Textbook & Academic Authors Association
2023 Virtual Conference

Presenter: Tracey Hodges, Owner and Chief Creative Officer, The Empowering Advocate LLC

"I want to feel more joyful through the process of my writing." If this statement resonates, you will not want to miss this session! The stressors of current life are pushing more and more people to seek joy in their work. Writing is one task that may not spark joy for many of us— it is challenging, vulnerable, and time-consuming. However, this session will explore strategies and mindsets that will allow you to engage in more joyful writing and appreciate the process. You will crave the challenge, honor the vulnerability, and embrace the time spent on this task as a result.

Presenter: Kenneth L. Campbell is a Professor of History at Monmouth University

As an author of both textbooks and academic works, presenter Kenneth Campbell will explore the similarities and differences between these two types of writing. On the one hand, good writing is good writing, and it seems like many of the same principles should apply to both academic and textbook writing—and he believes they do. On the other hand, specific disciplines might require a certain style or format of writing for specialists in a field that vary from those one might employ when writing a textbook or for a general audience. Through his experience with his own discipline of history, he will provide some insights from which authors from any discipline might benefit, but this session will primarily be aimed at those seeking to make the transition from academic to textbook writing.

Presenter: Dr. Michelle Rivera-Clonch, Co-Founder of Writing in Depth: An Academic Writing Retreat

This presentation pulls from physiological psychology to help authors understand their brain/body reactions to experiencing adversity in the writing process. It will focus on identifying ways that invite us to work in an optimal writing flow. This presentation is for you if:

• You want a greater understanding of the mind-body connection in academic writing
• You want strategies to help get into an optimal writing flow.
• You want to avoid writing blocks/burnout while completing your project.

You’ll leave this presentation:

• With a working knowledge of how our nervous systems can impact our writing process.
• Being able to identify the 4 Cs that encourage optimal writing flow: Calm, Cool, Connected and Creative.
• With ideas on how to incorporate the 4 Cs in your writing practice.

Presenters: Christopher Iverson, Assistant Professor of English, English and Humanities Department; Dan Ehrenfeld, Assistant Professor of English and Humanities, Farmingdale State College (SUNY)

Writing in the Disciplines (WID) at Farmingdale State College (FSC), traditionally used in-person networking to garner interest in writing workshops, writing intensive course design, and celebrations of scholarship. FSC is small enough that visiting someone or posting fliers in the hallways worked well to engage the community. That paused in 2020, and much of presenters Christopher Iverson and Dan Ehrenfeld’s work could no longer happen in person. Networking and events went online, and engagement proved difficult, at least for many who built careers in person. This 30-minute presentation describes their authoring of an Open Educational Resource, Processes, compiling FSC writers' work, including published and unpublished work of faculty, administrators, and students. Processes will be published by SUNY Geneseo Press, and the experience of creating it opened opportunities for community building remotely. They share highlights, outline key decisions and processes (such as the selection of a Creative Commons License that best supports their mission to share their work broadly), and discuss ways that composing OERs can build community on and between campuses.

Presenter: Laura Frost, Professor of Chemistry, Associate Dean at Florida Gulf Coast University; Shawn Nordell, Associate Director of Graduate Career Services, University of Arizona

Universal design for learning (UDL) is an evidence-based framework that improves and optimizes teaching and learning for all people. UDL recognizes the diversity of student learners and leverages how humans learn to improve and optimize teaching and learning. This framework can greatly inform how we construct equitable learning experiences in our textbooks. UDL incorporates three core asset-based beliefs about the power of design to eliminate learning barriers. Learners differ in 1) the ways they perceive and comprehend information presented to them; 2) how they can be motivated or engaged to learn; and 3) how they can navigate a learning environment. In this session, presenters Laura Frost and Shawn Nordell provide an overview of the UDL framework, some examples of how authors can work UDL principles into their textbook writing, and discuss among the participants how this framework can be further used to enhance the equitability and accessibility of their textbooks.

Presenter: Brenda Ulrich, Attorney, Archstone Law Group, PC

Over the past several years major publishers have been moving away from physical or electronic books into online learning platforms and courseware, and from straight sales of standalone books to bundles, custom products and subscriptions. Traditional publishing contracts were developed at a time when a book was a discrete unit, sales could easily be tracked in those units, and revisions occurred on a predictable cycle. Publishers are trying in various ways to update and adapt their contracts to the new textbook landscape. In this session, presenter Brenda Ulrich will explore the ways in which the contracts are changing, and what the implications are for authors.

