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May 1999

PROFIT LOSS

Houghton Mifflin K-12: Sales at the School Division, McDougal Littell, Great Source and Riverside grew 9.2 percent to $612 million in 1998.

Houghton Mifflin College: Sales grew 7.9 percent to $161 million in 1998.

Tribune Education: Revenues grew 7 percent to $64 million in the latest quarter, but seasonal issues resulted in a $1.1 million loss.

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R.I.P. Vern Countryman

Vern Countryman, (law), Harvard University, author of The Judicial Record of William O. Douglas and other books, died May 2 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was 81.

R.I.P. Edward Dale Jr.

Edward Dale Jr., author of The People's Budget (1995) and Conservatives in Power (1960), died May 10 in Washington. He was 75.

R.I.P. John Whiting

John Whiting (social anthropology), Harvard University, author of Culture and Human Development, died May 13 in Chilmark, Massachusetts. He was 90.

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TAA plans desktop tool how-to

ATHENS, Georgia, May 1, 1999 -- Management author Patrick McKeown, of the University of Georgia, will provide a hands-on tutorial on desktop publishing with a concentration on Framemaker during a one-hour Text and Academic Author convention workshop, "Desktop Publishing in General With the Use of Framemaker Specifically."

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TAA search narrows to four

WINONA, Minnesota, May 1, 1999 -- The search for the upgraded executive director job at Text and Academic Authors has four candidates who will be invited to initial interviews, said John Vivian, search chair. The candidates:

  • Tony Adamo: With Genesee Research & Development, manages consultants to devise marketing and revenue plans for not-for-profit corporations. From Tampa, Florida.
  • Joan Byrne: An executive with Quality Quest, a company that operates a faculty network for international travel. Formerly, the continuing-education director at Eckard College. From Largo, Florida.
  • Nancy Mills: Has experience, including membership building, with the Society of Women Engineers, the University of Southern Colorado, and the Institute of Industrial Engineers. From St. Petersburg, Florida.
  • Ron Pynn: A soon-to-be retired North Dakota political science professor and author who has been pinch-hit TAA's executive director. Relocating to St. Petersburg.

In all, 28 people applied, Vivian said.

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West women charge bias in stock handouts

ST. PAUL, Minnesota, May 2, 1999 -- Women employees at the West law-publishing firm filed a class action suit that men were given preferential stock options. In 1996, when the Thomson conglomerate bought West, 151 men were paid $3 billion for their shares, almost $2 million apiece, the plaintiffs said. Women, meanwhile, were paid $100 million, about $345,000 apiece. The women said the inequity was all the worse because, at the time, 60 percent of West's employees were women.

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Author: Text selection process needs upgrade

CARBONDALE, Illinois, May 3, 1999 -- Public relations author and textbook researcher Donna Besser said the state textbook adoption process is oftentimes bad news for teachers and students. "Textbooks are a major element that frame individual course content and provide stable instruction for students," she said. "However, the selection process is too often based on political motives or economic necessities." Besser will discuss how the current el-hi textbook selection procedure clutters curricula and obstructs development with her Text and Academic Author convention presentation, "El-Hi Textbook Selection: An Exercise in Exasperation."

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Government OKs Pearson-Simon & Schuster deal

WASHINGTON, May 3, 1999 -- Despite the concerns of five textbook authors and one textbook publisher who felt Pearson's acquisition of Simon & Schuster's educational, professional and technical divisions would adversely affect both the textbook industry and authors, the United States Department of Justice said it will allow Pearson to go through with the purchase.

U.S. anti-trust investigator John Poole said the authors' comments, made during a 60-day period for public comments which ended February 19, will not affect the government decision to allow Pearson to go through with the acquisition -- with the condition that it sells the 55 titles the Justice Department says will cause competitive problems. "The United States has concluded that the entry of the proposed Final Judgment would provide an effective and appropriate remedy for the antitrust violations alleged in the Complaint, and is therefore in the public interest," according to a response to the public comments filed April 22 in U.S. District Court.

Comments were filed with the Justice Department by:

  • Gary Musser, co-author of one of the books on the list to be sold by Pearson.
  • Fredric Martini, a Prentice-Hall author whose books are not on the list.
  • Clayton E. Jones, chief executive officer of Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
  • Professors Bruce Vogeli, Herbert Ginsburg and Carole Greenes, who felt basal elementary math textbooks should also be protected.
Musser, whose Mathematics for Elementary Teachers and Mathematics in Life, Society, and the World, are published by Simon & Schuster imprint Prentice-Hall, asked that the Justice Department reconsider the sale of his Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers, and sell a competing book instead. Musser said both of his math books are currently being revised and slated for a fall release. Forcing the sale of either of these books, he said, would jeopardize this schedule. "Forcing the sale of these books as a package may work to our disadvantage since there is no guarantee that both books will be published by another publisher," he said.

Musser said that although the books have separate markets, there is overlap in the material and instructors may adopt both. "When marketing, Prentice-Hall is motivated to make this connection," he said. "If my books are split, I and my co-authors will suffer because the connection will be less obvious." He said Prentice-Hall is planning to add a CD-web package to his Mathematics for Elementary Teachers text, "but there is no guarantee that another publisher will pick up these extras. In this case, instructors and their students are the ones who will be disadvantaged."

The Justice Department said that although it recognizes that the sale of Musser's books may have some short-term effects on their development and marketing, the restrictions they have put on Pearson's sale of the products will minimize any disruption. These include:
  • Prompt sale of the titles. Pearson must sell the titles by April 22, five months after the Justice Department gave tentative approval, or 30 days after the expiration of the 60-day comment period. They must sell the titles by May 23. The Justice Department felt this would minimize the "period of uncertainty and discontinuity of ownership" of the titles.
  • Pearson must maintain the titles' competitiveness. Pearson must continue to maintain funding, development, promotional advertising, marketing, editorial and merchandising support, and maintain and increase sales.
According to the the Justice Department, allowing Pearson to retain the titles would cause those authors to face "a far greater risk in the longer term." Their texts and ancillaries, Justice said, may not be developed, promoted and revised as effectively as they otherwise would have been because Pearson now markets many of their competitors. Fredric Martini, who sent a 4-1/2 page letter to the Justice Department voicing his concerns, said the judgment as it now stands will not preserve competition and innovation in the market. "Innovation in the textbook today is occurring most rapidly in the hi-tech electronic areas," said Martini. Companion web sites, course management software, distance learning systems, computer-based testing programs, interactive tutorials and simulations are all given away free with the adoption of its corresponding textbook, he said. The high-cost of developing, upgrading and maintaining these products, he said, "can only be justified on the grounds that they will increase the market share of the associated textbook.

"In a market with many competitors, the associated costs are high enough that each publisher tends to have specialties. With six competing publishers, each with viable texts, each would have a full range of supplements, but each would spend extra money on developing one particularly innovative project or approach different from what was offered by the competition." Each company, then, he said, would be continually looking for cost-effective ways to match or better the strengths of the competition.

But when two companies merge, Martini said, they pool resources within their disciplines. With the merging of Prentice-Hall and Addison-Wesley, both competing to develop the best hi-tech electronic supplements, they no longer need to work to develop what the other has. They can now combine their efforts and share resources. This, said Martini, effects competitiveness by:
  • Allowing Prentice-Hall and Addison-Wesley to abandon their efforts to create more innovative electronic products.
  • Making it more difficult for other publishers to compete. "The costs are so high that small publishers are priced out of the market, and over time many large publishers have been forced to cut lists to devote money and personnel to supporting an ever-smaller number of texts," he said.
  • Causing the authors of individual texts published by either company to lose their distinctiveness and their marketing momentum.
This last effect, he said, "drastically reduces competition between Prentice-Hall and Addison-Wesley title." This doesn't matter to the publishers but matters a great deal to the authors, he said: "I find it infuriating that projects that I have been working on for years should be turned over to my competition. My texts were often the 'test cases' for developing these products. In essence, my ability to continue to be innovative and to increase the market share of my texts has been severely compromised."

