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November
1999
PROFIT
LOSS
Educational Insights:
Sales rose 21 percent to $39.2 million in the latest year.
Houghton Mifflin:
Sales grew 2.4 percent to $457.8 million in the latest quarter. School
sales were up only slightly due to adoption cycles. College sales were
up 9 percent.
Millbrook:
Sales grew 20 percent to $18.8 million in the latest year.
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McGraw plans
Time content for early readers
NEW YORK, November
1, 1999
-- McGraw-Hill, saying that early reading programs are lopsided with
fiction, announced a program with Time magazine to introduce
Time for Kids content in its elementary reading program. Through
"rich nonfiction," the program should have kids reading better than
ever by the third grade, McGraw said. The program will include photos,
maps, graphics and charts.
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Everybook: Dedicated
e-books well received
NEW YORK, November
3, 1999
-- Textbook publishers have liked what they've seen in the EB Dedicated
Reader e-book device from Everybook, said the company's president. "The
reaction we received from all of them was that their documents looked
real good, that the color came through nice, and that the text was clear
and readable," said Dan Munyan. Distribution agreements are being worked
out, and the six-pound device should on available in June.
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Grapevine: Bertelsmann
eyeing Grolier
FRANKFURT, Germany,
November 4, 1999
-- Since the Frankfurt Book Fair, rumors have persisted that the German
media giant Bertelsmann may acquire U.S. reference publisher Grolier
from Hachette Livre, its French owner. Grolier produces the Encyclopedia
Americana has moved into on-line products, where the going has been
rough because of the expense and the dominance of Microsoft Encarta.
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AAUP: Colleges
shouldn't claim faculty royalties
WASHINGTON, November
4, 1999
-- Colleges that covet royalties earned by faculty authors are missing
the point of higher education, the American Association of University
Professors says in a new policy statement: "Institutions of higher learning
in particular should interpret and apply the law of copyright so as
to encourage the discovery of new knowledge and its dissemination to
students, to the profession, and to the public." With few exceptions,
says AAUP, royalties rightfully belong to authors -- not their colleges.
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Author tallies
time on textbook: 3,500 hours
HOLLAND, Michigan,
November 3, 1999
-- An inevitable question posed to textbooks authors is how long did
it take. A leading psychology author, David Myers of Hope College, kept
track of one book. While not necessarily typical, he cautions, this
was his tally over four years:
| Contract
discussions |
25
hours |
| Gather
materials, draft Chapter 1 |
182
hours |
| Revise
Chapter 1, gather materials |
48
hours |
| Draft
Chapters 2-4 |
420
hours |
| Draft
Chapters 5-7 |
546
hours |
| Draft
Chapters 8-10 |
354
hours |
| Draft
Chapters 11-14 |
430
hours |
| Draft
Chapters 16-16, revise Chapters 1-8 |
436
hours |
| Revise
Chapters 1-16. Manuscript delivered to publisher |
435
hours |
| Additions,
revisions, bibliography, copy editing, instructor manual, marketing
materials |
371
hours |
| Instructor
manual, proofs, galleys |
305
hours |
| Prepare
index, instructor manual |
80
hours |
| TOTAL: |
3,552
HOURS |
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TAA part of Pennsylvania
royalty dialogue
ST. PETERSBURG,
Florida, November 4, 1999
-- The extent to which Text and Academic Authors influenced Pennsylvania
state colleges from claiming royalties earned by faculty authors cannot
be measured, said Ron Pynn, TAA executive director: "But we were part
of the dialogue." Pynn was interviewed by the Harrisburg Patriot-News
just ahead of when state negotiators scuttled their proposal in faculty
contract talks. A TAA news release, opposing the state's royalty claim
proposal, went to media statewide.
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New TAA newsletter
mailed to members
WINONA, Minnesota,
November 4, 1999
-- The November issue of the Academic Author, featuring a profile
of Texty Award-winning geography author Paul Knox, was dropped in the
mail to Text and Academic Authors members.
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TAA, CCC talking
representation compromise
ST. PETERSBURG,
Florida, November 4, 1999
-- The chief officers of Text and Academic Authors and the Copyright
Clearance Center have discussed a compromise procedure to put more authors
on the CCC board of directors -- long a TAA goal. Ron Pynn, TAA executive
director, said he floated the idea that author groups nominate more
authors than CCC has board seats available, with CCC choosing from the
list. The idea, said Pynn, would address a CCC concern that mavericks
could take over the organization. Joe Alen, CCC president, said he would
get back to Pynn.
