IBPA Publishing University 2026

IBPA Think Tank for Established Publishers
A day of expert-level peer-to-peer discussions with tailored tracks for:
Executives and C-Suite
Editorial/Production Key Staff
Marketing/Sales Key Staff

One member of your publishing team must be a conference attendee with a one-day, two-day, or three-day ticket. Separate registration for additional staff is available at a discounted rate here.

Our wireframe agenda:
10:30am Registration opens outside room 329 on the third floor.

11:00am-11:35am Plenary welcome and Idea XChange panel with Grace Hagen (Midwest Independent Booksellers Association), Victoria Sutherland (Foreword Reviews), Matthew Mansfield (NielsenIQ BookData), and Brad Farmer (Gibbs Smith) in room 329.

11:45am-1:00pm  Peer Group Discussions 1 -
Executive (facilitated by Michele Cobb and Victoria Sutherland) in room 329.
Sales & Marketing (facilitated by Kalen Landow and Laura Stanfill) in room 294.
Editorial & Design (facilitated by Lauren Wise and Leigh McDonald) in room 333.

1:00pm - 2:15pm  IBPA+PubWest Design Awards Luncheon  in room 329.

2:30pm - 3:45pm  Breakout sessions 2 -
Inventory Management, Production, & Supply Chain (facilitated by Amy Barrett-Daffin and Molly Merkle) in room 329.
Sales & Marketing (facilitated by Angela Engel and Brooke Warner) in room 294.
Editorial & Design (facilitated by JuLee Brand and Karla Olson) in room 333.

4:00pm - 4:30pm Closing session in room 329.

And we invite you to go directly from the Think Tank to Literature and Libations, our conference-opening cocktail reception at Powells from 5pm-7pm!

[If you are driving and need to park for Think Tank, please use Parking Structure 1 at 1872 SW Broadway, kitty corner from the student union building.]

[Getting to Portland State University: https://www.pdx.edu/blog/getting-campus-transportation-and-psu
TriMet Max train  Green Line  from Oregon Convention Center light rail stop just outside the Hyatt Regency hotel, look for train going west/south to City Center & PSU Max train stops at "PSU Urban Center/SW 5th & Mill" (about 7 quick stops total - 20 minute trip) About $3 using Hop Fast Pass card you can load with a credit card at station stops.]

Join us at Powell's flagship store, 1005 W Burnside St. Portland, OR 97209 -- it's the largest independent bookstore in the world!!

Free reception for all IBPA Publishing University conference attendees, IBPA Think Tank for Established Publisher attendees, as well as our Pacific Northwest publishing industry friends.

[Getting to Powell's City of Books From the Hyatt Regency Portland at the Oregon Convention Center:
Option A:
Mass Transit, Red Line Train

• Walk to the TriMet MAX light rail stop outside the hotel.
• Board the Red Line train going west to City Center or Beaverton direction.
• Scan your credit card or Apple/Google Pay on your phone to pay. Cost is $2.80.
• Get off at the “Galleria SW 10th Avenue" station which is the 6th stop.
• Walk north on 10th Ave to Powell's City of Books, approximately 6 minutes (0.3 miles).]

Option B:
Walking

• Distance is 1.3 miles, approximately 30 minutes

[Getting to Powell's City of Books From Portland State University:
Option A:
Mass transit Portland Streetcar: From PSU student union, walk north about a block to the SW Park & Mill transit stop. Streetcar is NS Line (North South Line) going north toward NW 23rd Ave. Get off the streetcar at the NW 10th & Couch station. Go immediately around the corner to the W Burnside Powell's City of Books entrance.
Option B:
You can also use the Max Green or Yellow line, board at PSU South/SW 6th & College MAX Station taking train headed to Clackamas TC, get off at 6th & Pine stop, and walk 1/3 mile north-east to Powells.]

Designed for both self-published authors and independent presses, this panel provides key insights for capitalizing on your content. Learn how to sell your audiobook rights, navigate the complexities of production (DIY vs. studio), and master distribution channels (retailers, libraries, direct) to ensure your titles—in all formats—reach the widest possible audience and maximize revenue.

The audio file is attached. Note the attached transcript was generated by AI and has not been reviewed by a smart human. If you’d like to volunteer to review and make corrections, please reach out to [email protected] – thanks!

The rules of discovery have changed. The old funnel model of ads and keywords and the funnel of “reader magnet → nurture email → sale” is collapsing under the weight of AI-driven discovery and content saturation. Sarah Bean of Book Launchers shares how successful author-publishers are replacing funnels with ecosystems that attract readers through visibility, trust, and ongoing connection.

Attendees will learn:
Why “lead magnets” and traditional funnels are failing and what’s replacing them.
How LLMs and AI discovery are reshaping how readers find and evaluate books (and how to make this work in your favor).
Making the new Ecosystem Framework work for you.

You’ll leave with a roadmap to evolve your author platform for the post-funnel era and create a world where content is surfaced by algorithms, not ad campaigns.

The audio file is attached. Note the attached transcript was generated by AI and has not been reviewed by a smart human. If you’d like to volunteer to review and make corrections, please reach out to [email protected] – thanks!

As trade sale margins get squeezed, selling direct to consumers offers larger margins and the ability to have direct (and continued) communication for promotion of future sales to the same customer. How do you calculate the ROI cost for acquiring new customers? How do you sell direct to consumers without alienating your trade channels? What solutions exist for managing orders, shipping, and customer communications? And what else do you need to consider? 
Join Lee Klancher (publisher, Octane Press), Marty Schoenleber III (Sr. Manager, IngramSpark), and Jason Glaspey (co-founder, Fleet of Geniuses) for this panel that will unpack what you need to know about steering your publishing business to include a D2C strategy. 

The audio file is attached. Note the attached transcript was generated by AI and has not been reviewed by a smart human. If you’d like to volunteer to review and make corrections, please reach out to [email protected] – thanks!

Large-print books are one of the fastest-growing opportunities in publishing, yet many authors and publishers are still unsure how to approach them. In this session, attendees will learn why large-print editions matter, who relies on them, and why librarians are actively seeking to add more large-print titles to their collections. You may be surprised by the range of readers who benefit from this accessible format.
We will walk through the research that shaped our production process and discuss where large-print books are currently selling, both in libraries and the trade market. Participants will gain an understanding of key design specifications, pricing structures, and best practices for creating metadata that improves discoverability and supports library acquisition.
Although this session is designed with publishers in mind—especially those exploring how to broaden their catalogs and increase library placement—individual authors will also find valuable, practical guidance. We will cover how authors can independently produce high-quality large-print editions of their books through platforms such as IngramSpark or KDP, ensuring these formats can be offered alongside standard editions.
Attendees will leave with a clear sense of why large-print publishing is worth the investment, along with the tools and knowledge needed to begin producing professional, library-standard editions that meet reader needs and expand market reach.

Please note we had a technical hiccup with the audio recording for this session. We apologize for the lower quality of the recording after the first 15 minutes. The attached transcript was generated by AI and has not been reviewed by a smart human. If you’d like to volunteer to review and make corrections, please reach out to [email protected] – thanks!