Martini, an anatomy and physiology author, said Pearson's acquisition will allow Prentice-Hall and Addison-Wesley to control 50 to 60 percent of the anatomy and physiology market, of which his texts account for about 25 percent. Prior to the merger, he said, he was competing aggressively for 75 percent of the market, and now Pearson will compete for 40 to 50 percent, with minimal competition between his text and Addison-Wesley texts. "This is certainly not a demonstration of 'increased competitiveness,'" he said.

The Justice Department said the same thing about Martini's competitive concerns as for Musser's: Allowing Pearson to retain the titles would cause those authors to face "a far greater risk in the longer term." As far as Martini's concerns that Pearson will now control 50 to 60 percent of the anatomy and physiology market, the Justice Department said based on its own investigation, Pearson's share of the anatomy-physiology market will be no more than it was prior to the acquisition, somewhat less than 50 percent.

Martini also said he didn't believe eliminating the titles would affect the competitive force of the combined companies. "The titles per se are much less important than the leverage the combined corporation can bring to bear, and this applies even to markets that they do not dominate at present," he said. "However, the divestiture will have a serious negative impact on the authors involved. The books will be in turmoil for the next edition cycle at least -- handing a textbook to another publisher is not like giving a retailer a toaster." These books are transferred without many of the factors that made them successful, he said, like editorial teams, marketing specialists and sales reps familiar with the product, and programming teams that developed the supplements packages. A publisher entering these new markets, Martini said, will have no track record with the faculty and sales reps will be uncertain as to key features and competitive issues.

Martini said although it was too late to call off the merger, he asked the Justice Department to consider allowing Pearson to consolidate inventory, accounting, purchasing, and certain other functions but prohibit the merging of lists and related divisions such as editorial, acquisitions, marketing and sales. This, he said, would limit Pearson's ability to maximize its economies of scale. The agreement, they said, will not alter Pearson's financial incentive and ability to allocate funding and other resources among the various texts in any way to maximize company profits. It would also likely not alter Pearson's incentive and ability to raise prices on titles, or reduce provision of supplemental products or services for a large share of sales, the Justice Department said. "Such a permanent hold-separate order would also be difficult to administer and likely impossible to enforce. Such an arrangement might limit Pearson's opportunities to maximize economies of scale and thus raise costs, which could result in higher prices to consumers."

Clayton E. Jones, chief executive officer of Jones & Bartlett Publishers, voiced strong opposition to the Justice Department's settlement terms, saying he has serious concerns that they will not achieve the intended results. "It is likely that the divestiture products will ultimately land in the hands of one of the other giants in our industry and thus the impact of your decree will be negligible," Jones said. He said if the Justice Department truly wants to protect competition, it needs to allow some of the smaller players in the industry to purchase the titles. "Simply allowing Pearson to sell these textbooks for an estimated $40 million to one of their largest competitors is a serious waste of everybody's time and will not fulfill your stated objective of enhancing competition in the industry," he said.

The Justice Department said the settlement is designed to ensure that the purchaser or purchasers of the titles will be viable and effective competitors and does not exclude or give preference to any kind of publisher. "A small publisher is certainly eligible to purchase the divested products so long as the United States is satisfied that it has the ability and intention to publish and market the products as viable, ongoing businesses," said the Justice Department. "The United States will not approve a proposed divestiture to a publisher that is already a substantial competitor of the program or title that it seeks to acquire. Thus, Mr. Jones, need not be concerned that there will be a divestiture to a large competitor that will not preserve competition in the affected markets."

Math authors Bruce Vogeli, Herbert Ginsberg and Carole Greenes asked that the Justice Department explain why relief similar to that provided for elementary school science wasn't required for elementary school math as well. "Pearson and Viacom's aggressive competition has led to lower prices, more and better ancillary materials and services, and improvement of product quality," said the authors. "The proposed acquisition would eliminate this competition [in the elementary school math market] and would further concentrate an already highly concentrated market." They said the merging of the two companies would affect the basal elementary school math program market by:

  • Eliminating actual and future compassion between Pearson and Viacom in the elementary school math textbook market.
  • Lessening competition in the basal elementary school math programs market since it is unlikely Pearson will continue the development of new products already in progress at Silver Burdett Ginn, a Simon & Schuster subsidiary.
  • Increasing prices for the programs or declining the ancillary materials and services.
  • Lessening the development and improvement of basal elementary school programs as a result of the consolidation of elementary subsidiaries Addison-Wesley, Scott Foresman and Silver Burdett Ginn.
The Justice Department said it conducted an extensive review of the likely impact of Pearson's acquisition of Simon & Schuster on numerous possible markets, including the market for the development, marketing and sale of elementary school math textbooks. They found that the acquisition would lessen competition with regard to the two elementary science programs acquired and the 55 titles it has asked Pearson to sell, but found nothing that would lessen competition in the elementary school math market. It will not pursue the authors' request.

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Want to eavesdrop on author contract talks?

VALLEY CENTER, California, May 3, 1999 -- A mock contract negotiating session, role-played by an experienced attorney and a publisher, will be conducted at the Text and Academic Author convention. Authoring and publishing attorney Michael Lennie will conduct the session. The publisher has not been announced.

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Pearson seeks 100 percent textbook accuracy

NEW YORK, May 4, 1999 -- Smarting from criticism that many of its el-hi books are loaded with inaccuracies, Pearson Education launched a program for 100 accuracy to identify and correct factual errors. The company has hired a director of standards and quality to put together an independent panel for prestigious authors and content experts to do the review. How far will the review go? Pearson promised to test every science experiment and math problem.

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Pearson declares war on text inaccuracies

NEW YORK, May 4, 1999 -- The largest U.S. textbook publisher, Pearson Education, launched a program to achieve 100 percent accuracy in all of its school textbooks, called Open Book Publishing. According to Pearson, the company will begin a "comprehensive review and audit" of all of their current school textbook series to identify and correct factual errors. The plan is to conclude this first phase of the project by the end of 1999.

Pearson hired a director of standards and quality to put together an independent panel for prestigious authors and content experts to do the review. The panel will also review the content of new textbooks, the company said, to verify accuracy, going so far as testing every science experiment and subjecting every math problem to four rounds of solving to verify accuracy. The corrections and teacher support materials will be posted to the publisher's web sites beginning in September. Teachers will also be able to e-mail the publisher to report errors they've discovered, said Pearson.

Details: Statement from Pearson Education

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Self-publishing expert offers how-to

GREENFIELD, Wisconsin, May 4, 1999 -- Self-publisher Frank Silverman will help authors with the nuts and bolts of self-publishing with his Text and Academic Author convention workshop, "Self-Publishing Books and Materials for Students, Academics and Professionals." Participants of Silverman's three-hour Thursday evening workshop will learn how to set up a publishing company for less than $500, to prepare camera-ready print and electronic copy, to print and bind books, to copyright and register works, to fill orders, to maintain financial records, to market and to sell reprint rights. Silverman, immediate past president of TAA, has been self-publishing educational and professional books and materials since the 1980s. He's now writing a book on the topic. Participants must pre-register by May 15. Call TAA headquarters at 727-563-0020.

