PRESIDENT’S REPORT
by Florrie Binford Kichler
Stretching Your Boundaries:
What Publishing University Can Do for You
“Stretching Your Publishing
Boundaries with Passion, Planning, and Profitability” is the theme of this
year’s premier educational event for publishers, Publishing University.
Presented by your Independent Book Publishers Association in May 2007 in New
York City, the University features:
· Two and a half days with 70
sessions of educational programming offered in nine tracks, including Marketing,
Finance, Publicity, and Internet.
· A faculty of more than 140 experts
in all aspects of the industry.
· The Ben Franklin Awards ceremony,
celebrating the best in independent publishing
· And<span
style=’font-size:11.0pt’>, For Your Consideration, an outstanding keynote
speaker—you know him as the star of <span
style=’font-size:11.0pt’>This Is Spinal Tap and <span
class=95StoneSerifIt>A Mighty Wind—actor,
comedian, director, playwright, and author Harry Shearer.
All of which adds up to an
unequaled opportunity for you to meet your colleagues face to face and share a
supportive, creative, and stimulating experience that will position you on the
cutting edge of the business of publishing.
If that’s not enough to convince
you to enroll, check out the . . .
Top 8 Ways You Will
Benefit from Attending Publishing University
8.
Gain Perspective. Taking a step
back helps you move forward. Put away the zoom lens—Publishing University
will enable a macro view of your company that you can achieve only by getting
away from it. Find both short- and long-term solutions to problems you may not
have even known you had by leaving the office behind for a totally new and
stimulating environment.
Sample
course for gaining perspective:<span
class=95StoneSerifSB>#7G. How to Be a Publisher,
Plan Strategically, and Build your Company
7.
Embrace the future now. How will
technological, cultural, and educational trends affect your publishing company
five or even ten years out? What about e-books and print-on-demand? How should
you position your business to meet “future shock”? Learn from the experts at
Publishing University how you can be one-up on the competition by planning for
the future now.
Sample
course for embracing the future:<span
class=95StoneSerifSB>#5A. Online Technology to
Gain the Winning Edge
6.
Meet the movers and shakers in the industry.<span
style=’font-size:11.0pt’> If you’ve ever wished you could talk to someone who
has really made it in the industry, look to your right at a Publishing
University luncheon. You might find yourself seated next to the CEO of a
publishing company widely recognized as one of the fastest-growing independent
publishers in the industry. Look to your left, and your table companion might
be the publisher and founder of the company that topped <span
class=95StoneSerifIt>Publishers Weekly’s
list of fast-growing small publishers. Only at Publishing University can you
meet and learn from those who have achieved success both inside and outside the
classroom—one on one.
Sample
course for meeting movers and shakers: Pick any—all faculty are movers and shakers.
5.
Meet your board. Hey, we’re
publishers and industry professionals just like you, so of course we’re front
and center at the University. You’ll find us teaching and sitting next to you
in class. Your board welcomes your input and feedback anytime, but give email a
rest and come talk to us face to face at the University. We are there to serve
you—take advantage of the chance to express your vision for the
association in person.
Sample
course for meeting your board members:#2C. Book
Tune-Up Clinic
4. <a
name=”OLE_LINK1″>Meet the vendors.<span
style=’font-size:11.0pt’> Looking for a printer, a designer, an editor, a
packager, an editor of an industry publication, a software provider? Don’t miss
the chance to check them out—in person and all in the same room! One
hundred emails can’t take the place of one in-person meeting. Get your
questions answered on the spot by the exhibitors, many of whom are long-time
supporters of the Independent Book Publishers Association.
3. Get
a “BA” or “Masters” in publishing—in two and a half days!<span
style=’font-size:11.0pt’> If you’re a beginner in the industry, speed up your
learning curve tenfold—before you make expensive mistakes. If you’re an
experienced publisher, expand your horizons with forward-looking solutions and
ideas to grow your business in 2007 and beyond. You won’t find any
pie-in-the-sky theory here—only practical tips and tools that you can
take back to the office and use now.
Sample
course for beginning publishers:<span
class=95StoneSerifSB>#302 20. Savvy Steps to
Help You Achieve Success As a New Publisher
Sample
course for experienced publishers:#5E. How to
Re-Energize your Backlist Titles
2.
Network. What makes Publishing
University unique is that, as much as you will learn inside the classroom, you
will learn that much or more outside. The chance to mingle with your colleagues
and your teachers on an informal basis is the best investment you can possibly
make in your business, as the contacts you meet will help you in ways that you
might never imagine. The luncheons, breaks, and receptions are set up to
encourage you to become acquainted with your fellow students, and our motto,
“Helping each other to achieve and succeed,” is personified at the University.
Sample
events for networking: Tuesday
reception, Thursday luncheon, Ben Franklin Awards reception.
And the number-one benefit to you
for attending Publishing University?
To Celebrate Independent
Publishing
The culmination of two and a half
days of education and fellowship, the Ben Franklin Awards Ceremony is a fitting
finale to Publishing University. Recognizing the best of independent publishing
in more than 50 categories, the Ben Franklin Awards offer a once-a-year
opportunity to share the joy and passion not just of the nominees and winners
but of every publisher in the room . . . and beyond.
For many of us, publishing is a
solitary pursuit. Publishing University and the annual Ben Franklin Awards give
us the chance to gather together to rejoice in our own and others’ accomplishments,
learn from one another, and enjoy the camaraderie of those who are pursuing
their business so they can pursue their dream.
Go ahead—step out of bounds.
Invest in your success and come to
Publishing University in New York this May. I’ll look forward to seeing you
there.
My virtual door is always open.
Please share your comments, thoughts, and ideas by emailing me at <span
class=95StoneSerifIt>fkichler@patriapress.com.
