Programs & Schedule

Facilitators

• Katryce Lassle  |  Senior Publicist, UC Press

• Teresa Iafolla  |  Author Marketing Communications Manager, UC Press

Session Description

Book marketing and publicity are ever-moving targets in our world of fractured social media platforms, fast-paced trend cycles, and constant (often tragic) breaking news. For those doing the jobs, whether in-house or freelance, the creative work of strategizing and pivoting book promotion campaigns to meet the moment can be both exhausting and exciting. For editors and authors, it can be confusing to keep up with the changes. In this interactive workshop we’ll put our heads together to answer questions like:

• How is book promotion different now from 10 years ago? Five? One? 

• What skills does a book marketer or publicist most need today?

• How can editors and authors make a difference in the success of a campaign?

• When does it help (or hurt) to connect new books to current events?

• What new strategies or tools have we tried? What experiments haven’t worked?

• What resources are available to us, both new and old, paid and free?

• How might we reimagine or redesign our roles to work for us?

Moderator

• David Van Ness  |  Graphic Design Consultant and Book Compositor, PPN Board Secretary

Panelists

• Mike Johnson  |  Senior Sales Executive, Sheridan

• Hugh Loveless  |  Senior Sales Executive, BR Printers

• Hope Moseley  |  Account Manager, Hemlock Printers (USA)

Session Description

Printing and manufacturing have undergone huge changes in the past several years. Book printers have consolidated. Paper supplies have changed. Printing and binding operations can no longer guarantee they’ll meet the same schedules they’ve met for decades. On-demand and digital printing have come of age. And the ability to print sustainably is emerging. New technologies now offer real solutions for book publishers—but they also present unique challenges and limitations.

The scene is changing.

• How has printing and manufacturing changed in the past year?

• Where is it likely to be in the next three or four years?

• Are paper shortages still the problem they were in the past several years?

• What kinds of books are best suited for on-demand printing? For high-volume runs?

• Can book printing and manufacturing be environmentally friendly?

• Is it possible to print with a zero-carbon footprint? What are the costs and benefits of doing so?

• What is the typical lead time for printing/binding traditionally? For on-demand printing?

Our experts will let us know where the industry is headed and how to plan for change. They will also welcome your questions.

Moderator

• Ethan Nosowsky  |  Editorial Director, Graywolf Press

Panelists

• Josh Bernoff  |  Best-Selling Author of Build a Better Business Book

• Jeevan Sivasubramaniam  |  Managing Director for Editorial, Berrett-Koehler Publishers 

Session Description

What is a “big idea,” and should publishers go after “big idea books?” That is the question our panelists will discuss. We want to know:

• What is it that differentiates big ideas from ordinary ideas?

• Are there any big ideas left?

• Should publishers spend time and resources to publish big-idea books by people that no one has ever heard of, or should they limit their energy to only those written by famous people—former presidents, CEOs, celebrities, and the like?  

• What makes a book about a big idea successful, or not?

Please join us for a lively discussion. Your contributions to the conversation will be welcome.

Moderator

• Helena Brantley  |  Principal, Red Pencil Publicity + Marketing

Panelists

• Nisha Barnes  |  Diversity, Learning, and Development Manager, Chronicle Books

• Paco Nathan  |  Managing Partner, Derwen, Inc.

• Nina Schuyler  |  Award-Winning Author

Session Description

With so much of the popular conversation about AI focused on whether to use it or not and the myriad of critical ethical and legal concerns it raises, this conversation will zoom in on:

• How people in publishing are actually using AI. Right now. 

• What the experience has been with ChaptGPT 3 vs. 4

• Experiences of people in publishing at the early, intermediate, and advanced stages of working with AI

Join us for a lively discussion. Your questions will be welcome!