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Want to read a NIH project? Think web

WASHINGTON, May 4, 1999 -- The National Institutes of Health is considering research projects it supports being posted on-line rather than in ink-on-paper scholarly journals. Harold Varmus, the institutes' dierctor, said millions of dollars could be saved because researchers would not need to include publication costs in their grant applications. The result could undermine the financial base of journals that charge both subscribers anmd contributors.

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TAA director candidate withdraws

WINONA, Minnesota, May 4, 1999 -- A finalist for the Text and Academic Authors executive director position, Nancy Mills, withdrew to pursue an opportunity elsewhere. Mills had membership-building experience with the Society of Women Engineers, the University of Southern Colorado, and the Institute of Industrial Engineers. Interviews are planned with three other candidates.

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St. Martin's acquires Golden adult division

NEW YORK, May 4, 1999 -- The adult publishing division of Golden Press was purchased by St. Martin's traded division. Terms were not announced. Golden is in bankruptcy reorganization.

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TAA to Pearson: Hire knowledgeable authors

GRAND FORKS, North Dakota, May 5, 1999 -- The executive director of Text and Academic Authors, Ron Pynn, said if Pearson Education used only real authors -- subject matter specialists with classroom experience -- the company wouldn't need to find a solution to the thousands of errors teachers and students are finding in Pearson el-hi textbooks.

Pynn noted that Pearson and also other el-hi publishers have produced books with hired hands who don't necessarily know a subject and then pay a leading expert to use the well-known name on the cover. It's a practice called ghosting in some fields, "phantom authoring" in the textbook business. TAA has long objected tgo the practice.

Accuracy is best achieved, Pynn said, when textbooks are written by real authors, educated in their discipline, and teaching in their field. "Errors become more prevalent when in-house development teams mass write books," he said. "It is bad practice with evident bad results. When real authors write real books, there is less need of a fix."

El-hi author Lee Mountain said promising 100 percent accuracy in 45,000 textbooks, as Pearson said it would do, is a big order. Mountain commended Pearson chief Peter Jovanovich: "I admire Jovanovich for setting that standard. He will probably improve the levels of accuracy in Pearson Education's books, but it takes a huge amount of rechecking to catch even proofreading errors. Going for 100 percent accuracy will slow down the publishing process considerably."

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Harcourt gears new site to K-12, adults

NEW YORK, May 6, 1999 -- The FamilyEducation Network will carry Harcourt General K-12 and adult educational content on a new web site designed to connect parents, students and teachers. The site will feature Harcourt products and be promoted by the company's sales reps. Harcourt and FamEd put $17 million into the new project. It is a separate endeavor from Harcourt.com, which continues in the building stage.

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Report due on dark side of text authoring

RALEIGH, North Carolina, May 6, 1999 -- Charles Lytle, director of the Biology Outreach Program at North Carolina State University, will report on the results of a survey into the costs and benefits of textbook authorship on the careers of college faculty, with his Text and Academic Author convention presentation, "Career Implications of Authorship for College Faculty." Lytle surveyed textbook authors, college administrators and senior faculty members and found significant variations in the perceived value of textbook authorship, a lack of uniformity in criteria for promotion and tenure, and in the operational definition of "scholarship" by the faculty promotion committees and college administrators.

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Math author: Justice Department ignores little guy

LAS VEGAS, Nevada, May 4, 1999 -- Math professor Gary Musser said the Department of Justice discounted his concerns about Pearson Education's proposal to include his book among 55 titles that the U.S. Justice Department insisted be sold if the Pearson-Simon & Schuster merger were to win anti-trust approval. Selling his book to another publisher would jeopardize the fall release of his revised Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers, Musser said: "Those Department of Justice folks live in a macro world and don't care about the little guy."

In a letter to the Department of Justice during its 60-day comment period about the proposed Pearson deal to purchase Simon & Schuster's textbook subsidiaries, Musser asked that Pearson reconsider the sale of his book and sell a competing one instead. Two of his books, published by Simon & Schuster subsidiary Prentice-Hall, are marketed together, he said, and only one is being sold, which will cause sales to suffer. The Justice Department said the effects will be only short-term,. Further, said Justice, the federal restrictions put on the sale, including a short sale period and continued competitive maintenance, will minimize any disruption. "My book was purchased by John Wiley who is a first-rate publisher. Ibelieve that things will work out, but my first choice would have been to stay with P-H because I have another book with them."

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Nelson-Hall acquired by Thomson

CHICAGO, May 7, 1999 -- An independent social science publisher whose history goes back to 1909, Nelson-Hall, has been bought by Wadsworth Publishing. The deal includes Nelson titles in comm, criminal justice, history, polysci, psych, public admin, and sociology. Wadsworth plans to upgrade the line with on-line supplements and more presentation tools for adopters. Terms were not announced. Meanwhile, Nelson-Hall continues with its trade titles.

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Author: Justice didn't listen to authors

NEW YORK, May 7, 1999 -- A leading math professor said the U.S. Justice Department ignored concerns from authors about the future of their textbooks in the sale of Simon & Schuster subsidiaries to Pearson. Essentially, said Bruce Vogeli, the Justice Department did nothing more than acknowledge receiving author complaints: "They just said we had indeed commented." "I'm very disappointed in the decision," he said. Did Vogeli's complaint do any good? He suspects retribution from Pearson: "It's unlikely I will be considered for work at Pearson since I spoke out on this issue."

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Author: Justice faltered on Pearson deal

NEW YORK, May 7, 1999 -- Math professor Bruce Vogeli said the U.S. Justice Department essentially didn't respond to his concerns about how the sale of Simon & Schuster subsidiaries to Pearson would adversely affect basal elementary school math programs that Pearson would be acquiring.

"They just said we had indeed commented," said Vogeli of Justice's response to the joint letter that he, psychology professor Herbert Ginsburg, and math professor Carole Greenes, sent them during the government's 60-day public comment period. "In separate conversations with John Poole, the U.S. attorney on the case, he was very concerned. He said if I had only written sooner he would have been able to look at the math situation, but the judge was reluctant to look at the settlement again."

Vogeli, a math professor at Columbia University's Teachers College, has written for Silver Burdett, a Simon & Schuster subsidiary, since 1960. He has written 173 books, including the market-leading Silver Burdett basal elementary school math program, which he has now been informed will not be revised.

"They will do a new math program to replace the Addison-Wesley, Scott Foresman and Silver Burdett programs," said Vogeli. "My concern is a reduction of choice if there are relatively few players in the market." No one will risk reducing their market share by being innovative, he said, and all the programs will end up being "cookie-cutter" books. "Publishers have to have courage not to do what others are doing, and publishers aren't known for their courage," he said. With only five or six publishers in the elementary math market, Vogeli said, all they will be trying to do is keep abreast of the competition. "I'm very disappointed in the decision," he said. "Pearson should have had to sell a math program."

In their letter to the Justice Department, the three said that while they agree with the government's decision to require Pearson to sell one of the competing science programs it has acquired, the decree does not address similar and potentially more damaging effects upon elementary school math in the United States. "It is our contention that, in so far as the mathematical education of American children is in the public interest, the absence of a competitive impact statement regarding the elementary school mathematics textbook market renders the proposed settlement not 'within the reaches of public interest,'" said the authors. "The importance of this oversight is especially critical due to the fact that the national mathematics market isthree times as large as that of science," they said.

