Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA)

Getting the look and content of your book right is priority 1. But looming changes at Amazon may be beyond your control. What to do? This is part 2 of our interview with Ian Lamont of i30 Media. Topics Covered Links Lean Media http://leanmedia.org/ Lean Media YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsYGJf9h3mJHS9KP6H5ldYQ/videos Amazon Deep Dive http://deepdive.leanmedia.org/ IBPA Publishing University: Using Metadata and Amazon to Expand Your Business, Thursday, April 2,...

Amazon advertising can be a great way to boost discoverability, but you have to know what it costs and how to manage Amazon issues that arise from time to time. This is part 1 of our interview with Ian Lamont of i30 Media. Topics Covered Links Lean Media http://leanmedia.org/ Lean Media YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsYGJf9h3mJHS9KP6H5ldYQ/videos Amazon Deep Dive http://deepdive.leanmedia.org/ IBPA Publishing University: Using Metadata and Amazon to Expand Your...

CEO Angela Bole of IBPA summarizes some of the key issues facing book publishers and authors in the coming year—hint: there are challenges, but lots of opportunities (and lots of great books!) Links IBPA Comments on proposed tariffs on printed books https://www.ibpa-online.org/news/456983/Updated-IBPA-Comments-on-Section-301-Investigation--Proposed-Tariff-on-Printed-Books.htm IBPA’s own source of news and updates on the Audible...

Topics covered include: Links https://camphorpress.com https://twitter.com/camphorpress Participants Michael Cannings is one of the three founders of Camphor Press, an independent publisher focusing on East Asia. Now back in his native England after eleven years living in Taiwan, Michael has a background in marketing and design which has proven invaluable in getting Camphor Press off the ground, though he still describes himself as a publishing amateur. Outside work he will invariably...

Links Wikipedia on California Assembly Bill 5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California\_Assembly\_Bill\_5\_(2019) Text of California Assembly Bill 5 (see tabs for history, amendments, voting, analysis) https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill\_id=201920200AB5 Publishers Weekly news article on AB5 https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/81992-publishers-brace-for-california-labor-law-changes.html December 17 news...

Topics covered include: Links 2019 Frankfurt Book Fair Report https://www.ibpa-online.org/news/478456/IBPA-Report-from-the-2019-Frankfurt-Book-Fair.htm Sign up for Frankfurt 2020 https://www.ibpa-online.org/store/ListProducts.aspx?catid=568496 Frankfurt Book Fair main site https://www.buchmesse.de/en History of the Frankfurt Book Fair https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankfurt\_Book\_Fair Year 2020 List of Book Fairs Around the...

Topics include: Links Article: "Intellectual Property: The Big Picture for Authors" https://www.janefriedman.com/intellectual-property-authors/ Royalty Reminder https://www.royaltyreminder.com/ The Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency https://ethanellenberg.com/ Participants Ethan Ellenberg opened his literary agency in late 1984 after holding jobs at both Bantam and Berkley/Jove. At Berkley/Jove he was manager of the Contracts Department. At Bantam he was Associate Contracts Manager. He...

Topics include: Links IBPA statement on passage of the CASE Act (with graphic) https://www.ibpa-online.org/news/news.asp?id=475423 The CASE Act explained https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CASE\_Act Senate draft of the CASE Act https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/1273/text The Authors Guild https://www.authorsguild.org/ RECOMMENDED READINGS FROM THE AUTHORS...

Topics include: Links Pub Site: a website-building service https://pub-site.com/ FSB Associates: a full-service marketing and publicity firm https://fsbassociates.com/ Participants John Burke is the co-founder of Pub Site, an easy-to-use website building platform designed specifically for authors and books, and is the COO of FSB Associates, a publicity firm specializing in promoting books and authors on the web. Burke worked for several publishers including Crown, McGraw-Hill,...

Audible has announced its intention to “subtitle” its audiobooks, but publishers are calling it a rights violation. What’s going on? CEO Angela Bole explains what steps IBPA is taking to protect its membership. Links Publishing Perspectives detailed article on the lawsuit, the IBPA letter, and the publishers requesting exclusion from the Captions program. https://publishingperspectives.com/2019/09/ibpa-backs-us-publishers-association-in-objections-to-audible-captions/ IBPA’s own source...