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NACS: On-line
text firm lying on discounts
WASHINGTON, November
5, 1999
-- A National Association of College Stores suit in federal court says
that VarsityBooks.com, an on-line textbook seller, falsely implies that
NACS member-stores are overcharging The result, says NACS, is "irreparable
damage" to bricks-and-mortar stores. The suit charges that VarsityBooks
overstates its discount policy. Why did NACS target VarsityBooks? Spokesperson
Cynthia D'Angelo said NACS had the most information on VarsityBooks'
practices. If other on-line textbook sellers are making false claims,
she said, NACS will take action against them too.
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TAA exec wearing
2nd hat as dean
SAN PEDRO TOWN,
Belize, November 6, 1999
-- The executive director of Text and Academic Authors, Ron Pynn, was
appointed dean of the Saint Matthew's School of Medicine on Ambergris
Caye. Pynn, who lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, said much of his new
work will be by electronic correspondence and the telephone between
campus visits. He is scheduled for six trips a year to Belize. In St.
Petersburg, Pynn will continue his half-time TAA responsibilities.
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Kluwer on-line
library service growing
MUNICH, Germany,
November 7, 1999
-- German textbook and legal publisher Wolters Kluwer said the subscriber
list to its Kluwer Online has grown to include the University of California
and OhioLINK in the United States. Kluwer Online offers about 400 electronic
journals.
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Med journal search
proceeds without Manuel
CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts,
November 7, 1999
-- A founder of Healthgate Data, which distributes a consumer version
of the New England Journal of Medicine on-line, resigned from
a search committee for a new editor. Barry Manuel said he thought his
role in the search might be a "distraction." The Wall Street Journal
had questioned whether a search would be tainted by someone with separate
financial interests in the journal. Manuel, associate medical school
dean at Boston University, owns 1.4 million Healthgate shares.
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Lightspan going
public with stock offering
SAN DIEGO, California,
November 7, 1999
-- Educational software publisher Lightspan will offer its stock to
the public for the first time. Lightspan hopes to raise $115 million
from the NASD offering.
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TAA members can
jump-start sales on-line
ST. PETERSBURG,
Florida, November 8, 1999
-- Members of Text and Academic Authors now may list and promote their
works on-line through a new TAA service: E-List for Books. Ron Pynn,
executive director, said the service allows adopters and individual
buyers to find and purchase books directly from authors. To list their
books, authors must be TAA members and hold the rights to the books.
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Med society persists
in wider role for journal
CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts,
November 9, 1999
Delegates to the Massachusetts Medical Society, which owns the New
England Journal of Medicine, voted to use the name and logo of their
flagship journal for other endeavors as soon as a new editor is appointed.
The issue was the one over which editor Jerome Kassirer resigned and
most of the staff threatened to go with him. They were worried about
diluting the reputation of the prestigious journal. The society wants
to make more money.
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Donnelly, Microsoft
in e-book pact
CHICAGO, November
9, 1999
-- Printer R.R. Donnelly and computer giant Microsoft announced a project
to convert works printed by Donnelly to a format for the software in
the new Microsoft Reader e-book. Donnelly said thousands of books will
be available for the MS Reader.
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TAA seeks McGuffey,
Texty judges
ST. PETERSBURG,
Florida, November 10, 1999
-- Senior authors were invited to serve as judges for the annual Text
and Academic Authors' textbook excellence awards. Janet Tucker, awards
coordinator, said judges will be assigned to a college or el-hi category
appropriate to their experience. The categories:
- Accounting,
business, economics and management.
- Communication,
education, performing arts and visual arts.
- Computer science
and engineering.
- Humanities
and social science.
- Language and
literature.
- Life sciences.
- Mathematics
and statistics.
- Physical sciences.
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Massachusetts
medical society disappoints editor
CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts,
November 10, 1999
-- The interim editor of the New England Journal of Medicine,
Marcia Angell, said the journal's owner, the Massachusetts Medical Society,
is backing off the editorial autonomy it granted her when she was elevated
to interim editor. Referring to a society decision to use the New
England Journal of... moniker on other products, Angell said: "It
is a signal that the next editor will not have the same protections."