Vogeli said that the science program is small compared to math and that Pearson deliberately put an emphasis on the science program to take the Justice Department's attention away from the math series. "They don't want to sell the Silver Burdett series because it has the leading share of the market and doesn't want us as a competitor," he said. "They are suppressing the program to keep it from being competitive."

The Justice department responded that it had done a thorough investigation into how the sale would affect basal elementary school math programs -- and left it at that. "When I started writing textbooks, there were 20 publishers for basal elementary school mathematics," said Vogeli. "Now there are five." At 70, he said, it's unlikely he will want to start all over with another math series, although he has been invited to begin one. As far as his career with Simon & Schuster, he said: "It's unlikely I will be considered for work at Pearson since I spoke out on this issue."

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Havas strengthens electronic-ed position

PARIS, May 8, 1999 -- French publisher Havas sold regional newspapers and advertising agencies in France to buy troubled Cendant Software of California and strengthen its Havas Interactive division. Eric Locoys, Havas president, said the acquisition will increase the company's 28 percent share of the U.S. electronic educational market. The Havas strategy is to create global educational web portals.

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Advice on writing text ideas

GRAND FORKS, North Dakota, May 9, 1999 -- Ron Pynn, a political science writer, and Greg Vis, a senior editor for health and allied science at Jones & Bartlett, will conduct a three-hour evening workshop on writing a winning textbook proposal at the Text and Academic Author convention. Pynn and Vis will discuss how to develop the idea, prepare, submit and review the proposal, and deal positively with negative responses. Participants who bring drafts of book proposals will receive a critique.

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Reed exec: Wolters merger not in works

AMSTERDAM, May 9, 1999 -- Persistent rumors of a merger of Elsevier Reed and Wolters Kluwer were raised again, this time by Reed chief executive Herman Bruggink. The merger was once overturned by the European Union, but rumors kept circulating that a revised plan was in the works. Those rumors surface again with reports of Reed's financial difficulties.

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Author disappointed at Justice, fellow authors

MAUI, Hawaii, May 9, 1999 -- Anatomy and physiology author Fredric Martini said the U.S. Justice Department "basically discredited all the points raised" against the approval of Pearson's purchase of Simon & Schuster.

Martini, a Prentice-Hall author, sent a 4-1/2 page letter to the Justice Department during its 60-day public comment period about the sale. He was concerned that the settlement, as it stood, would not preserve competition and innovation. It would also, he said, allow Pearson's Addison-Wesley and Simon & Schuster's Prentice Hall to control 50 to 60 percent of the anatomy and physiology market, of which his texts account for about 25 percent. The Justice Department wasn't too concerned by this, saying that based on its own investigation, Pearson's share of the anatomy-physiology market will be no more than it was prior to the acquisition, somewhat less than 50 percent.

Martini said he found it "amusing" that they discounted his concerns, as if 50 percent weren't enough to cause concern. "My estimate was based on the market share gain to my book and to Marieb [due to the disruption of the Tortora [Gerard Tortora, a competing anatomy-physiology author, whose book is on the to-be-sold list] project," he said. "My guess is that Tortora has already lost at least 10 percent of the market share and maybe more."

Martini said he had hoped that more people would voice objections to the federal government's anti-trust division over the sale: "It was probably too late to reverse the decision but not too late to amend it. Several congressional reps and senators were looking into the situation, but with a response like that they'll figure it's nothing to waste time on."

He said his guess for the purchase is Saunders College Publishing.

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Lawyer to sort through permssions complexities

CLEVELAND, May 10, 1999 -- Authoring and publishing lawyer Steve Gillen, from Frost and Jacobs, will show Text and Academic Author convention participants how to recognize when they need permissions and when they don't. His presentation, "Rights and Permissions," will also give practical advice on how to negotiate with the publisher for support and reimbursement. Sample forms will be provided.

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TAA awards judges receive thank-you

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida, May 10, 1999 -- With results of the Text and Academic Authors' 1999 Texty and McGuffey awards being tabulated, TAA office manager Janet Tucker issued a thanks to the judges. By catgeory:

  • Accounting/Business/Economics/Management: Fatolla Bagheri, University of North Dakota; Ray Garrison, Brigham Young University; John Karayan, California State Poly; Bill Pasewark Jr., University of Houston; and Bill Pasewark Sr, Lubbock, Texas.
  • Physical Sciences: Toby Block, Georgia Institute of Technology; Robert Christopherson, Folsom, California; George Duffey, Brookings, South Dakota; William Luebke, Modesto, California; and Paul Tippens, Powder Springs, Georgia.
  • Communication/Education/Performing Arts/Visual Arts: Jay Black, University of South Florida-St. Petersburg; Lee Mountain, University of Houston; Mary Kay Switzer, California Poly/Pomona; and John Vivian, Winona State University.
  • Computer Science/Engineering: Henry Hexmoor, University of North Dakota; Stacy Sawyer, Incline Village, New York; and John Simms, Marquette University.
  • Humanities/Social Sciences: Michele de Cruz-Saenz, Willingford, Pennsylvania; Jane Jones, Manatee Community College; Ron Pynn, University of North Dakota; Raymond Ruiz, University of South Florida; and Keith White, University of South Florida;.
  • Life Sciences: Carolyn Eberhard, Brooktondale, New York; Leon Harris, State University of New York; Dale Layman, Joliet Junior College; Charles Lytle, Cary, North Carolina; and Judith Stone, Coram, New York.
  • Math/Stats: Steven Kantz, Washington University; Eugene Nichols, Tallahassee, Florida; John Simms, Marquette University; Clifford Wagner, Pennsylvania State University; and Frank Wang, Norman, Oklahoma.

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Academic Press devises locator for web site

NEW YORK, May 10, 1999 -- All Academic Press scientific journal articles on the web are being coded for easy access by scholars, researchers and librarians, the company announced. The system uses a standard digital-object identifiers with a finder developed by Academic Press.

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Texty-winning book lists TAA link

FOLSOM, California, May 11, 1999 -- Environmental science author Robert Christopherson has added a link in the preface of his Texty-winning book, Geosystems, to the Notable Author biography published on him on Text and Academic Authors' on-line web site. "The bio will stay on the site forever," said Kim Pawlak, who wrote the profile. Said Christopherson: "Having it up there for the life of this edition is wonderful and will work for our book." Geosystems is published by Prentice-Hall.

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Startup firm has U.S. Chronicle rights

STAMFORD, Connecticut, May 11, 1999 -- A new subsidiary of Innovative USA, , Innovative Kids, signed a U.S. distribution deal with Chronicle Books of Britain. Innovative Kids specializes in interactive, tactile K-6 books.

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Will the real Mike Sullivan please stand up?

WINONA, Minn., May 12, 1999 -- Prentice-Hall has more than two Mike Sullivans among its authors. Wouldn't you know it, when TAA asked for a file photo of our Mike Sullivan, who is seeking re-election as association treasurer, the wrong one was sent. It arrived electronically and went directly into The Academic Author newsletter with the real Mike Sullivan's election profile. John Vivian, TAA editor, said he'd buy Sullivan a beer and a new wig if he loses. The seat is uncontested.

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Wiley picks up two S&S titles

NEW YORK, May 14, 1999 -- Two of the 55 titles that the U.S. Justice Department told Pearson to sell before purchasing Simon & Schuster textbook subsidiaries have gone to John Wiley & Sons. The titles: Classroom Management Strategies, by James Cangelosi, and Mathematics for Elementary Teachers, by Gary Musser. Musser, one of six authors who earlier protested the sale of his book, said he was contacted by his new editor at Wiley, who said they were "on top of the situation." In the deal, Musser said, Prentice-Hall agreed to take all 2,000 books through production. Musser had been worried that the sale of his book would keep him from releasing its next edition by fall. "However, my production person at Wiley is taking a strong interest in the process to make sure that we meet fall rollovers," he said. Musser said a contact person at Wiley told him they were keeping details of the sale under wraps until shareholders were told.