Presenters: Paul Lu, Clinical Assistant Professor Management Science, Chapman University; Jessica Sarra, Senior Development Editor, The University of Arizona Global Campus

Often, DEI is an afterthought in many applications including teaching at university. This does not mean it is not important. Rather, it is often not a part of the planning process during the development of a textbook. This presentation focuses on the importance of incorporating DEI into textbooks and ways to highlight the significance of DEI in the title of the textbook and in the content.

Presenter: Rebecca Paynter, Associate Director of Editorial, The University of Arizona Global Campus

Creating a custom textbook is nothing new; major textbook publishers have offered concierge services for decades, allowing professors to handpick and remix content into a more tailored text for their students. For some, however, this option still fails to meet their course’s needs. What if you could create a single resource that was consistent with your course’s structure, level, tone, and organization? And what if you could do this while controlling textbook costs for students and creating a source of revenue for you or your institution? Today, there are myriad options, including OER and various tools and services for digital publishing, self-publishing, and print-on-demand. It is easier than ever for professors to author their own content, but no less overwhelming! Attendees will consider the evolving landscape of custom textbook publishing and most importantly, the questions they should ask themselves before and during the creation of a custom textbook.

Presenter: Paul Krieger, Professor Emeritus, Grand Rapids Community College

Do you feel like you have fallen into the abyss when dealing with your glossary? Don’t let this problematic element overwhelm you. Presenter Paul Krieger will describe the standardized process he created to improve his glossary. After doing some research and creating a clear set of guidelines for his editors to develop a master glossary for three related books, the end result was a much more consistent, complete, and user-friendly glossary.

Presenter: Lisa Peterson, Director of Content Development, Top Hat

Multimodal teaching coupled with the democratization of video technology has in some cases fed the expectation that instructors produce video lectures or bite-sized informational clips to supplement core digital content, however, the question of how to create compelling and meaningful videos is not always intuitive or as easy as some make it look. This session will provide concrete tips on how to create polished, meaningful, and ADA accessible video content to complement your digital offering.

Presenter: Juli Saitz, CPA, Forensic Accountant, Royalty Auditor, HKA Global

This session will cover the fundamental elements of royalty statements and how to understand their content. In recent years, royalty statement page counts have grown as publishers provide more information, but that additional information can be hard to understand and frustrating to authors.
Presenter Juli Saitz will explain what is contained in statements and discuss pertinent information that is not included, but available from your publisher. She will also give an overview of some analyses that any author can perform to better understand how and where their books are selling. Finally, if further inquiry is warranted, learn the steps involved in approaching your publisher for answers and how to proceed if you don’t get the answers you seek.

Presenters: Christopher Kenneally, Senior Director, Content Marketing, Copyright Clearance Center (CCC); and Lily Todorinova, Open Educational Research/Undergraduate Experience Librarian, Rutgers University-New Brunswick

Higher education is the publishing segment undergoing the most disruptive changes today. Now that many are available in digital form, publishers and universities are implementing new models for creating, distributing, and charging students for college text materials, especially in introductory classes. University libraries have begun to subsidize publication of faculty written titles on their own or in partnership with their university presses. Among the distribution innovations offered on campus to help more students afford to attend college in their chosen field of study are equitable access, in which all students pay the same flat fee per semester for all their text materials regardless of major, and inclusive access, in which publishers distribute materials digitally to all students under various subscription and billing options. This panel will explore the challenges that faculty (many as authors), publishers, and universities face to support these models and the goal of making college more affordable for more students.

Presenter: Dr. Derek Weber

Dr. Derek Weber will share his experiences transforming his lab manual from print to digital, including insights into his use of intentional design and learning science to enhance student engagement and improve learning outcomes.

Presenters: Wendi Zimmer, Clinical Assistant Professor, Texas A&M University; and Erin McTigue, Coach for Academics and Authors, The Positive Academic

What is one of the most efficient tools for improving one’s writing and also one of the most avoided tools for academic writers? Feedback! We’ve heard (and used) so many excuses: Don’t have time; Don’t want to overburden already busy colleagues; The work is not ready for others’ eyes; and more. In this interactive presentation, presenters Wendi Zimmer and Erin McTigue address the biggest obstacles to seeking feedback—the ones that we have identified and those that attendees bring to the session. Gain strategies for 1) handling the emotional barriers of seeking and receiving feedback, 2) proactively creating time for feedback, 3) building a feedback support system, 4) understanding different types of feedback for different writing stages, and 5) communicating in a way that results in better feedback. Attendees will leave with a reframed view of feedback and a series of tools equipping them to get more frequent and valuable feedback.

