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IPG Publisher Summit 2020 Full Schedule

Monday | Tuesday


Monday, April 20th

Opening Remarks
9:30 a.m. - 9:50 a.m. 
Joe Matthews, Chief Executive Officer | IPG


B&N 2020: Looking to the Past to Drive Future Sales
10:00 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.
Jeff Palicki, Vice President of Sales, Director National Accounts | IPG
Barnes & Noble is in a period of significant upheaval now that ownership and leadership has changed. Learn what direction the company is taking in the coming months and years, much of it focused on local bookselling and merchandising at the store level.



Session: Data-Driven Decision-Making using NPD Books Data
10:00 am - 10:50 am
David Walter, Executive Director, Client Development | The NPD Group, Inc.
In this session, we will look at practical examples of how publishers can use NPD data to inform effective decisions throughout the publishing process. We’ll look at how publishers can identify and understand trends, as well as how to review your own performance against the market.

Panel: Leveraging Local: How to publish, market, and sell books regionally
11:00 am - 11:50 am
Moderator & panelists to be announced soon!


Panel: Leveling Children’s Books: Why It’s Important and the Impact It Can Have
11:00 am - 11:50 am
Moderator: Sharon Shell, Director of Library and Education Sales | IPG
 
Panelists: 
Jason Turner, Vice President, Global Services | Metametrics
Marla Conn, Educational Consultant | Read-Ability, Inc.
Meg Graham, Director of Education Strategy and Content | Follett School Solutions
Sarah Novy, Manager of Follett Classroom Libraries | Follett School Solutions
Julie Boyk, Classroom Content and Curation Specialist | Follett School Solutions
In Library and Education channels, book titles that include data from multiple leveling systems are invaluable to educators and administrators in teaching their students. This information fuels the power of instruction and reading accessibility for all students. Join Sharon Shell, IPG’s Director of Library and Education Sales, along with Jason Turner, Senior VP of Global Services at MetaMetrics, Marla Conn on behalf of Fountas & Pinnell, and Meg Graham, Director of Education Strategy, Sarah Novy, Manager of Follett Classroom Libraries, and Julie Boyk, Classroom Content and Curation Specialist from Follett School Solutions, to learn how to apply this information to your titles and increase sales in schools and libraries.


Lunch & Keynote: The US Book Market in 2019 – Year in Review
12:00 pm - 1:20 pm
David Walter, Executive Director, Client Development | The NPD Group, Inc.
We will look back on 2019 to review the performance of the US Book Market, looking at continuing and emerging trends. As well as reviewing category and format performance, we’ll look at how publishing relates to the broader entertainment and content ecosystem.


Session: Inventory Management & Supply Chain
1:30 pm - 2:20 pm
Amber McKown-Finken, Vice President of Operations| IPG
Julie Hardison, Director of Supply Chain | IPG


Session: How to Build Publicity Campaigns That Sell Books
1:30 pm - 2:20 pm
Alisse Goldsmith-Wissman, Publicity Manager | IPG
Katie Versluis, Sales Associate | NetGalley
 
Alisse Goldsmith-Wissman, Publicity Manager at IPG, is joined by Katie Versluis, Sales Associate at NetGalley, to share expert insights on how to advocate for and leverage trade reviews, what word of mouth publicity looks like, how to use social media in conjunction with publicity, what to look for in a freelance publicist, what tools are critical to executing media campaigns, and more during this in-depth session.
Alisse Goldsmith-Wissman is the Publicity Manager for IPG. Previously, she was associate director of publicity for InterVarsity Press, publisher of The Road Back to You, where she worked on high-level publicity campaigns across genres for nearly ten years.
Katie Versluis is a Sales Associate at NetGalley. She works closely with authors and publishers of all shapes and sizes, helping their books reach the hands of passionate book advocates and industry professionals.

Dedicated Exhibit Hall & Coffee Break
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Looking for a new domestic printer or need to get out ahead of marketing your Fall 2020 titles? Our exhibitors and sponsors not only help make Publisher Summit possible but they also provide these business-critical services and now is your time to meet with them to explore what they have to offer.

Session: Print to Order: The Financial Benefits of a Digital and Offset Hybrid Print Model
3:40 pm - 4:30 pm
Anna Toman, Digital Print Manager | IPG
Clark Matthews, Chief Technology Officer | IPG
Mark Noble, Vice President of Business Management | IPG

Discussion of strategies and financial benefits of using a hybrid digital and offset print model to prioritize availability, improve cash flow and reduce publisher overstock. Publishers will learn about IPG’s recent investments in digital printing equipment and the Print+ offset print program.

Session: Even More Marketing Case Studies
3:40 pm - 4:30 pm
Sara Hoerdeman, Marketing Manager, Consumer Products | American Academy of Pediatrics

Sara Hoerdeman is the consumer products marketing manager for the American Academy of Pediatrics, promoting books for parents. She previously held marketing, publicity, and acquisitions roles at Northern Illinois University Press, Northwestern University Press, and IPG, where she started her publishing career in the publicity department.

IPG Cocktail Reception
More details soon!