Angell's predecessor resigned over the society's move to broaden the
use of the journal's name and logo to promote new, less prestigious
products.
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Ideal on-line
library now with 11,000 journals
BOSTON, Massachusetts,
November 10, 1999
-- The Academic Press on-line library, Ideal, has been updated. Eleven-thousand
scientific journals with 150,000 article references going back to 1993
are available, the company said.
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Pearson sells
five Canadian el-hi series
TORONTO, November
10, 1999
-- Five Prentice-Hall el-hi series were sold by Pearson Education to
Canadian-based publishers. The sell-off had been mandated by the Canadian
government as a condition for the Prentice Hall Canada and Addison Wesley
Longman Canada merger. Going to Gage Education are three Prentice-Hall
French series. To Irwin Publishing are two Prentice-Hall K-9 math series:
Interactions and Journeys in Mathematics.
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TAA
president re-elected as township judge
ROCHESTER, New
York, November 10, 1999
-- The president of Text and Academic Authors, law author Karen Morris,
won a re-election campaign for Brighton Town justice with 72 percent
of the vote. In a 6,900 to 2,400 vote, Morris won over the only other
opponent, a Republican. She called the victory "very gratifying."
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Grip tightens
for next New England editor
CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts,
November 11, 1999
-- In a strange twist in the saga of the New England Journal of Medicine,
the president of the Massachusetts Medical Society confirmed that the
contract with interim editor Marcia Angell is "not set in stone." As
a condition of heading off a staff revolt in August, Angell insisted
on editorial autonomy. That, said Jack Evjy, president of the medical
society, which owns the journal, is not consistent with the society
plans to use the journal's logo and name on a wide range of consumer
products, none of which can match the journal's prestige except in name.
Why the autonomy guarantee to Angell? "A stressful moment," Evjy said.
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New human rights
journal due soon
WELLESLEY, Massachusetts,
November 14, 1999
-- The Transaction journal publishing company announced a new title,
Human Rights Review, by the end of November. Editor Thomas Cushman,
of Wellesley College, said he seeks a politically and ideologically
broad range of contributions. Cushman said his journal will bring balance,
in contrast to the current journal in the field, Human Rights Quarterly,
which he characterized as leftist.
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Pearson moves
to shore up Financial Times brand
LONDON, November
15, 1999
-- British media giant Pearson, which owns several U.S. textbook imprints,
will merge its Financial Times Group and U.S.-based Data Broadcasting
Corporation. The move gives Pearson control of the CBS.MarketWatch.com
web site. Analysts said the merger fits Pearson's plan to make more
use of the Financial Times as a brand name. The deal was a stock
swap, no cash.
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New journal coming
soon: TV and New Media
NEW YORK, November
16, 1999
-- Veteran journal editor Toby Miller is getting together the first
issue of another: Television and New Media. Miller said the first
number will be in February from Sage. Miller, of New York University,
earlier edited Social Text and the Journal of Sport and Social
Issues.
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TAA Council makes
new call for agenda items
ST. PETERSBURG,
Florida, November 18, 1999
-- A second call for agenda items was issued by Ron Pynn, executive
director of Text and Academic Authors, for the TAA Council winter meeting.
Among agenda items so far:
- The Authors
Coalition and CCC reprographic money.
- The Alliance
Press and Teacher Channel proposals.
- Web site and
newsletter formats.
- A second reading
of by-laws change to add University of South Florida member to Council.
- The 2000 convention
in New Orleans and the 2001 convention.
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Class materials
publisher seeks TAA author works
JACKSONVILLE,
Florida, November 19, 1999
-- The chief executive of Teacher Channel, a web site offering course
materials, proposed an agreement with Text and Academic Authors for
members to publish course materials, including lecture outlines. Doug
Matthews offered 20 percent royalties plus 5 percent to TAA. Ron Pynn,
TAA executive director, said the proposal would go TAA's governing board.
Pynn said a Teacher Channel agreement would not preclude a separate
proposal from Alliance Press of Texas, also being considered by the
Council, to publish books by TAA members.
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CCC, Authors
Coalition to talk through issues
DANVERS, Massachusetts,
November 20, 1999
-- The leadership of the Copyright Clearance Center, a conduit for foreign
reprography income for U.S. authors and publishers, came away from an
international meeting in October with a positive feeling, said Kristen
Giordano, a center executive. She said CCC is contacting the Authors
Coalition, of which Text and Academic Authors is a founding member,
to set up a meeting to hash out issues. Giordano said she hoped that
old frictions between CCC and author groups could be put aside so the
dialogue can move to new, mutually beneficial issues.
