(PRESS RELEASE)
The Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) is pleased to welcome five new members to its board of directors: Ian Lamont (i30 Media Corporation), Karla Olson (Patagonia Books), Joshua Tallent (Firebrand Technologies), Elizabeth Turnbull (Light Messages Publishing), and Mark Wesley (me+mi publishing).
The five directors were voted onto the board by the IBPA membership during the association's April 11, 2015 Annual Membership Meeting. Their two year terms begin July 1, 2015.
The New Board Members Include:
 Ian Lamont is the founder of i30 Media Corporation. His media career has spanned more than 20 years across three continents, including a stint in the British music industry and a six-year residence in Taipei, where he learned Mandarin and worked for a local TV network and newspaper. Returning to the Boston area, he shifted into digital media, building websites for Harvard University, developing online services for technology publisher IDG, and serving as managing editor of The Industry Standard blog platform and prediction market. Later, Ian founded two ventures, including a mobile software company and i30 Media, which publishes In 30 Minutes guides (in30minutes.com). The guides help people understand mildly complex subjects, including business, software, and medicine.
 Karla Olson is the Director of Patagonia Books, which publishes books as a mission outreach within the sports clothing company, Patagonia, Inc. She is also the president of Publishers and Writers of San Diego and Publishers and Writers of Orange County, and founder of Read Local, a marketing coalition for authors. She has been in the publishing industry for over 30 years and is the owner of BookStudio, a publishing consultancy. Before BookStudio, she was the Creative Director of Tehabi Books, the owner of Via Press, and the editorial director of the Michael Friedman Publishing Group, a book packaging company in New York City.
 Joshua Tallent, the Chief eBook Architect at Firebrand Technologies, has been an eBook developer since 2002 and is a well-known eBook expert and teacher. He serves on multiple industry committees and working groups and teaches at publishing conferences year-round. Joshua provides consulting and training services, helping publishers understand their content better and figure out how to use it more efficiently. He and his team are also the creators of FlightDeck, the most robust EPUB quality assurance tool available.
 Elizabeth Turnbull is the Senior Editor at Light Messages Publishing. Elizabeth has worked with Light Messages for three years, and under her tenure, the press has added a new imprint and expanded to a total of 15-20 titles a year, many of which have gone on to be award winners and bestsellers in their categories. Elizabeth also writes children’s books centered around rural Haiti where she was born and raised. Prior to joining Light Messages, she ran a marketing and fundraising company for nonprofits. Elizabeth studied Spanish and Journalism at Wake Forest University in North Carolina and received her MA in Latin American and Caribbean Studies from Florida International University. She currently lives in Hillsborough, N.C., with her husband, where they are starting a small farm.
 Mark Wesley has owned and operated several businesses including a publishing house called me+mi publishing, a warehouse and fulfillment company, a product development firm, a promotional products company, and a graphic design firm. From creating products that have sold over $240 million to creating the number one children’s dual language book series, to having products in every major retail and warehouse club, to producing over 20 books that have sold between 30,000 to over a 50,000 units each year, as Phil Cooke says, “I am not a travel agent, who gives you the brochure. I am a tour guide who’s actually been there before.” He has been through the same frustrations, obstacles, failures and victories, and his goal is to share what he has learned along the way.
About the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA)
Founded in 1983, the Independent Book Publishers Association is the largest not-for-profit trade organization for publishers in the United States. IBPA’s mission is to lead and serve the independent publishing community by providing advocacy, education, and tools for success. For more information, visit www.ibpa-online.org.
Independent Book Publishers Association
1020 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Suite 204
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
P: 310-546-1818
F: 310-546-3939
E: info@IBPA-online.org
|