Presenter: Juli Saitz, CPA, Forensic Accountant, Royalty Auditor, HKA Global

This session will cover the fundamental elements of royalty statements and how to understand their content. In recent years, royalty statement page counts have grown as publishers provide more information, but that additional information can be hard to understand and frustrating to authors.
Presenter Juli Saitz will explain what is contained in statements and discuss pertinent information that is not included, but available from your publisher. She will also give an overview of some analyses that any author can perform to better understand how and where their books are selling. Finally, if further inquiry is warranted, learn the steps involved in approaching your publisher for answers and how to proceed if you don’t get the answers you seek.

Presenter: Dr. Michelle Rivera-Clonch, Co-Founder of Writing in Depth: An Academic Writing Retreat

Open to academic writers of all authoring experiences, this session focuses on two important aspects towards a completed writing project: one’s writing approach and writing blocks.
This session is for you if:

• You’re curious about how individual personality influences writing.
• You’d like to identify which 4 writing personality types you naturally gravitate towards.
• You’re experiencing writer’s block or stagnation.

During our time together, we’ll:

• Learn about different personality types and their influence on writing.
• Identify your dominant and non-dominant writing personality types.
• Discuss factors that might be leading to writing blocks, stagnation, and burnout.

You’ll leave this session:

• With a self-analysis of your specific writing personality
• Having clear steps to leverage your writing personality type
• Understanding which writing requirements may be at odds with your preferred style

Presenters: Erin McTigue, Coach for Academics and Authors, The Positive Academic; and Tracey Hodges, Owner and Chief Creative Officer, The Empowering Advocate LLC

Writing takes time and mentoring writers takes time. This can create natural competition for resources; however, in this session, presenters Erin McTigue and Tracey Hodges work to discard the scarcity mindset and reframe mentoring academic authors as an opportunity for both parties to grow in their writing skill motivation. As professional writing coaches, this interactive session will be organized around common questions that faculty have shared with them regarding mentoring in academia—highlighting the desire of wanting to be a good mentor and the mindset of not having enough time and energy. They will present the approach of mutualistic mentorship to increase faculty’s joy in writing while helping mentor future generations of academic writers, and use this approach to unpack real-life scenarios and provide innovative, less costly, and more impactful strategies for balancing mentorship and productivity. Attendees will leave with creative solutions to decrease the cost of mentoring academic writers while increasing the benefits.

Presenter: Micki M. Caskey, Professor Emerita, Portland State University; Julie P. Combs, Professor of Educational Leadership, Sam Houston State University

In this hands-on session, presenters Micki Caskey and Julie Combs will explore how to identify, develop, and incorporate metaphors in scholarly writing. First, you will engage in a reflective activity to identify potential and powerful metaphors that align with a current or future writing project. Second, you will review metaphorical concepts and practice strategies to help us develop metaphors for an article, chapter, or book. Third, in small groups, you will examine and discuss exemplars of metaphors other authors have used in their scholarly writing. Fourth, you will practice incorporating metaphors in your writing. Finally, they will share their experiences with metaphors and how incorporating metaphors can be part of your growing scholarly writing practice.

Presenter: Dannelle D. Stevens, Professor Emerita, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Portland State University; Paulina Zepeda Gutierrez is an Assistant Professor of Business at the Universidad Catholica del Norte in Coquimbo, Chile

In writing Are there any ways to build bridges from reflective journal writing to academic writing? In this session, two accomplished journal keepers, including one native Spanish speaker, will share their experiences using reflective journal writing to develop and submit conference proposals, journal articles, and, even, book proposals. Attendees will practice three journal writing strategies and immediately apply them to a current proposal or journal article.

Dr. Tracy G. Spies, Associate Professor of English Language Learning, UNLV

Frustrating, Confusing, Unproductive, Time-consuming… sentiments often shared by doctoral students and their supervisors regarding the feedback process in academic writing. How can faculty and students engage with feedback in meaningful and productive ways?
In this session, presenter Tracy Spies will share the critical design elements of a structured writing feedback group and how the dialogue within each element promotes doctoral students’ self-regulation, agency, and advancement of scholarly writing knowledge and skills. Attendees will discuss the benefits and barriers to implementing, facilitating, and maintaining these groups

Presenter: Micki M. Caskey, Professor Emerita, Portland State University; Julie P. Combs, Professor of Educational Leadership, Sam Houston State University

In this roundtable discussion, presenters Micki Caskey and Julie Combs will review and discuss a recent case of blatant plagiarism, one discovered through happenstance. After they review the case, they will consider the following key questions:

• How can you determine if someone has plagiarized your scholarly work?
• What steps can, and should you take, if you discover that someone has plagiarized your work?
• How can you avoid the possibility or prospect of future plagiarism?