Moderator

• Katryce Lassle  |  2023 Award Winner, Senior Publicist, UC Press

Panelists

• Sara Fan  |  2023 Award Winner, Marketing Associate, UC Press

• Nusrah Javed  |  Senior Marketing Manager, Hay House (PRH)

• Laura Seaman  |  CEO, League of California Community Foundations

Session Description

Bay Area Women in Publishing’s (BAWiP) Robin Seaman Award (RSA)  honors the late Robin Seaman’s delight in books and her notable accomplishments in broadening the definition of what a book can be and, even more profoundly, who a reader can be. This award is designed to support women and non-binary people in the Bay Area in their professional growth, in both their efforts and our own to make the publishing industry more diverse and inclusive. 

Panelists from the inaugural 2023 cohort and the new group of 2024 award recipients will come together to discuss: 

• The impact the award has had on their careers

• The experience of cultivating and nurturing a growing BAWiP/RSA community

• The importance of investing in professional development in pursuit of a diverse and equitable publishing industry

Moderator

• Jennifer Jongsma  |  Associate Editor-in-Chief and Director of Production, Annual Reviews

Panelists

• Jennifer Jongsma  |  Associate Editor-in-Chief and Director of Production, Annual Reviews

• Lisa Petrides  |  CEO and Founder, the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME)

• Erich van Rijn  |  Executive Director, UC Press

Session Description

What are the  current initiatives for making content open access? Our expert panelists, whose experience encompasses scientific, academic, and educational publishing—both print and online distribution methods—are at the forefront of creating new frameworks for content distribution. They will address:

• How these initiatives are supported without the usual income from books or journals

• Who these initiatives are directed at

• How they have been promoted

• What the outcome has been so far in terms of additional readership

• What has worked to get this information out to more people, and what hasn’t worked

• What opportunities there are for international audiences

Please join us for this cutting-edge session—and bring your questions about what might be possible.

Moderator

• Barbara Fuller  |  CEO, Editcetera

Panelists

• Holly Irish  |  Journals Production Manager, UC Press

• Lauren Schiffman  |  Freelance Editor

• Jeevan Sivasubramaniam  |  Managing Director for Editorial, Berrett-Koehler Publishers 

• Kseniya Makarova  |  Freelance Graphic Designer and Art Director  

Session Description

Are you a freelancer striving to create good work relationships with managing editors? Are you an in-house editor building a list of excellent and responsible freelancers who want to work with you? In this session, experienced managing editors and freelancers will talk about how they develop lasting relationships.

• How can a manager earn the loyalty of the most talented freelancers? 

• How can a freelancer earn a spot as a regular for continuing work?

• How can attributes beyond the ability to pass a test or otherwise demonstrate knowledge and skill—attributes such as communication style, work habits, and other soft skills—determine a professional’s long-term success?

Whether you are a manager or a freelancer—editorial or design—join our panelists, and bring questions.

Moderator

• Faith Adiele  |  Author, Speaker, Professor, and Mentor

Panelists

• Pamela Malpas  |  Literary Agent, the Jennifer Lyons Literary Agency

• Andy Ross  |  Literary Agent and Founder, the Andy Ross Agency

• Mark Tauber  |  Founder, the Watermark Agency

Session Description

What is the role of a book agent in 2024? Join three regional agents to hear:

• What’s selling

• How they help writer’s shape and sell their ideas

• How they manage rejection 

• How they keep their businesses afloat

• How technology is affecting their work

• What keeps them inspired and engaged amidst a sea of change and development

Join us for a provocative conversation. Your questions will be welcome!

Moderator

• Johanna Vondeling  |  Founder and Consultant, Vondeling Ventures

Panelists

• Maureen Forys  |  Agent 001, Happenstance Type-O-Rama

• Praveen Madan  |  CEO, Kepler’s Books and Berrett-Koehler Publishers

• Raya Rahman |  Co-Founder, Guba Books

Session Description

How can publishers and other publishing professionals organize themselves as a business in a way that values all stakeholders? 

Join us for a conversation in which three path-breaking panelists discuss:

• Identifying your stakeholders—the parties who contribute to or benefit from your enterprise 

• Employee ownership/unionized and nonprofit publishing houses

• Paying living wages and benefits to employees

• Transparency and accountability as key to achieving equity

• Opportunities and challenges in the stakeholder-driven model