Tuesday, February 2 
all times shown are Pacific

8:30 - 10:00AM

Welcome & Keynote
Opening remarks by PubWest President Colleen Dunn Bates and Leah Hernandez of Young Authors Publishing

A Conversation with Jelani Memory, CEO and Co-Founder of A Kids Book About

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!

Moderated by Kelly Barrales-Saylor, Editorial Director, Sourcebooks.

10:30 - 11:00AM

Coffee Break Social Hour
Need a pick me up? Grab a cup of tea or coffee and spend time getting to know other attendees all from the comfort of your home or office.

11:00AM - 12:00PM

Expo Open — Visit Our Exhibitors!
We know you have many choices when it comes to vendors for your business, and we encourage you to visit our expo hall and find out about the products and services offered by our exhibitors.  Our business is all about relationships! Please take a moment to stop by and get to know the businesses that support YOU and your trade organization.  This year our exhibitors offer a wide range of services tailored to the needs of PubWest members. Visit our expo hall and find your solution for ... email marketing, website development, book distribution, printing, book reviews, workflow management software, legal support, and mergers/acquisitions.

12:00 - 1:00PM

New Strategies, Tools, and Tips to Promote Books and Authors... NOW.
A conversation with and for authors, book publicists and marketers, with Independent Publicist Sabrina Dax, and Sarah Christensen Fu of Hey Sarah!. Moderated by Helena Brantley of Red Pencil Publicity + Marketing.

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: How to Achieve the Perfect Marriage
Featuring Publisher Brad Farmer of Gibbs Smith and Nicole Sullivan of BookBar Denver.

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 - 2:15PM

Speed Dating with Exhibitors
Meet and greet with the people and companies who help you be a success. Sign up in advance and PubWest will set up time and virtual space for you to connect.

—concurrent with—

Design Roundtable
Leigh McDonald, Art Director of University of Arizona Press, leads a free-ranging conversation about everything related to book design, layout, printing, paper, and more!

What challenges are designers facing today? What tools and best practices are helping us stay on top of our game in the ever-changing publishing world? Consider these and other questions in a moderated conversation with fellow travelers in the worlds of book design and production.

2:45 - 3:30PM

Contracts for the Book Publisher: Managing to Add Enterprise Value
Properly reviewing, preparing and otherwise managing a publishing company’s contracts is good business and adds enterprise value. Intellectual property attorney Jon Tandler of Sherman & Howard will discuss author publisher, contributor, and subsidiary rights/license agreements, and provide examples of contract provisions which support enterprise value; copyright ownership by author or publisher, and grant of rights clauses; essential provisions for independent contractors; and contract diligence for acquisitions.

—concurrent with—

Printing Roundtable
Join Todd Hensley, CEO of C&T, as participants discuss design and production issues. How are 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?

4:00 - 5:00PM

PubWest Book Design Awards
PubWest Book Design Awards recognize superior design and outstanding production quality of books throughout North America. Today we announce the winners of the 43rd annual awards!

Wednesday, February 3
all times shown are Pacific

8:00 - 9:00AM

Why Trade Reviews and Trade Publications Still Matter
Featuring Cevin Bryerman, Publisher/Executive Vice President of Publishers Weekly, Meredith Schwartz, Editor-in-Chief of Library Journal, and Victoria Sutherland, founder and publisher of Foreword Magazine. Moderated by Kevin Smokler.

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?
Featuring Librarian Patty Wong of the Santa Monica Public Library.

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
Meet and greet with the people and companies who help you be a success. Sign up in advance and PubWest will set up time and virtual space for you to connect.

—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. Colleen Dunn Bates of Prospect Park Books will facilitate this lively discussion.

12:00 - 1:00PM

Audiobook Supply Chain & Distribution Roundtable 
With audio still booming how can you get started? What do you need to think about to be successful with audio? Let's discuss! Featuring Eric Barnett, Manager of Strategic Partnerships for Findaway, and Michele Cobb, Executive Director of the Audio Publishers Association.

—concurrent with—

Business & Finance Roundtable
Join Amy Barrett-Daffin of C&T Publishing to talk numbers with fellow conference attendees!

1:30 - 2:30PM

Jack D. Rittenhouse Award

Expo Open — Visit Our Exhibitors!
We know you have many choices when it comes to vendors for your business, and we encourage you to visit our expo hall and find out about the products and services offered by our exhibitors.  Our business is all about relationships! Please take a moment to stop by and get to know the businesses that support YOU and your trade organization.  This year our exhibitors offer a wide range of services tailored to the needs of PubWest members. Visit our expo hall and find your solution for ... email marketing, website development, book distribution, printing, book reviews, workflow management software, legal support, and mergers/acquisitions.

4:00 - 5:00PM

Networking Happy Hour
Move your laptop to a comfy chair, grab a glass or wine or hot tea, and join a friendly, breakout-room chat session with fellow travelers in publishing.

Thursday, February 4
all times shown are Pacific

8:00 - 9:00AM

Speed Dating with Exhibitors
Meet and greet with the people and companies who help you be a success. Sign up in advance and PubWest will set up time and virtual space for you to connect.

—concurrent with—

9:30 - 10:30AM

Social Media Matters: How to Use It to Build Your Business and Sell and Promote Books
With Michelle Halket, Publisher of Central Avenue, and Andrea Baird, Marketing Director for Chicago Review Press and Triumph Books

—concurrent with—

Couples Therapy 3, Working with your Distributor: How Have We Adapted?

Featuring Michaela Goff of Casemate Group and Amy Barrett-Daffin of C&T Publishing.

In the challenging environment of the last year we’ve relied more than ever on the strong relationship distributors have to help us reach the book sellers and, ultimately, the book buyers. How have distributors adapted to the changes faced? How have we adapted? What can we do to strength our partnerships and think outside the box to ensure sales stay strong and our titles get noticed? Let’s get real!

11:00 - 11:30AM

Membership Meeting, Members Only

12:00 - 1:00PM

State of the Industry
This energetic and insightful panel is excited to share what has worked for them and how they are moving forward. Get the scoop on the state of the industry from three niche publishers – Peggy Burns, Publisher of Drawn & Quarterly, Joe Biel, Founder of Microcosm Publishing, and Carrie Kilmer, CEO of Soho Publishing – who have changed, adapted and evolved in 2020 through COVID and what their new normal looks like. 

1:30 - 2:30PM

Closing Session
PubWest President Emeritus Bill Fessler talks with Mike Shatzkin, the Founder & CEO of The Idea Logical Company, about his thoughts on publishing today and in the future.  

Bill will ask his questions – and take yours – in this session that invites you to look to tomorrow with an industry visionary. 

3:00 - 4:00PM

Networking Afternoon Break
Spend some time with your fellow attendees, grab a snack, and have a chat in the virtual world.

—concurrent with—

Head of House Roundtable
Join Colleen Dunn Bates of Prospect Park Books, Bill Fessler of American Traveler Press, Miriam Warren of No Nonsense Fly Fishing Guidebooks -and- California Bill’s Automotive Handbooks for this free-wheeling conversation and idea sharing with publishing heads of house.

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.