After considering these questions, they will exchange ideas for protecting your scholarly work from unscrupulous authors and predatory publishers. At the end of the session, you will feel empowered to set publication boundaries to reduce the likelihood of future plagiarism.

Moderators: Laura Frost, TAA DEI Committee Chair, Shawn Nordell, TAA DEI Committee Member

Did you know that TAA has a committee for diversity, equity, and inclusion (CDEI)? We do! We want to hear how this committee can assist you as a TAA member. Join this roundtable to meet members of the CDEI, learn about the resources that we have curated and strategize as you incorporate DEI into your publications and writing practice. We also want to know from you what you and your publishers are doing to promote DEI in your writing, your journal articles and your textbooks. We are looking forward to meeting you and sharing best practices.

Moderators: Brenda Ulrich, Attorney, Archstone Law Group; Jessica Gullion, Associate Dean of Research, College of Arts and Sciences, Texas Woman’s University

Hardly a day goes by without a news item about Generative AI programs like ChatGPT and what it means for authors, musicians and other content creators. We are only beginning to understand and reckon with what this technology can do, the legalities of what it does, and how it might impact both the creators and the creative works on which the AI is trained. TAA is watching closely to learn and consider what the implications might be for its members. In this roundtable we hope to engage in a lively discussion of generative AI and what it means for today’s academic and textbook author. We also want to discuss how TAA can best represent the interests of its members as generative AI takes hold.

Presenter: Dannelle D. Stevens, Professor Emerita, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Portland State University

Some say, "At its best, academic writing is like writing a report-- just tell the facts. Readers only care about the results or findings, anyway.” As a writer as well as a researcher, by infusing your writing with passion and persuasion, you will harness a peculiar power over your reader's attention. You will demonstrate why you care about the topic and why they should also care. More will read your work beyond the title and abstract. More will cite your ideas. You will find a deeper satisfaction in writing about your work.
Yet, where and how do you infuse passion and persuasion into your academic writing? In this session participants will learn four key strategies that gain and sustain your reader's attention.

Presenter: Karen Morris, Textbook Author, Professor of Law, Monroe Community College

Long-time textbook author Karen Morris will discuss the ups and downs of writing, lessons she’s learned, hints for success, and pitfalls to avoid. Her advice is the result of writing 8 editions for three publishers, with four rotating co-authors, and editors too numerous to count—and that refers to only one of several textbooks she writes/has written.

Presenter: Michelle Boyd, PhD, Founder, InkWell Academic Writing Retreats, and author of Becoming the Writer You Already Are

Do you long to take a break from your writing, but worry you'll never return to it? Have you planned or taken breaks in the past, but felt guilty about them the entire time? This session offers a strategy for the seemingly obvious, but surprisingly tricky art of incorporating rest into your writing life. By the end, you'll know how to take a writing break without guilt or remorse, and have a simple method for getting back into your writing with ease.

The following on-demand sessions and the sessions recorded live during the conference, will be accessible here by the end of each conference dayfor you to watch at your leisure. Attendees will have access to these on-demand sessions for 60 days post-conference.

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

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 will present 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.

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. Join two seasoned authors in this 10-minute session as they share their tips (in Microsoft Word) for faster editing.

Presenters: Christina M. Gushanas, Assistant Professor of Special Education, School of Teaching and Learning, Sam Houston State University; Julie Peterson Combs, Professor, Educational Leadership Department, Sam Houston State University

Publish or perish? Academics understand this pressure to perform, and yet many of us are challenged with writing frequently and consistently. In this 10-minute session, we share two of our favorite tried-and-tested planning tools we use to help us stay organized and productive.

Presenter: Michelle Boyd, PhD, Founder, InkWell Academic Writing Retreats, and author of Becoming the Writer You Already Are

Do you long to take a break from your writing, but worry you'll never return to it? Have you planned or taken breaks in the past, but felt guilty about them the entire time? This session offers a strategy for the seemingly obvious, but surprisingly tricky art of incorporating rest into your writing life. By the end, you'll know how to take a writing break without guilt or remorse, and have a simple method for getting back into your writing with ease.