The theme for the 2003 PMA University is: Achieving passion, knowledge, profitability, and creativity.

Firsts on Day One

All the sessions are free on May 27th, the first day of PMA University–for PMA members and first-time university attendees alike. And first-time attendees and new members will have the chance to participate in a legal clinic with attorneys Lloyd Rich and Jonathan Kirsch. Participants may submit individual questions in advance, which will be addressed during the 1-1/2 hour group session.

The day also features a 90-minute “powerhouse” lecture by the one, the only, the powerful, the prestigious publishing guru, Dan Poynter. Dan will provide free copies of the new edition of his best-selling publishing book, The Self-Publishing Manual, to all attendees.

But there’s still more on Tuesday–a 75-minute session presented by three relatively new PMA members who will present experiences in marketing their books over the past year. The title of this program is “What PMA University Has Done for Me” and it promises to be enlightening and motivational.

The first day will end with a reception and opportunities to meet speakers and network with other attendees.
What’s New

More than a third of the 2003 courses are new. Be sure to visit our Web site at www.pma-online.org to view the entire program and register online.

Having organized PMA University for the past six years, I have been struck with the quality and creativity of some of the new courses for this year’s program. My personal favorite and one I am looking forward to attending myself is a course organized by Maggie Lichtenberg called “Marketing Repair Clinic: What to Do Now that My Book Hasn’t Sold.” This course promises tremendous professional insight to publishers whose books have not performed as well as they would have liked, along with practical suggestions about how to turn a negative situation around.

There are lots of other great course offerings. So even if you’ve attended PMA University in the past, you have a whole host of new courses never before offered at PMA University to choose from. Here’s a selection:

Internet & Digital Activity

– How to Launch a Book Online and Keep It in Orbit! Fresh tips on maximizing sales via the Internet.

– E-Marketing: E-mail and Web Site Promotion Secrets. How to take advantage of e-communications to promote your Web site and your titles.

– A Dozen Smart Things You Can Do to Sell More Books Online. Advice from top experts in the field.
Publicity

– Publicity Hits and Misses: Lessons Learned from the Pros. Profit from the mistakes of others and learn from some great war stories.

– PR Experts: When to Use Staff, When to Hire an Outside Expert. This course will pay for itself the moment you put these tips into practice.

– Niche PR: A Special Twist to Conventional Publicity. How to focus your communications messages to penetrate your market niche.
Marketing

– Marketing a Title from Beginning to End. Tips from pros who have “been there, done that.”

– Will Your Book Have Life After Birth? How to launch a book and do it right, building momentum and keeping it going.

– Marketing Tips for the PTR Book (Professional, Technical, Reference). A fabulous new course if you’ve published a PTR book or are planning to do that.

– Organizing a Regional Marketing and Promotion Campaign for Your Book. So many PMA titles are regional in nature. Now there’s a course designed just for your special focus.
Sales & Special Sales

– Sharpening Your Sales Hooks and Making Creative Pitches. It always comes down to selling and the savvy pros on this panel will tell you how to say it and write it with maximum effectiveness.

– Selling Cookbooks and Making Them Stick. If you do cookbooks, make sure you put this course in your shopping cart first!

– Selling to Museum Stores. This is an innovative course, and if your book has museum potential, you’ll want to be sure to sign up for it.
Editorial

– How to Create a Bookmap. Don’t know what a bookmap is? Attend this course to find out!

– From Raw to Refined: Developing Great Manuscripts. Experts give tips on polishing the manuscript to stellar brilliance!

– Acquisition Strategies: The Business of Choosing the Right Books to Publish. Making good decisions at the start means profitable books in the end.
Publishing Strategy and Financial Management

– How to Be a Publisher, Plan Strategically, and Build Your Company. A panel of successful publishers will lead you step by step through the 10 points of highly profitable publishing.

– Creating a High Performance Publishing Company. Secrets for harnessing synergy and making it work in your company.

Summing Up

The 2003 PMA University offers something for everyone, whether you’ve been to many PMA Universities or have never attended before. Join us in Los Angeles on May 27, 28, and 29 at the Wilshire Grand Hotel. I guarantee the publishing brain food will be the best it’s ever been!

Robin Bartlett is Director of Sales and Corporate Relations for the American College of Physicians in Philadelphia. A former member of the PMA Board of Directors, he is the PMA University Chair and a frequent contributor to both PMA University and the PMA Newsletter. You can contact him at

rbbartlett@aol.com.