Welcome to Textbook Authority

Hello all! I'm very excited to dive into the wonderful world of textbook publishing. However, before unleashing my small arsenal of knowledge about the subject, I want to dive into a post about this passion project, and its goals.

Who is behind Textbook Authority?

Currently Textbook Authority is run by a single publishing enthusiast. That's me. Jen, nice to meet you. I'm a twenty-something living in a small publishing hub in the U.S. I have worked in the industry as a whole for about 4 years, now--starting as an intern in trade, moving to intern at a literary magazine, then settling in my current editorial role in textbook publishing. I am currently in a graduate program, hoping to be finished with my formal education by the end of this summer.

Briefly, to expand on my previous experience: I worked at one of the big five in their marketing department for a summer. I absolutely loved it. This placed allowed me to foster an interest in publishing as a whole. So, why am I not a blog about trade publishing? First off, it's cut throat. More importantly, acquisitions editorial does not align well with my personality. And, if you are not able to be a sales person on top of an amazing editor, it may not be the field for you. The literary magazine world seemed to veer too much into an elitist mindset, purposefully non-accessible to the general public. That bothered me.

Then, due to a local job board, I stumbled upon my current company. A textbook packaging company (a company that is hired by traditional educational publishers like Pearson, McGraw Hill, HMH Education, Scholastic, and many more) that desperately needed an editorial assistant. Here I am, three and a half years later (as of early 2020). Still intrigued by the intricacies of the textbook making process.

Why start Textbook Authority?

Even assuming that a person knew they wanted to go into publishing right after receiving an undergraduate education, textbook publishing has a lackluster appeal--a sort of Cinderella before the ball feel, if you can excuse my cliche. I see Textbook Authority as the chance to give our Cinderella a Fairy-Godmother-style revamp. I want to "speak" to those interested in publishing as a whole and introduce them to the often overlooked, yet complex world of textbook publishing.

I also want to broadcast to those who may already have an interest in academic publishing as a whole, of course. I will be covering textbook-specific subject areas like common core state standards, why permissions are important, what a typical editorial assistant role looks like, and more.

Please join me weekly to see more publishing blogs! I look forward to hearing from you.