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TAA members confirm Morris as president

ST. PETERBURG, Florida, May 15, 1999 -- The vice president of Text and Academic Authors, Karen Morris of Rochester, New York, was confirmed as president of the association for a one-year term. The current president, Peggy Stanfield, was elected vice president, which means she will advance to a two-year term as president again after Morris' term ends. The odd sequence is a result of the transition of terms to two years. All the results:

  • President: Karen Morris (law), Monroe County Community College. Votes: 48. Term: June 1999-June 2000.
  • Vice president and president elect: Peggy Stanfield (nutrition), College of Southern Idaho. Votes: 49. Term: June 1999-2000. Then president: June 2000-2002.
  • Secretary: Mary Kay Switzer (mass media), Cal Poly-Pomona. Votes: 48. Term: June 1999-2000.
  • Treasurer: Mike Sullivan (math), Chicago State University. Votes: 48. Term: June 1999-June 2000.
  • Council: Stpehen Gillen (law), Frost & Jacobs, Cincinnati. Votes: 48. Term: June 1999-June 2002).
  • Council: Donna Besser (public relations), Carbondale, Illinois. Votes: 51. Term: June 1999-June 2002.
  • Council: Phil Halloran (math), Central Connecticut State Uiniversity. Votes 48. Term: June 1999-June 2002.

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PROFIT LOSS

Educational Insights: Sales rose 21 percent to $39.2 million in the latest year.

Taylor & Francis: Sales rose 34 percent to $66.3 million, but profits declined 1.3 percent to $7.5 million.

Thomson: Profits grew 12 percent to $279 million in the latest quarter.

Wolters Kluwer: Operational profits rose 19 percent to $346 million in the latest year.

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R.I.P. Sheldon Judson

Sheldon Judson (geology), Princeton University, whose work included Earth: An Introduction to Geologic Change, died in Princeton, New Jersey. He was 80.

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Versabooks coding NTC dictionaries

CHICAGO, May 16, 1999 -- The e-book company Versaware will offer access to seven dictionaries published by NTC. These NTC dictionaries, scheduled to be on-line for Versaware e-book users by June, are being put into the Versaware format:

  • American Idioms.
  • American Slang and Colloquial Expression.
  • Phrasal Verbs and Other Idiomatic Expression.
  • Common American Phrases in Everyday Contexts.
  • Acroinyms.
  • Proverbs.
  • American English Learner's Dictionary.

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Pearson seeks bids on eight S&S units

LONDON, May 16, 1999 -- British book-publishing giant Pearson still doesn't want all the units it bought from Simon & Schuster. The company has eight divisions out for bids, either individually or together. Macmillan is making a bid, according to London sources. During the acquisition from Simon & Schuster, Pearson had a deal with Texas investors to buy the eight divisions, but the deal fell apart.

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Panel to explore what's ahead in journal publishing?

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida, May 16, 1999 -- A panel of scholarly journal editors, led by moderator Jay Black of the University of South Florida, will look at the relationships among authors, editors and universities as they consider the value of academic authoring in the new millenium. The panel will attempt to engage the audience in a serious discussion about the pros and cons of current journal publishing and the changes on the horizon during their Text and Academic Author convention presentation: "Hardening of the Articles: Trends in Academic Journals."

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Forensic series due from Academic Press

NEW YORK, May 16, 1999 -- A new forensic science series was announced by the science, technical and medical house Academic Press. Called AP Forensics, the series begins with Brent Turvey's analysis of the JonBenet Ramsey and Jack the Ripper homicides a century apart: Criminal Profiling: An Introduction to Behavioral Analysis.

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TAA search committee picks Pynn

WINONA, Minn., May 16, 1999 -- A search committee unanimously recommended Ron Pynn, one of three charter members of Text and Academic Authors, for an upgraded position of executive director. Pynn was chosen from three finalists. "We had a rich field," said search chair John Vivian. "It was Ron's experience as an author, his knowledge of the publishing industry, and his experience with TAA that made the difference," he said. Search committee members: Jay Black, of the TAA Council; Karen Morris, president-elect; Janet Tucker, headquarters office manager; and Peggy Stanfield, president.

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TAA speaker: Side issues affect adoptions

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida, June 15, 1999 -- Public relations author and textbook researcher Donna Besser said the state textbook adoption process is oftentimes bad news for teachers and students. "Textbooks are a major element that frame individual course content and provide stable instruction for students," she said. "However, the selection process is too often based on political motives or economic necessities." Besser will discuss how the current el-hi textbook selection procedure clutters curricula and obstructs development with her Text and Academic Author convention presentation, "El-Hi Textbook Selection: An Exercise in Exasperation."

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Scholastic offers English, Spanish basals

AUSTIN, Texas, May 16, 1999 -- Learning materials publisher Scholastic plans to offer its K-3 English basal reading and language series Literary Place for Texas adoption, as well as a Spanish series from its partner Scholastic Solares. The filing deadline is in July.

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TAA Speaker: Whence e-publishing, e-content

POWDER SPRINGS, Georgia, May 17, 1999 --- Electronic and computer engineering technology professor Scott Tippens, of Southern Polytechnic University, will address effective strategies for creating and delivering interactive content and future directions for electronic publishing, with his Text and Academic Author convention presentation, "Authoring and Publishing in the Electronic Medium: Meeting the Expectations of Students and Faculty."

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TAA to present six Texty awards

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida, May 17, 1999 -- Five textbooks of enduring value were selected for 1999 Texty excellence awards from Text and Academic Authors. Janet Tucker, awards manager, said the winners will be acknowledged at the TAA convention in Park City, Utah, in June. The winners:

  • Edward J. Tarbuck and Frederick K. Lutgens: Earth: An Introduction to Physical Geology, sixth edition (Prentice Hall), in the college physical sciences category.
  • Sallie A. Marston and Paul L. Knox: Human Geography: Places and Regions in Global Context, first edition (McGraw-Hill), in the humanities and social sciences division.
  • Jennie Dusheck and Allan Tobin: Asking About Life, first edition (Saunders), in the college life sciences category.
  • William Stallings: Cryptography and Network Security, second edition (Prentice Hall), in the college computer science and engineering category.
  • Laura H. Chapman: Adventures in Art, first edition (Davis), in the el-hi communication, education, performing arts and visual arts category.
  • Michael Sullivan: College Algebra, fifth edition (Prentice Hall), in the college math and stats category.

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Update due on campus textbook retailing

OBERLIN, Ohio, May 17, 1999 The chief staff officer of the National Association of College Stores, Brian Cartier, said new forms of competition are surfacing in the book sales industry and the core products are undergoing change at a rapid pace. Cartier will look at the way new products and services such as electronic books and on-line bookstores will change the way bookstores do business in the new millenium with his Text and Academic Author convention presentation, "Managing Permanent Whitewater."

