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PUBWEST 2021 CONFERENCE
 JOIN PUBWEST'S VIRTUAL CONFERENCE ON FEB 2-4, 2021 Agenda details below! Sponsorship opportunities are still available. |
Tuesday, February 2 |
8:30 - 10:00AM | Welcome & Keynote
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A new player in the book market is getting noticed — Oprah is a fan! We talk to Jelani Memory about how and why he got into publishing, his successes, and his take on the future of the industry. With time for your questions!10:30 - 11:00AM | Coffee Break Social Hour |
12:00 - 1:00PM | New Strategies, Tools, and Tips to Promote Books and Authors ... NOW. Tired of hearing about how book publicity and marketing is different, has changed, not effective? Ready for a conversation with specifics about what authors, publicity and marketing teams are actually doing to promote books...now? What’s working? What’s not? Join our conversation that will include short case studies about new and proven tactics, tools, strategies and technologies in author and book promotion. If we meet the objectives of this panel, publicity and marketing teams will leave with new ideas, tips, tools and strategies to consider and test for yourself. |
—concurrent with— | Couples Therapy 1, Booksellers and Publishers: If there ever were a match made in heaven, it's the one between booksellers and book publishers. And yet ... as both struggle to survive in a retail-challenged landscape, conflicts are inevitable. Booksellers say they need more publisher support to make it, and smaller publishers say they can't possibly make the concessions that the Big Five can. This honest, informed conversation will work to break down misconceptions and shore up what is, deep down, a beautiful marriage. |
1:30 - 2:30PM | Speed Dating with Exhibitors |
—concurrent with— | Design & Printing Roundtable Where is book design headed? How are designers and production managers addressing environmental best practices? What's the best way to cope with supply-chain issues as the pandemic continues? Should we be printing more in the US regardless of cost? If not, which countries are stepping up, printing-wise? Consider these and other questions in a moderated conversation with fellow travelers in the worlds of book design and production. |
4:00 - 5:00PM | PubWest Book Design Awards |
Wednesday, February 3 |
8:00 - 9:00AM | Why Trade Reviews and Trade Publications Still Matter What is the purpose of trade media? What is the value of a trade book review? Who writes those trade reviews? How are the key book publishing trades similar and different? What do trade media outlets, book publishers and authors miss about their role in the digital publishing landscape? What should we know about each other, as we all navigate our way in a post-Covid publishing world? |
—concurrent with— | Couples Therapy 2, Libraries and Publishers, What is the New Normal with Libraries: How can we make it work? How has 2020 shaped the relationship between libraries, librarians, and publishers? What do we predict for 2021? Ultimately librarians and publishers want the same thing for their customers — to read and develop a love of books. How can publishers and librarians work together both within their communities and at a larger scale to benefit our audiences and each other during this current transformation of the book industry. |
9:30 - 10:30AM | Speed Dating with Exhibitors |
—concurrent with— | Editorial & Acquisitions Roundtable If you work in editorial, here's your chance to learn and get inspired in conversation with your peers, on topics ranging from acquisitions in times of uncertainty to the eternal challenge of finding good freelancers. |
12:00 - 1:00PM | Niche Topics/Small Group Roundtables |
1:30 - 2:30PM | Jack D. Rittenhouse Award This year's award is given posthumously to Drs. Julian and Raye Richardson, founders of Marcus Books, the oldest Black bookstore in the United States (San Francisco, 1960). Award to be accepted by their daughter Blanche. |
4:00 - 5:00PM | Networking Happy Hour |
Thursday, February 4 |
8:00 - 9:00AM | Speed Dating with Exhibitors |
—concurrent with— |
Amazon Boot Camp: All the free ways you can drive sales at the biggest retailer in the world Featuring IPGs Amazon Experts Lara Alexander, Kelly Peterson, and Rachel Townsend Are you looking to improve your titles' sales and search-ability on Amazon? Tune in to get insightful best practices along with all the latest proven tips and tricks.This session will cover:
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9:30 - 10:30AM | Deep Dive Social Media: How to Use It to Sell and Promote Books Social media has fundamentally changed the way we publish and market books and the recent pandemic has sped up this change in ways that are here to stay. Discover your next bestselling author online. Prioritize finding your company voice and creating consistent content. Make the most of your author’s social platform. Develop a social media strategy that’s adaptable to the changing publishing landscape and work with influencers to drive sales.
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—concurrent with— | Couples Therapy 3, Working with your Distributor, How have we adapted |
12:00 - 1:00PM | State of the Industry |
1:30 - 2:30PM | Closing Session and Hall of Fame Award Bill will ask his questions — and take yours — in this session that invites you to look to tomorrow with an industry visionary. We will follow this lively discussion with the presentation of the PubWest Hall of Fame Award that acknowledges a volunteer for their contributions to making our organization strong! |
3:00 - 4:00PM | Networking Afternoon Break |
—concurrent with— | Head of House Roundtable Join your fellow heads of house — whether it's a house of 1 or 100 — to share ideas, challenges, inspirations, solutions, and more. Open to publishing heads of house only, please. |
