Top Hat, and previous Pearson Executive, helps authors navigate this increasingly common challenge. She provides guidance on requesting rights back, what to do when rights are reverted, and what options there are to make content available.

This webinar is packed with industry knowledge and best practices based on Donna’s extensive experience in the publishing industry. Watch

Why Your Journal Articles Are Confusing, and How IMRaD Can Help

Presenter: Thomas Deetjen, Researcher, University of Texas, and author of Published

Do you struggle to describe your research in writing? Like your crisp research vision inevitably devolves into a disorganized, confusing journal article? Let’s discuss a tool that can help—one with which you’re already familiar, but likely not familiar enough: journal article structure.

In this 30-minute webinar + 15 minutes of Q&A, Thomas Deetjen, aut

hor of Published, explores the value of the Introduction, Methods, Results & Discussion—or IMRaD—journal article structure. Watch

Taxes & Authors: What You Should Know in 2021

Presenter: Robert M. Pesce, Partner, Marcum LLP

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. Watch