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Five texts win TAA McGuffey awards

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida, May 17, 1999 -- Five textbooks of enduring value were selected for 1999 McGuffey awards from Text and Academic Authors. Janet Tucker, awards manager, said the winners will be acknowledged at the TAA convention in Park City, Utah, in June. The winners:

  • Thomas L. Wheelen and J. David Hunger: Strategic Management and Business Policy, sixth edition (Addison Wesley Longman),in the college accounting, business, economics and management category.
  • Dorothy V. Seyler: Read, Reason, Write, fifth edition (McGraw-Hill Higher), in the college humanities and social science category.
  • Lee Mountain: Uncle Sam and the Flag, (Oddo), in the el-hi language and literature category.
  • Mary Ellen Guffey: Business English, sixth edition (South Western), in the college communication, education, performing arts and visual arts category.
  • Ibe Mizrah and Michael Sullivan: Finite Mathematics: An Applied Approach, seventh edition (Wiley), in the college math and stats category.

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Panel to explore what's ahead in journal publishing?

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida, May 17, 1999 -- A panel of scholarly journal editors, led by moderator Jay Black of the University of South Florida, will look at the relationships among authors, editors and universities as they consider the value of academic authoring in the new millenium. The panel will attempt to engage the audience in a serious discussion about the pros and cons of current journal publishing and the changes on the horizon during their Text and Academic Author convention presentation: "Hardening of the Articles: Trends in Academic Journals."

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54 jettisoned Pearson titles go to Wiley

NEW YORK, May 17, 1999 -- Publisher John Wiley & Sons bought a package of 54 titles that federal anti-trust required Pearson Education to sell. The price: $58 million, more than $1 million per title. A 55th title, The Human Mosaic: A Thematic Introduction to Cultural Geography, by Terry Jordan-Bychkov and Mona Domosh, published by Pearson's Addison-Wesley, is still up for sale. When it is sold, the last hurdle will have been passed for federal approval of Pearson's acquisition of all the text, professional and reference titles of Simon & Schuster.

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Some authors wary, others OK with sell-off

NEW YORK, May 17, 1999 -- John Wiley & Sons has been chosen to purchase all but one of the 55 titles that federal anti-trust investigators said had to be sold before the Pearson-Simon & Schuster deal could be finalized. The purchase price: $58 million.

The remaining title, The Human Mosaic: A Thematic Introduction to Cultural Geography, by Terry Jordan-Bychkov and Mona Domosh, published by Pearson's Addison-Wesley, is still up for sale. U.S. anti-trust investigator John Poole said although Pearson felt that under the stipulations of the Justice Department's decree that Wiley would be an effective competitor for 54 of the titles, the remaining title would have competed with one other Pearson title already had.

Wiley spokesperson Susan Spilka said author relations were a high priority. All authors were notified of the sale by letter shortly after the sale was finalized. The letter informed each author of the name of their new editor and other essential information specific to each author.

"We are excited about the acquisition and plan to give it our full effort," said Spilka. "We are fully behind every title in this acquisition and are very excited to begin working with these authors. We feel the titles are a good fit with our existing programs and we intend to give them our full editorial and marketing attention."

Spilka said while Wiley is smaller in terms of overall size in each of the 16 core college disciplines tit publishes in, the company is one of the market leaders. "Because of our size, we can give individual attention that is sometimes not available in larger companies," she said. "Our core business is publishing. Because of that, there's a difference to what Wiley provides its authors. Our editorial, publishing and management departments are well established. There's not as much turn over as in other publishing companies. Our authors can be assured that in many cases, when they sign a contract with us, they will have the same editor throughout the life of the book."

Many of authors involved in the acquisition are still wary of what will happen to their texts. Mary Hatfield, co-author of Mathematics for Elementary and Middle School, said she hasn't heard from Wiley but has gotten a call from Allyn & Bacon informing her about the sale. She said she and her co-authors, Nancy Tanner Edwards and Gary G. Bitter, were given five days to sign new contracts and return them. "Wiley is a good company, but I'm not certain about their educational market and commitment to training sales staff for this technology-enhanced book," Hatfield said.

Robert Reyes, author of Helping Children Learn Mathematics, said he feels that he and his co-authors are "pawns on the board and have no control of this situation."

Gary Musser, author of Classroom Management Strategies, has been contacted by his new editor at John Wiley, who said the editorial and production staffs are "on top of the situation." In the deal, Musser said, Pearson's Prentice-Hall agreed to take all Year 2000 books through production. Musser had been worried that the sale of his book would keep him from releasing its next edition by fall 1999. "However, my production person at Wiley is taking a strong interest in the process to make sure that we meet fall rollovers," he said.

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Pynn wins upgraded TAA staff post

TWIN FALLS, Idaho, May 17, 1999 -- A past president of Text and Academic Authors, Ron Pynn, has accepted the new on-site executive director position at TAA headquarters, association President Peggy Stanfield announced. Stanfield commended Pynn's vision for the association and commitment to building membership and expanding services. Stanfield said other leading candidates also had many good ideas. "We hope we can tap into their knowledge and expertise as consultants," she said.

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Appleton & Lange goes to McGraw

LONDON, May 17, 1999 -- A major medical imprint of British publishing house Pearson, Appleton & Lange, was sold to McGraw-Hill for $46 million. The deal was one of several in the works to raise cash that Pearson had counted on from a Texas investment, Muse, Hicks, to finance its purchases of half of Simon & Schuster. Pearson also is studying bids for the Bureau of Business Pratcice, Jossey-Bass, Macmillan General Reference, Macmillan Library Reference, and Prentice Hall Direct and four other units.

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Coaliton goal: Accessible scholarly works

WASHINGTON, May 18, 1999 -- The Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, an alliance of universities and research libraries that supports increased competition in scientific journal publishing, has launched the Scientific Communities Initiative program, offering $500,000 in grants at $100,000 each to projects that will "transform the scholarly communication process."

SPARC, as the assocaition is called, says aims to "stimulate and accelerate" the creation of new university-based information communities serving users in key fields of science, technology and medicine. The grants will support projects, it said, that offer a "promising strategic alternative to inefficiencies in the current, traditional scientific communication process."

Rick Johnson, SPARC's director, said the initiative is the next step in the coalition's mission to make scholarly communications accessible again. "Prices of scientific journals have spiraled out of control in part because the scientific community no longer has sovereignty over its research," Johnson said. "SCI aims to give scientists high-quality alternatives that exploit changes and opportunities in today's information environment."

To qualify, projects must be based in academia, be non-profit, and fit these criteria:

  • Offer an effective new electronic venue for research published in science, technology or medicine.
  • Form a collection of content and or links large enough to address researchers' needs.
  • Address the certification, dissemination, indexing and archiving of research and scholarship.
  • Deliver convenient, efficient access to the above information in a user-friendly environment for science, technology and medicine researchers, but also for other disciplines in the future.
  • Foster a more open and competitive marketplace led by academe so research is more accessible, and to more researchers.

The deadline for project submissions is May 21. Grants will be awarded in November.

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Some authors upbeat on Pearson sale

NEW YORK, May 18, 1999 -- Three of the authors whose books have been sold to John Wiley by Pearson Education, Alan Shapiro, Linda Sheffield and J. David Irwin, said they are aware of the sale and are awaiting news from their new editors.

Alan Shapiro, author of Foundations of Multinational Financial Management, formerly published by Prentice-Hall, said he received a letter from Wiley welcoming him and giving him the name of his new editor. The letter said the new editor would cointacting Shapiro soon. "I think Wiley is OK," he said. "But I'm reserving judgment until I hear from them about their plans for my book. My concern is that they don't have the kind of distribution in business schools that Prentice-Hall has."

