(DIRECTOR’S DESK) By Angela Bole, IBPA Executive Director — During this year’s Publishing University in Austin, TX, I had the great privilege of honoring some of the best books of 2014 at the annual Benjamin Franklin Awards ceremony. What a fantastic time! I was able to announce the best books in 55 categories in front …

(DIRECTOR’S DESK) By Angela Bole, IBPA Executive Director — I’ve been thinking about how we make decisions. Do you take a chance on a new business partner? Do you move across country for a new job? If you’ve only been self-publishing, is now the time to start taking on books by others? If we believe …

(DIRECTOR’S DESK) By Angela Bole, IBPA Executive Director — Five new directors have been elected to serve on IBPA’s board of directors, starting July 1, 2015. Our board is a leadership team of 14 (13 directors plus our board chair) that works hard to promote, develop, and otherwise further the independent publishing industry, and to …

(DIRECTOR’S DESK) By Angela Bole, IBPA Executive Director — Earlier this year, I participated in a panel on indie publishing at the Los Angeles Public Library. It was part of Indie Author Day, which was sponsored by IBPA and SELF-e, a collaboration between Library Journal and BiblioBoard. The SELF-e program is a new endeavor designed …

(DIRECTOR’S DESK) By Angela Bole, IBPA Executive Director — IBPA members can login to OpenLearning here. If you don’t yet have login credentials, please email Mimi Le to request them. Happy spring! If you’re like people throughout most of the country, I bet you’re excited to be climbing out of one of the longest and …

(DIRECTOR’S DESK) By Angela Bole, IBPA Executive Director A small San Francisco based book conference has been slowly making its mark over the past several years. It’s called Books in Browsers — BiB for short — and, according to conference organizer Peter Brantley, it …

(DIRECTOR’S DESK) By Angela Bole, IBPA Executive Director — When you have a job like mine, you spend a lot of time looking at budget spreadsheets and discussing strategies and tactics and bottom lines. I don’t necessarily mind this. I have a strong attraction to …

(DIRECTOR’S DESK) By Angela Bole, IBPA Executive Director It’s January, and New Year’s resolutions are in full swing. This is the month when you can’t find an open treadmill at the gym no matter how early you arrive. When more than one friend tells you, …

(Director’s Desk) By Angela Bole, IBPA Executive Director Think about how a trade group like IBPA forms. Members of a community realize they face common problems, and they come together to solve those problems. I’ve heard this idea expressed in a beautiful way by Ken Michaels, chair of the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) and …

(DIRECTOR’S DESK) By Angela Bole, IBPA Executive Director When I’m asked to describe the independent publishers and self-published authors who choose to join IBPA, I say they’re the kind who understand that publishing is a business and, knowing this, join IBPA to become better business …