Presentations on Demand

Watch these one-hour presentations anytime, anywhere, on topics such as writing, editing, contracts, royalties, taxes, copyright, time management and more, presented by a variety of industry experts. Members: Log in to access. Non-Members: Join TAA today and receive access to all of TAA's 250+ presentations on demand for one full year.

Browse presentations by topic below:

Textbook Writing | Textbook Publishing | Contracts & Royalties | Taxes | Copyright | Marketing | Supplements | Indexing | Ebooks, Open Access & Self-Publishing | Textbook Proposals | Visuals and Illustrations

Academic Writing | Academic Publishing | Academic Editing | Academic Books | Grant Writing | Time Management & Productivity | Social Media for Academics | Tenure & Promotion | Dissertation Writing | Visuals and Illustrations

TAA Conference Sessions On Demand

2018 TAA Conference

Recent Presentations  

The Essential Actions of Academic Writing

Presenters: Nigel A. Caplan, PhD, Associate Professor and Manager, Graduate Programs and Online Learning, University of Delaware English Language Institute; and Ann M. Johns, PhD, Professor Emerita, Linguistics and Writing Studies, San Diego State University 

Nigel Caplan and Ann Johns, authors of Essential Actions for Academic Writing (University of Michigan Press), introduce a genre-based approach to writing and writing instruction. By understanding the components of genre, writers can tackle new and challenging tasks, an approach which also works well for teaching undergraduate and graduate students. The presenters demonstrated how to analyze the genre of the research article and identify the "actions" that writers take in each section (introduction, methods, results, and discussion). In order to effectively pursue these actions, writers need to understand both the rhetorical moves that are expected, conventional, or available and the language typical of each stage. Get resources and tips for successful academic writing in any genre and any discipline. Watch

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

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

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 shows 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

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, author 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