Teacher education author Linda Sheffield said she and coauthor Douglas Cruikshank are still waiting to hear from an editor at John Wiley. Sheffield and Cruikshank's text, Teaching and Learning Elementary and Middle School Mathematics, was also published by Prentice-Hall. Sheffield said since they have a new edition out in the fall, they are"quite anxious to see what happens."

J. David Irwin, author of Basic Engineering Circuit Analysis, said he has heard from his new editor and is taking a positive attitude toward the sale: "I'm looking forward to working with Wiley as best I can."

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Author: How to make CDs responsive

HOUSTON, May 19, 1999 -- El-hi author Lee Mountain will discuss how student feedback and team interaction at the development stage can contribute to the effectiveness of electronic instructional materials with her Text and Academic Authors convention presentation,"How to Write Literacy CD-ROMs for Elementary Pupils."

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Does winning a Texty change your life?

NEW YORK, May 20, 1999 -- Winning a Text and Academic Authors Textbook Excellence Award or McGuffey award for Excellence has its benefits, say previous award winners.

Robert Christopherson, a geology author who won a 1998 Texty for his book Geosystems, said the award had its biggest impact, and produced the most feedback within his professional organizations, which mentioned it in all of their newsletters. People on his campus, he said, mentioned it as well. "I have the plaque on my writing studio wall and find that an occasional glance at it keeps me aware of the larger impact of what is going on 'out there' and that there is impact in these words that I am composing," he said. "This is an intangible, personal benefit."

Masscom author John Vivian, who won a 1996 Texty for The Media of Mass Communication, said being nominated by his publisher, Allyn & Bacon, bolstered his confidence about the company's commitment to him as an author, and to his book: "There are days, not many, but some, when I wonder whether my publisher is on my side. Being nominated by them was a signal of support that still buoys me four years later."

"The Texty probably boosted sales, but I have no measure of that," Vivian said. "One disappointment is that my publisher, new to this kind of thing, didn't seem to know how to handle it. I never saw it mentioned in marketing materials, and I don't know whether sales reps were informed. My guess is we lost some opportunities to capitalize on the award. The next time Allyn & Bacon has a Texty winner, I hope the company will follow the example of other publishers that have integrated mentions of the award into the overall promotion of the book."

Vivian, a masscom professor at Winona State University, said his dean was impressed by the award and made sure the honor was publicized locally. "The campus public relations folks put an exhibit together in a trophy case," he said. "It stayed a couple years. I think they forgot to take it down."

He said the greatest reward was being nominated by his fellow textbook authors: "What better evaluator of a textbook can there be than fellow textbook authors. This is peer review at its best."

Reading author Lee Mountain, who won a 1994 Texty for her Heritage Readers series, agrees: "The Texty Award shows that peer authors have put their seal of approval on your textbook. That denotes quality. That's why I'm proud of winning a Texty." She said probably the most significant benefit to winning the Texty is that it is evidence of quality. "Quantity is easy to establish," Mountain said. "An author can stack his/her textbooks in a pile, and an observer can count them. But quality is harder to establish."

Charles Corbin, who won a 1997 Texty for Fitness for Life, said he recommended to his editor and marketing manager that they use the gold seal stickers designating the book as a Texty winner, but he's not sure if they will or not. He mentioned winning the award in the preface of the latest edition, its 10th, which comes out in July. The publisher also mentioned it in the new flyer. "I think that those who find out about it are very impressed," Corbin said. "I'm sure it has done me some good professionally."

Bob Hammersmith, who won a 1998 McGuffey for Genetics: Laboratory Investigations, said the award was one factor in his gaining a promotion to full professor. "The department chair used the award as evidence that I deserved promotion," Hammersmith said. "It stressed the overall importance of textbooks from an academic point of view." The award plaque was also displayed in the department office.

Ron Larson, who won both a Texty and a McGuffey in 1996 -- the Texty for Interactive Calculus, and the McGuffey for Calculus -- said it's difficult to measure how winning has influenced sales. For him, he said, the value of the award was personal satisfaction -- being recognized by fellow textbook authors.

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Look to TAA to learn Framemaker

ATHENS, Georgia, May 19, 1999 -- Management author Patrick McKeown, of the University of Georgia, will provide a hands-on tutorial on desktop publishing with a concentration on Framemaker during a one-hour Text and Academic Author convention workshop, "Desktop Publishing in General With the Use of Framemaker Specifically."

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Thomson combines education units

NEW YORK, May 19, 1999 -- The media conglomerate International Thomson combined its academic and adult education divisions. Executive Tim McEwan said the new division, called Thomson Learning, will accelerate the company's growth in traditional and developing markets. The new division has a revenue base of $850 million. Brand names will remain the same:

  • AlignMark: Electronic sourcing.
  • Brooks/Cole: Course materials and courseware.
  • Course Technology: Computer courseware.
  • Custom Publishing.
  • Delmar: Vocational, technical, health.
  • International Group.
  • Peterson's: Educational information.
  • South-Western College: Higher-ed.
  • South-Western Educational: El-hi.
  • Wadsworth: Higher-ed.

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Can robots think? More serious, can they write?

JOLIET, Illinois, May 19, 1999 -- Anatomy author Dale Layman said the growing power of computers and artificial intelligence warns us of the possibility that even writers and artists may be in danger. He will discuss this trend and how it has led to "compu-think," computer-like modes of human thinking as an alternative to robotics and mindless computerization, with his Text and Academic Authors convention presentation, "Facing the Robotic Challenge: Coping With Growing Computer Dominance Over the Access, Writing and Distribution of Information."

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Piracy of U.S. titles growing globally

WASHINGTON, May 19, 1999 -- U.S. book publishers lost an estimated $125 million to pirate publishers in China in 1998, the International Property Alliance reported. The estimate on unauthorized China reproduction, on which authors earn no royalties, was about the same as the year before. Worldwide, the Alliance put 1998 book piracy losses at $685.2 million -- up about almost 3 percent. The Alliance listed these worst offenders:

  • Russian Federation: $45 million, same as 1987.
  • Pakistan: $40 million million, up 33 percent.
  • Philippines: $39 million, down 22 percent.
  • Mexico: $35 million, the same.
  • South Korea: $21 million. up 5 percent.
  • India: $30 million, up 36 percent.
  • Indonesia: $30 million, up 57 percent.

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Publishers, authors under siege? Yes, says AAP chief

WASHINGTON, May 19, 1999 -- Association of American Publishers President Pat Schroeder will discuss what text and academic authors can do to protect their content during her keynote speech, "Why are Content Producers and Providers Under Siege?" at the Text and Academic Authors convention. In the 21st Century, she said, the main products will be those produced by the brain and it will be up to those producers to protect their right to charge for it.

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South-Western plans Dame expansion

HOUSTON, May 19, 1999 -- The Texas publisher Dame, which specializes in tax and accounting textbooks, was acquired by South-Western College. Executive Robert Lynch said Dame's list will be expanded with custom titles for niche markets and custom publishing for single courses, as well as broader adoptions. The name Dame will be retained as an imprint, Lynch said. Terms were not announced.

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Author: Puttng technology into new editions

ROCHESTER, New York, May 19, 1999 -- Hotel and hospitality author Karen Morris will discuss how technology and niche publishing play a part in writing a second edition, as well as the special responsibilities and benefits that go along with it, during a Text and Academic Authors convention presentation, "Writing the Second Edition and Beyond: How it Differs from the First," an interactive approach to learning."

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Piracy check targets Malaysia, Hong Kong

WASHINGTON, May 19, 1999 -- Two growing book piracy centers, Malaysia and Hong Kong, will be reviewed for copyright compliance, U.S. trade representative Charlene Barshefsky announced. Industry estimates pegged Malaysia at $8 million in 1998 piracy losses to U.S. publishers, and Hong Kong at $2 million. The reviews are in addition to the trade representative's country-by-country review cycle.