Tuesday, April 21st


Keynote: Preserving the Right to Read: The Call to Lower Barriers to Democratic Engagement by Broadening Literacy and Information Access
8:15 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.
Tracie D. Hall, Executive Director | American Library Association

Even as we bemoan underwhelming turnout for local and national elections or the harm that a possible Census undercount could pose for many communities we stop short at making the connections between these calls for mass civic engagement and the encroachments on reading (print and digital) and on ubiquitous access to un-editorialized information, we are seeing all too frequently. Cases in several states have proposed restrictions on books and reading materials on “moral” or religious grounds; new legislation has been proposed that would take aim at libraries and library staff for making “age-inappropriate” materials available to children; and incarcerated individuals are seeing their access to books, magazines and the internet become subject to censorship or limited by exorbitant fees. In 2005 [King v. Federal Bureau of Prisons, 415 F.3d 634 (7th Cir. 2005)], the U.S. Supreme Court noted the First Amendment should be interpreted to extend to books and other reading materials, citing “freedom of speech is not merely freedom to speak; it is also freedom to read.” Join Tracie D. Hall, the newly appointed tenth executive director of the American Library Association as she reflect on why our nation’s democracy hinges on the act of and access to reading.
In February, Tracie D. Hall was appointed the American Library Association’s 10th executive director in its 143-year history. In her new role, Hall oversees the oldest and largest library association in the world, made up of 57,000 members and more than 200 staffers. Hall comes to the Association from the Chicago-based Joyce Foundation where she oversaw its Culture portfolio and has worked at Seattle Public Library, the New Haven (Conn.) Free Public Library, Hartford (Conn.) Public Library, and Queens (N.Y.) Public Library along with serving in other non- and for-profit leadership riles. She also previously worked at ALA in the early 2000s as director of the Association’s Office for Diversity and has served on advisory councils for the Institute of Museum and Library Services and for a variety of civic and philanthropic agencies. Hall is a native of Los Angeles and a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara, Yale University, and the University of Washington where she graduated from the Information School.

Session: The Hidden Value of your Backlist: How to promote and sell backlist titles in today's evolving marketplace
9:30 am – 10:20 am
Suzanne Albert

Suzanne Albert is a high-performing results driven sales & marketing executive with over 20 years experience cultivating relationships and creating new sales channels for high-profile book and magazine brands. She has a proven track record of success generating double-digit revenue gains and built multimillion dollar businesses.


Panel: Ebooks and Libraries
9:30 am – 10:20 am
Moderator: Mallori Bontrager, Digital Services Manager | IPG

Panelists to be announced soon!


Dedicated Exhibit Hall & Coffee Break
10:30 am - 11:00 am

Looking for a new domestic printer or need to get out ahead of marketing your Fall 2020 titles? Our exhibitors and sponsors not only help make Publisher Summit possible but they also provide these business-critical services and now is your time to meet with them to explore what they have to offer.


Session: Global Sales and Distribution
11:10 am - 12:00 pm
Scott Hatfill, Director of International Sales | IPG

Gain a better understanding of how sales and distribution work outside of the US. Scott Hatfill, Director of International Sales at IPG, will provide an overview of how distributors and wholesalers work globally and the differences between the two, how international rights are viewed and the legalities involved, how IPG sells your books internationally, as well as information about our partners, subdistributors, and commission reps.


Panel: OwnVoices in Publishing, Bookselling, and Beyond
11:10 am - 12:00 pm
Moderator to be announced soon!

Panelists:
Melanie Roth, Marketing & Publicity Manager | Fulcrum Publishing
Javier Ramirez, Bookseller and Owner | Madison Street Books
Tracie D. Hall, Executive Director | American Library Association

Panel description and additional pannelists to be announced soon!


IPG Ask the Experts Speed Dating
12:10 pm - 1:00 pm


Keynote: Inside Amazon, Part 1
1:00 – 2:00
Lara Alexander, National Accounts Manager| IPG
Kelly Peterson, Director of Digital Strategy | IPG

Learn how to optimize your titles’ performance on Amazon with Lara Alexander and Kelly Peterson. Discover how metadata, publicity, marketing and supply chain all work together to support your sales success with the world’s largest online retailer. Give your books their best chance for success! Partnerships as Story: Cultivating Partnerships In Publishing

Lara Alexander has worked at IPG since 2012 and in the role of Amazon account manager since 2015.
Kelly Peterson is Director of Digital Strategy at Independent Publishers Group, and brings 25 years of marketing and merchandising experience to her current role, helping all our IPG publishers maximize their eBook sales and marketing efforts at the major retailers.

Keynote: Inside Amazon, Part 2 Guest: Partnerships as Story - Cultivating Partnerships In Publishing
Shira Schindel | Audible, an Amazon Company

If content is king, then relationships are a close second. How can we use the framework of a story to better understand the goals of fostering relationships and collaborations around content? In this talk, we’ll take a closer look at the framework around some of Audible’s recent content partnerships, business development, and programming to highlight effective ways of approaching partnerships around innovations in publishing. We'll also learn of Audible's newest programming with examples as to how audio is growing and changing.



Session: Advanced Metadata
2:10 pm – 3:00 pm
Jason Tennant
Salma Yaqubi, Director of Data | IPG



Session: What I Wish I had Known When I Started My Publishing Company
2:10 pm – 3:00 pm
Angela Bole
Michelle Halket, Publisher | Central Avenue Publishing
Kris Pauls, Publisher | Disruption Books
Aileen Erin, Author and Publisher | Ink Monster

Michelle Halket is the founder and publisher of Central Avenue, a trade publisher of fiction and poetry. When she’s not knee-deep in press files, finances, manuscripts, and social media, you’ll find her out walking her dog in the forests around Vancouver BC.

After earning her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, Aileen Erin saw growing opportunities in niche publishing and founded Ink Monster in 2013. Since then, she’s hit the USA Today Best-Selling list twice and moved over five hundred thousand books.

As publisher of Disruption Books, Kris Pauls shepherds authors through the evolving landscape of today’s publishing industry. She has worked on titles ranging from business and politics to cookbooks, memoirs, and children’s literature, including several New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers.


Closing Remarks & Champagne Toast

more details to be announced soon!

 

IPG Publisher Summit 2019

B&N 2020: Looking to the Past to Drive Future Sales