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Pearson unifies
professional tech units
LONDON, November
21, 1999
-- British media giant Pearson is combining its Macmillan USA and Pearson
Professional and Technical Reference units. The new unit, being called
Pearson Technology Group, includes Addison Wesley Professional, Adobe
Press, Peachpit, Prentice Hall Professional Technical Reference, Que
and Sams -- more than 1,000 products total.
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Kluwer adds law
publisher to Aspen unit
FORT WORTH, Texas,
November 22, 1999
--A Texas publishing company specializing in employment law, Summers
Press, was acquired by German publishing giant Wolters Kluwer. Summers'
25 titles, software and personnel series will be folded into Kluwer's
Aspen subsidiary in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Terms: Unannounced.
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Authors Meeks,
Heit sell their K-12 publishing house
BLACKLICK, Ohio,
November 24, 1999
-- Two Ohio State University professors who founded their own health
textbook company, Meeks Heit, sold it to Tribune Education. Linda Meeks
and Philip Heit said they will continue with Tribune subsidiary Everyday
Learning, into which Meeks Heit will be folded. The professors' company,
founded in 1991, has become a major K-12 player with its Totally
Awesome Health and Health and Wellness series.
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Bertelsmann internationalizes
unit's name
GÜTERSLOH, Germany,
November 25, 1999
-- The German media giant Bertelsmann figured that its professional
and scientific unit, Fachberlagsgruppe Bertelsmann/Springer, was too
much a mouthful in other languages and Geman too. As part of a strategy
to build the unit into a major international player, there is a new
name: BerteslamnnSpringer Science+Business Media. The unit has been
cobbled together from acquisitions in recent months, including Springer
Verlag.
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College, el-hi
sales soared in September
WASHINGTON, November
26, 1999
-- The book genres in which most text and academic authors write all
experienced sales increases through the first nine months of the year,
compared to a year earlier, according to a sample by the Association
of American Publishers. For September alone, college textbook sales
were 37.3 percent ahead of the same month a year earlier, el-hi were
13.5 percent ahead. The data were drawn from 99 publishers.
TEXTBOOK
AND ACADEMIC BOOK SALES
THROUGH SEPTEMBER 1999
From Association of American Publishers compilations
|
| University
press (hardback) |
10.5
percent |
| College |
9.1
percent |
| STM
and business |
9.1
percent |
| El-hi
adoptions |
5.6
percent |
| University
press (paperback) |
2.4
percent |
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Wiley adds J.K.
Lasser tax guides
NEW YORK, November
27, 1999
-- Publishing house John Wiley acquired J.K. Lasser tax guides from
IDG Books, which had acquired the guides from Macmillan in August. The
acquisition adds to Wiley's Ernst and Young financial series.
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McClanahan acquired
by Learning Horizons
CLEVELAND, Ohio,
November 27, 1999
-- Learning Horizons, which specializes in mass-market education titles,
acquired McClanahan Books. Sarah McClanahan, who founded the company
in 1990, said she will stay as a consultant.
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Journals linked
with new Internet index
NEW YORK, November
28, 1999
Eleven journal publishers announced a new Internet index service that
can reach 3 million articles from several thousand journals with two
clicks. The index is free, but publishers each will have its own policy
on access to full-text. Target to be on stream: January or February.
Participants:
- Academic Press.
- American Association
for the Advancement of Science.
- American Institute
of Physics.
- Association
for Computer Machinery.
- Blackwell Science.
- Elsevier Science.
- Institute
of Electrical Publishers.
- Nature
magazine.
- Oxford University
Press.
- Springer Verlag.
- John Wiley
& Son.
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Oklahoma wants
Darwin in larger context
OKLAHOMA CITY,
Oklahoma, November 30, 1999
-- The Oklahoma Textbook Committee will recommend biology books for
K-12 adoption only if the authors hedge on evolution. The committee
said books must identify evolution as only one among many theories.
More attention is needed for alternative explanations for life, the
committee said. The decision means that any of Oklahoma's 540 school
districts that go with evolution and have to make the purchase with
local funds.
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