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Text author: How to reach the Nintendo Generation

POMONA, California, May 19, 1999 -- Communication author Mary Kay Switzer will explore how an interactive, multimedia textbook can enhance learning with her Text and Academic Author convention presentation, "Developing Electronic Textbooks: The Nintendo Generation." With a generation of students addicted to Nintendo and other games, said Switzer, "it stands to reason that students would appreciate an interactive approach to learning."

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When your publisher changes hands

WALNUT CREEK, California, May 20, 1999 -- Authoring and publishing attorney Michael Lennie and author royalty specialist Paul Rosenzweig will discuss pre- and post-merger concerns and options and accounting and royalty concerns for the new millennium, with their Text and Academic Authors convention panel discussions: "It's a Different World Out There!" Megamergers: Pre- and Post-Merger Concerns and Options" and "An Author's Tale of Merger Madness: Accounting and Royalty Concerns for the New Millennium."

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Wisconsin Press to aim at niches

MADISON, Wisconsin, May 20, 1999 -- The University of Wisconsin Press reversed gears and now plans to narrow its range of titles. Dean Virginia Hinshaw of the Graduate School, which operates the Press, said a new niche focus will help address a $1 million deficit. The new focus will be on traditional strengths: American autobiography, art history, classics, the environment, film and performance, the Holocaust, social issues, and Wisconsin. Current author contracts in other fields will be honored, Hinshaw said, but no new deals are planned. An earlier plan to expand output from 40 to 60 titles a year has been dropped.

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Wiley acquires Pearson's Jossey-Bass

LONDON, May 24, 1999 -- Pearson Education sold Jossey-Bass to John Wiley & Sons for $82 million, as part of its effort to sell several of its reference, business and professional publishing businesses. Jossey-Bass publishes books, periodicals and on-line products in business management, not-for-profit institutions, heathcare, psychology and other professional topics. Pearson sold Appleton & Lange and Master Data Center on May 17. Still for sale: Macmillan General Reference, Macmillan Library Reference, Prentice Hall Direct and The Bureau of Business Practice.

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Copyright team looks at preserving author rights

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida, May 21, 1999 -- A panel of representatives from the Copyright Clearing House will discuss recent trends in the publishing, selling and marketing of books with an emphasis on preserving the rights of authors in a Text and Academic Authors convention panel discussion: "Authors, Publishers, and the Copyright Clearing House."

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Pearson sells Master Data for $33 million

LONDON, May 24, 1999 -- Pearson Education sold Master Data Center, which provides payment services to the owners of intellectual property, to Information Holdings for $33 million. Master Data was among reference, business and professional publishing businesses that Pearson plans to sell to offset the cost of acquiring half of Simon & Schuster.

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Early finding: Journal pricing test promising

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, May 26, 1999 -- As a University of Michigan experiment to try out different pricing models for electronic journals nears its end, project director Wendy Lougee says the 12 institutions involved in the project are pleased with the experiment's service aspects. Although in terms of research, said Lougee, data analysis is just beginning.

The experiment, called Pricing Electronic Access to Knowledge, or PEAK, allows libraries to choose from three different pricing structures to receive Elsevier's 1,100 journals electronically. Their goal was to see how different pricing structures play out in different environments.

"Use picked up significantly as the institutions became more comfortable with the system and acquired a broader user base," Lougee said. Some data analysis has already been shared at several conferences. "We're still doing a lot of data analysis," she said, which they will report in full when the experiment ends in August.

Lougee said three main results so far have emerged from analysis of the data. They are:

  • The user community is drawing on a much broader base of journals when faced with the opportunity to have access to more than just a narrow base. With 12,000 journal titles within PEAK, said Lougee, you might expect the 80-20 rule to apply: That 80 percent of the use would be accounted for in 20 percent of the journals. But what they have found by looking at all the participating institutions and their data, is that 80 percent of the use is accounted for in 37 percent of the journals.
  • There is a fair amount of reuse in the generalized subscriptions model, in which the library prepays for a certain number of articles that once used, becomes freely available at no incremental cost to any other user. They found that once an article is used once, on the average, first use is accompanied by two additional uses. Of the close to 100,000 articles used in the first 15 months, about half were only used once. The generalized subscription model, Lougee said, is an interesting one to look at from a revenue perspective. It's quite different, she said, from a pay-per-use model that most publishers employ, both because of what PEAK charges for them and because there is no incremental charge for subsequent uses.
  • In the first year, libraries using the generalized subscriptions model tended to buy more than they needed. Libraries using this model had to buy a certain number of articles up front and could not add to them as the year progressed. Whether they bought more than they needed because their users weren't accustomed to the service, the data don't show, said Lougee, but in the second year, when the libraries bought new subscriptions they adjusted their needs based on whether they overbought the previous year.

Right now, the institutions are talking with Elsevier about what access to the journals they will have after the project ends. "They are simultaneously evaluating a new offer from Elsevier while they still have the PEAK service on hand," said Lougee. "The prices that were in PEAK aren't necessarily the ones Elsevier will be charging."

Vanderbilt University librarian Paul Gherman, who had been disappointed in the experiment six months into it, said he is now fairly happy with the results. "Use has gone up," he said. "It took a long time to get people knowledgeable about it and to use it." Between February and August 1998, the first six months of the project, Gherman said only 1,200 of his generalized subscription tokens had been used. That use doubled, he said, as of a month ago.

Gherman attributes the increase in use to two things: broadening access to it -- in the beginning it was open only to faculty and graduate students and is now open to all -- and giving users journal-specific access. "We made it easier than ever to access," he said. They listed each journal title on the PEAK web page so the user could look at the journal list, pick a journal, and be taken right to it. Prior to that, users were required to find the PEAK button and do an author, title or subject search. Gherman says they are now looking at a new journal access product from Elsevier for use after the PEAK project, called Science Direct.

Lougee says libraries need experiments like PEAK: "The more we get useful data on the part of all of the stakeholders involved and why and how users and institutions behave, we'll all be the better for it."

She says the project has been successful in that Elsevier and Michigan have learned a lot from the project and from the vantage point of service, but whether or not the results of the what they learn translate into pricing behavior on the part of publishers is a whole other question: "Whether these pricing models are viable on the part of publishers as a whole is another question. If you measure success in terms of the impact of the results on the publishing community, it's way too soon to test that."

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Pearson-to-Wiley transfer accelerated

NEW YORK, May 26, 1999 -- Pearson Education said the 54 titles it sold to John Wiley & Sons are now under John Wiley's control. Pearson spokesman Maggie Rohr said they had planned to hold onto the titles until June but decided to give them over immediately. One of the 55 titles Pearson has to sell under antitrust orders, The Human Mosaic: A Thematic Introduction to Cultural Geography, by Terry Jordan-Bychkov and Mona Domosh, published by Addison-Wesley, wasn't included in the sale to Wiley. Rohr said Pearson is now finalizing the sale of that title to another bidder, whose identity is being kept confidential until the deal is completed.

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Med journal runs study on-line in 39 days

NEW YORK, May 30, 1999 -- A relatively new on-line journal, Medscape General Medicine, reported its expedited review process took only 39 days from receipt to publication. Traditionally, medical journals took months for peer reviews and editing. Editor George Lundberg said Medscape reviewers are given 72-hour turnarounds. The article was a study of tuberculosis in Ethiopia.

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