Inside Independent Publishing (with Ibpa)

Jonnie A Bryant, Executive Director of Sales/Marketing at book printer McNaughton & Gunn, talks paper, cost, and schedules, and offers her take on challenges facing the industry If you are wondering what’s happening in the world of book manufacturing, and how that might impact your ability to produce a book economically and on time, you’ll definitely want to listen to what Jonnie Bryant of McNaughton & Gunn has to say. Topics include changes in paper availability producing price rises and longer schedules allocation of paper from the mills to printers for the first time in years how the demand for diapers and teabags is making it harder for you to produce your book! how new trucking safety regulations mean you may not be able to get the paper when you need it why you may find it harder to procure alternative groundwood sheets in the future: is this the end of the cheap lightweight option? the development of color inkjet printing that marries high quality with low cost, making all sorts of new project

Board Member Elizabeth Turnbull discusses quality standards, hybrid publishing, diversity, and other target areas for IBPA's Advocacy Committee Subjects covered include: how to achieve a level playing field for indie books the IBPA publishing standards checklist the IBPA hybrid publishing checklist removing the stigma from indie publishing once and for all expanding diversity in publishing future advocacy projects for IBPA working with indie booksellers Participants Elizabeth Turnbull was born and raised in Haiti where she grew up surrounded by the people and landscapes of her latest book, Say to These Mountains. After graduating from Quisqueya Christian School, in Port-au-Prince, Elizabeth went on to study Spanish and Journalism at Wake Forest University and received her MA in Latin American and Caribbean Studies from Florida International University. Today, she is the Senior Editor for Light Messages Publishing where she is immensely grateful to immerse herself in new stories every day. Elizabeth is also

Editorial Director Jim Milliot talks about how leading trade magazine Publishers Weekly views book publishing today and the rise of the indie publisher. In a wide-ranging interview, Jim Milliot looks at how book publishing has changed in the last decade and how Publishers Weekly has adopted strategies to adjust, such as developing digital outlets for news and advertising in the face of declining print sales. As a result, today PW reaches a huge audience, surprisingly made up mostly of consumers looking for reviews and opinions to guide their buying choices. Jim also talks about different ways PW serves the publishing industry, not just the BIg 5 but smaller presses. He suggests different ways indies can get coverage, and he emphasizes that PW plays an important advocacy role when it comes to creating a level playing field for publishers of all sizes. At the end, Jim has a rather surprising take on the overall health of the American book publishing industry. To visit Publishers Weekly online, go to https://ww

Robby Price, in his last term as IBPA board chair, talks about the association, how it has changed, and how it is helping transform and strengthen indie publishing today. Robby explains how he got his start in publishing, evolving from a 1-page printout to a full traditional printer and then, more recently, a successful author services provider. He then reflects on how IBPA has changed during his time on the board and then as board chair. He points especially to the increasing strength exhibited by author publishers. It is no coincidence that as author publishers gain ground, hybrid publishers have emerged to lend them support with curation and expertise. Robby also discusses his own business, Gatekeeper Press, a service provider to author publishers and small indie presses. Gatekeeper press is at https://gatekeeperpress.com/. Participants Robby Price is chairperson of the IBPA board of directors and the president of Gatekeeper Press with 200,000 books sold as a self-published author. Gatekeeper Press works w

Robin Cutler, Director of IngramSpark, discusses ways that publishers can use print-on-demand technology to launch their business and achieve distribution quickly. Topics include: how IngramSpark can help the small publisher manufacture and sell using IngramSpark and CreateSpace printing internationally indies vs the Big 5 full-service options for advanced indies the state of the ebook market is print dead? short-run color printing what's in Ingram's future? To find out more about IngramSpark, go to http://www.ingramspark.com/ Participants As the Director of IngramSpark at Ingram Content Group, 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, she leads the development of IngramSpark and continues to support and refine the platform to better serve independent publishers around the world. She is a leader in the independent publishing space, and when not developing new programs and services for IngramSpark

Angela Bole, CEO of the Independent Book Publishers Association, gives an overview of IBPA and how its mission can help publishers become more successful in an ever-changing publishing landscape. Topics covered include: what is IBPA? who is IBPA for? how is publishing changing in America, and is it changing too slowly? why the era of stigmatizing self-publishers – or, author-publishers – is OVER! new models for creative publishing promotional opportunities and benefits at IBPA For more on IBPA, go to http://www.ibpa-online.org. Also, your questions on how to submit books to magazines, and is it legal to use characters from movies in fan fiction? Participants Angela Bole is chief executive officer of the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), the largest book publishing association in the U.S. serving independent publishers and self-published authors. Prior to joining IBPA, Angela served two years as deputy executive director of the Book Industry Study Group (BISG), an organization that fosters conv

Anne-Marie Concepción of Seneca Design & Training presents the case for using InDesign as a p-book and e-book creation tool. Topics covered include: can Microsoft Word be used for book publishing? (the short answer: please don’t.) the importance of styles in InDesign learning InDesign using InDesign to create e-books creating Kindle books and using the Kindle Previewer designing for print vs designing for ebooks finding a designer Also, your questions on paying royalties to foreign publishers, learning more about printing and production. Sites and resources mentioned in the podcast include: Seneca Design & Training: https://senecadesign.com/ Lynda.com (search for “eBook fundamentals”) iBooks Author from Apple: https://www.apple.com/ibooks-author/ Kindle Previewer from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000765261 Upwork (was Elance): https://www.upwork.com/ check out #eprdctn on Twitter InDesign Magazine issue on book design: https://indesignsecrets.com/issues/issue-10

Tom Doherty of Cardinal Publishers Group presents need-to-know pointers for independent publishers seeking distribution for their books. He covers: the different types of distributor typical working arrangements, including exclusivity, house accounts, chargebacks, and services what you need to provide to find a distributor (such as a solid marketing plan!) the importance of keeping the lines of communication open discoverability working with online retailers Also: your questions on Digital Review Copies and royalties. Participants Tom Doherty has been president of Cardinal Publishers Group since 2000 and publisher of Blue River Press since 2004. Prior to Cardinal Publishers Group Tom worked in publishing for nearly twenty years including eight years in book distribution with Time-Warner and The Hearst Corporation. During his time at Cardinal Publishers Group, a full-service distributor, Tom has launched more than a hundred new imprints. As publisher of Blue River Press he published notable New York Times be

Ian Lamont of i30 Media discusses strategies for using Amazon Marketing Services to make your book pop to the top in Amazon searches. Covered here are key concepts like bidding and budgeting, and a real-world assessment of what works and what doesn't when working with Amazon (or with Facebook and Google ads). Here’s the YouTube how-to video Ian mentions in the podcast: “How to Make Amazon Marketing Services Product Display Ads”: https://youtu.be/oQvAsSQ3tV4 Mentioned in the members’ question portion of the podcast are new classes in Copyediting and Developmental Editing at UCLA Extension. For information, go to https://www.uclaextension.edu/. Participants Ian Lamont is an award-winning technology journalist, author, and publisher, and the founder of i30 Media Corp. and IN 30 MINUTES Guides. He is also a director and treasurer of the Independent Book Publishers Association and serves on IBPA's Executive Committee. His books include Twitter In 30 Minutes and Lean Media: How to Focus Creativity, Streamline Produ