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Publishing News
By Katelyn Foster
April 9, 2008
Four years and 35 textbooks later, TSTC Publishing at Texas State Technical
College Waco has set an example that other schools will have an opportunity
to hear about and learn from at the 2008 National Institute for Staff &
Organizational Development (NISOD) Conference in Austin the last week of
May.
Although TSTC has been attending the annual conference for years, this is
the first year publishing will have its own display booth. Everyone,
especially those related to TSTC, is encouraged to stop by the booth where
NISOD survival bags will be distributed that include bottled water, candy
bars and Aspirin.
The conference will include sessions dealing with the academic,
administrative and business aspects of the educational world. NISOD's
purpose is to ensure the success of the student by professionally developing
faculty, administrators and staff. Over 700 community colleges around the
world hold a membership with NISOD.
Tuesday, May 29, Publisher Mark Long, Editor Todd Glasscock and Graphics
Designer Grace Arsiaga will present a session about textbook operations
titled 'Textbook Prices: The Horror!' The team will discuss the start-up,
editorial, graphics, and the future goals of their publishing department.
TSTC Publishing began four years ago and published its first two books in
August of 2005. Since then, 35 textbooks have been created, ranging from
technical and academic textbooks to technology forecasts. With current
staff, the department publishes between 10 and 15 books each year.
Tom Dutton, a biomedical technology equipment instructor at TSTC Waco,
commented on his experience of publishing The Hand Tools Manual with the
department.
"When I first started writing the book on hand tools, it was just to be a
brief outline of hand tools that a biomed would encounter during their job
career," Dutton said. "As I worked with the TSTC Publishing, it grew until
it is a book that any teacher that is teaching about hand tools in today's
career field could use. The best thing is that working with TSTC Publishing
will allow this book to be modified to fit the needs of different
disciplines by adding or subtracting parts of the book to meet their needs.
This is possible because they are flexible enough to be able to do this."
Words of praise come from many of the department's previous and current
clients. Alexis Neumann, Director of Institutional Advancement at TSTC, had
the following to say:
"When trying to find creative artists to help design a set of promotional
pieces for the Waco Junior Chamber of Commerce, we encountered many
interested folks. The first year, we selected TSTC Publishing. Not only did
they complete the work in an extremely timely manner but it FAR exceeded our
expectations. So much that we have used them the last two years as well.
They have been able to get their name out into the public via recognition on
the printed pieces and have helped the Junior Chamber raise over $20,000 for
scholarship and community projects."
An internal publishing department comes with benefits that other colleges
will be interested in pursuing. Not only does a publishing department allow
for new revenue streams but creates intrapreneurship, a term given to for
profit ventures inside a larger organization.
© 2008 TSTC Publishing
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