How can indie publishers make it today? Is there room on bookstore shelves for their books? Industry veteran and big-picture thinker Melissa Serdinsky speculates on survival, community, and industry trends. Topics include: Links Thin Air Collective https://thinaircollective.net/ Host Peter Goodman’s article in The (IBPA) Independent on “The Bookstore of the Future” http://articles.ibpa-online.org/article/indie-books-for-indie-bookshops/ Participants Melissa Serdinsky is an...

Topics include: Foreword ReviewsForewordForeword ##Links Foreword Reviews https://www.forewordreviews.com/ A Publishers Weekly article on the pros and cons of paid reviews https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/pw-select/article/64718-the-indie-author-s-guide-to-paid-reviews.html Participants Michelle Anne Schingler is the managing editor at Foreword Reviews. Her responsibilities include previewing thousands of books each quarter for the magazine's audience of librarians...

Giving talks about your book at associations, clubs, schools, and luncheons is a great way to connect with readers, develop sales, and establish your credibility as an expert in your field. Industry veteran Cheryl Callighan goes over the basics. Topics include: Links The Author’s Assistants https://www.theauthorsassistants.com/ https://www.facebook.com/pg/TheAuthorsAssistants Find a Toastmasters Club near you! https://www.toastmasters.org/find-a-club Participants Cheryl Callighan...

Topics include Links IngramSpark https://www.ingramspark.com Go Publish Yourself podcast https://www.ingramspark.com/podcast Participants Robin Cutler is committed to helping independent publishers easily get their content into the hands of readers around the globe. To help make this happen, Robin leads the development of IngramSpark and continues to support and refine the platform to better serve independent publishers around the world. Robin has broad knowledge of indie, academic...

Topics include: Links Patagonia Books https://www.facebook.com/patagoniabooks/ https://www.patagonia.com/shop/books Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard https://www.patagonia.com/product/let-my-people-go-surfing-revised-paperback-book/BK067.html Yosemite In The Sixties by Glen Denny https://www.patagonia.com/product/yosemite-in-the-sixties-hardcover-book/BK330.html BookStudio www.bookstudiobooks.com. PublishersWriters.org (San...

New developments in privacy law in Europe, and fair use, piracy, and widespread infringement by high-tech players remain big challenges for publishers. Publishing attorney Jonathan Kirsch analyzes a changing landscape. Topics include: Jonathan Kirsch’s website with links to his books and services: http://www.jonathankirsch.com/ IBPA’s model contract for translation and publishing rights, for reference (IBPA members only): https://www.ibpa-online.org/page/rightsagreement Information on...

Topics include: Check out the IPG website at https://ipgbook.com/ For measuring your book against industry standards, use the IBPA checklist: https://www.ibpa-online.org/general/custom.asp?page=standardschecklist Participants Richard T. Williams is the Vice President, Publisher Development, at IPG, where he reviews publisher submissions, pursues new publisher business, and manages a team of experts to help existing clients plan and develop their lists. He is a former sales rep at IPG and...

A book sales rep becomes an author and learns first-hand how to get bookstores and associations interested in his book -- and which social media platform was the most effective may surprise you. Topics include: PARTICIPANTS Andy Weiner is a longtime publishing professional. He has worked for Penguin USA, Random House, Chronicle Books, rightscenter.com, and for Abrams Books. He is also the co-publisher of* Close Enough for the Angels* by Paul Madonna, and is the author of the children’s...

Topics include: PARTICIPANTS Peter Goodman (host) is publisher of Stone Bridge Press in Berkeley, California. He began his publishing career in Tokyo, Japan, in 1976. A longtime member of IBPA, he has served on the IBPA board and as IBPA board chair.

Has publishing changed much in the past decades? A lot, but in many ways not at all. Influential blogger and opinion leader Joel Friedlander tells us what’s still important for all publishers to know . . . and do. Topics include: Participants Joel Friedlander is an award-winning book designer, blogger (since 2009!), and writer. He speaks regularly at industry events and is the author of A Self-Publisher’s Companion and The Book Blueprint. The blogger behind TheBookDesigner, Joel is a...