PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2016

by Angela Bole, CEO, Independent Book Publishers Association

Angela Bole

Happy December, IBPA members! I hope you’re flowing into the new year with friends and family and a good feeling about all you’ve accomplished in 2016.

For this issue of Director’s Desk, I wanted to extend a personal invitation to next year’s Publishing University conference, scheduled for April 7-8, 2017, in Portland, Oregon (with pre-conference activities all day on April 6).

Ali Shaw of Indigo Editing checks out the IBPA welcome table while Amanda Bullock of Wordstock and Kristin Walrod converse.

Publishing University is the one time each year that IBPA members come together to learn from and network with one another. It’s the highlight of our year, and I couldn’t head into 2017 without providing a little background for those who aren’t familiar with it yet.

Author Melissa Duclos visits with Ben LeRoy, publisher of Tyrus Books, and his author, Tracy Manaster, whose second novel,
The Done Thing, came out in November.

Yes, April does seem far away, but time flies and, what’s more, the early-bird registration discount expires on Dec. 15. I’d love for everyone to take advantage of the discounted pricing—it’s a great deal.

Why Publishing University?

I know there are literally hundreds of book conferences you could attend next year, mostly filled with information that’s irrelevant to small presses and self-published authors. That’s why IBPA created Publishing University. For nearly three decades, IBPA’s Publishing University has been the indie publishing community’s must-attend networking and educational event. Why? Because our expert speakers understand how to start, grow, and succeed in publishing’s new world—and they can’t wait to share what they know with you.

Publishers, editors, and authors converged at the IBPA happy hour at the Benson in Portland, Oregon.

Interested in More Information?

Visit publishinguniversity.org for more information and, as always, let me know how I can help.

Just before Angela Bole became IBPA’s Chief Executive Officer, she was Deputy Executive Director of the Book Industry Study Group, Inc. (BISG), which fosters conversation and consensus across all sectors of the book business. Before that, Angela served for two years as BISG’s Associate Director and two years as its Marketing and Communications Manager.