Thank you for your interest in volunteering at the 2022 PubWest Conference.  We welcome additions to our event team!  There are multiple opportunities to volunteer, each opportunity being a full day commitment in exchange for complimentary conference registration.  

PubWest is looking for: 

• Multiple volunteers to assist us with staffing the registration desk throughout the conference.  Responsibilities include greeting attendees, providing information as requested, and prepping rooms between sessions (tidying up the rooms, refreshing the AV, and changing out signs). 

• 1 volunteer on Friday to assist with the Rittenhouse Award recipient. Specifics to be determined once we know the arrival/departure information of the recipient. This role may include airport pick-up and/or drop-off.

• On Thursday volunteers will meet with PubWest staff to review roles/responsibilities/schedule for the upcoming days.

• Interested applicants should follow the link below to complete the volunteer form.  Applications will be reviewed and volunteers will be selected and contacted before January 7th.

• Please email JoAnna Laskas with any questions.

Sessions for the 2022 PubWest Conference will be held over three days, with Day 1 being dedicated to the intensives listed below, and each day offering networking opportunities for our attendees. 

Note: registration closes Friday, January 28.

PUBWEST THANKS OUR SPONSORS!

KEY SPONSORS

FEATURED SPONSOR

SUPPORTING SPONSORS

ExhibitorS

INTENSIVE OPTIONS -- (Held on Feb 3)

• Looking to take a deep dive into a topic? Intensives are offered as an add-on to the conference. 
  
• Short on time? You may choose to only attend an intensive.
  

Intensive Attendees Select ONE of the Following Options

Getting Your Book Into Readers’ Hands 
We have faced many roadblocks in getting our books to readers. Digital distribution and consumption rose during the pandemic because it was easier to purchase ebooks when stores were closed and it allowed readers to bypass shipping delays. Accessibility affects book sales and a book’s format shapes its accessibility. Let’s dive in and discuss all the ways in which we can make books easier to find, buy, and read.

-or-

Monetize Your Content: Beyond Just Selling the Text
We all know how to sell books, but in the digital world publishers are getting creative with options such as joint ventures, unique partnerships, crowdfunding, subscription services, and paid events exposing consumers to products. These different ways to make money are accelerating and creating new opportunities. Let’s hear and learn from some of the key people playing outside the traditional bookstore. Case studies and discussion of your ideas included. 

CONNECT WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS

Clicks, Toks, Grams: Social Media Marketing
Increasingly publishers must interact with and market to readers via social media channels, begging the holy trinity of questions:

• What tools do you use?

• How much time do you spend?

• How do you measure success?

In this session, practitioners, sages, and students of social media marketing share their stories of campaigns, successes, and lessons learned.

In the Trenches with Bookstores: The Daily Pivot
Many bookstores are permanently implementing practices they developed for survival in the depths of COVID. Some are keeping events online only for the foreseeable future, while some are looking for creative ways to have in-person events. Some have moved aggressively to online sales, and others have changed their buying and merchandising strategies. This session will explore how publishers, publicists, and authors can work effectively with booksellers as everyone figures out the new normal.

Owning the Relationship: Direct to Consumer
Learn what it’s like to be in the driver’s seat of the customer relationship (versus it being owned by the retailer) and why you may want to take this route. 

GROW YOUR BOTTOM LINE

What’s New in Special Sales?
Our experienced panel will share with you how to generate more revenue from your content by marketing it to different audiences.  From new models to licensing to new markets, we cover it all.

The Science (and Psychology) of Pricing
You’ve gathered the information and crunched the numbers… now what do you do with all the data that you have? Learn out how your data can be used to take the fear out of raising prices and to think outside traditional publishing models. Let’s throw away the emotion and let numbers be our guide in conquering the market!

Keynote: Censorship, Punishment, and Accountability
How are publishers dealing with issues of free speech at the dawn of a new century? What challenges and revelations have they faced? Our keynote speaker will address these questions and bring additional insights to this critical topic. 

Location, Location, Location... Where We Work and How We Travel
What to consider regarding where we work, if we travel, and how to move forward in a world that looks different than it did 2 years ago. Working remote, back in the office, or a hybrid what is your team doing to get the job done, stay connected and in communication?  When will you be comfortable regularly traveling for business again and has the person experience been forever altered? 

Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives: Where Are We? What’s Working? Where Do We Go from Here?
We heard the rally cry for more diversity in publishing! Now what? This session will focus on innovative/new diversity and inclusion initiatives. What are publishers doing? What has been implemented? What is coming? Where do we go from here? Join us and find out.  

Design and Production: State of the Industry
What is the most up-to-date official editable version of your book file? Where is it located? What is its name? Who has access to it? Join industry veterans as they examine the tech, the art, and the environment of book creation today.  

Supply Chain and Distribution: State of the Industry
Freight and manufacturing disruptions have caused delays, price increases and uncertainty. What is the outlook for 2022 and beyond? Will more publishers shift to US printing? When will container costs go down? Will more paper or printing plants open in the US? Come and look into a crystal ball with us as we analyze trends and make predictions about the future.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

If I Knew Then What I Know Now: Data Access and Applications

Hear from people about how they are finding and using the data that drives their business. Get time-saving advice by learning what our panelists have tried in the past and what they currently use now (and how they use it!).

Amazon Tools -- Did You Know These Were FREE?
Interested in growing your business on Amazon? There are a few free tools that will help you increase customer engagement and generate more sales. Join us to learn more about these tools. 

YOU'RE NOT WRONG TO WONDER ABOUT RIGHTS!

AWARDS PRESENTATIONS & RECEPTIONS 

Thursday, Feb. 3: Evening Reception & Happy Hour Social 
Calling all local members!  If you are in the Colorado area, please plan to kick off our conference mixing it up at this reception/social.

Friday, Feb. 4: Hall of Fame Presentation 
Just prior to our Keynote Address, the PubWest Board of Directors will announce this year's inductee into the Hall of Fame.  

Friday, Feb. 4: Rittenhouse Award 
PubWest will announce this year's recipient of the Rittenhouse Award at Friday's lunch. 

Friday, Feb. 4: Evening Reception & Cocktail Party 
Unwind over drinks and hour de vours with fellow PubWest members.

Saturday, Feb. 5: Book Design Awards 
PubWest will announce winners in every category of this year's Book Design Awards. 

Saturday, Feb. 5: Evening Reception & Cocktail Party 
Close out the 2022 PubWest conference with old friends and new connections!