IBPA Publishing University 2026

Selling more books isn’t about doing more marketing — it’s about doing the right marketing in the right order. In this fast-paced, strategy-driven workshop, industry experts break down the three-level framework that turns visibility into credibility and credibility into revenue. From metadata and market positioning to branding, retailer expectations, paid promotion, and global expansion, you’ll learn how to build a marketing engine that scales. Whether you’re looking to strengthen your U.S. reach or expand internationally, you’ll leave with a clear, actionable framework you can implement immediately.

Attention earns awareness. Trust earns loyalty. Strategy earns sales. 

Marketing Launch Plan Workshop: Build, Customize, and Scale Your Book Campaigns

In this hands-on workshop, attendees will create a customized launch plan for a specific book title—while simultaneously learning how to scale and adapt that plan across multiple titles for long-term publishing success.
Launching a book is only part of the journey—positioning it effectively in the market determines its success. This workshop is designed to help publishers, authors, and marketing teams connect the dots between publishing and promotion by identifying clear paths to reach readers, generate sales, and build brand equity for future titles.
 Participants will create and leave with a title-specific personalized marketing toolkit that includes:

• Target reader and buyer identification
• Title-specific business model strategies (retail, non-traditional retail, specialty markets, and supplemental revenue streams)
• Universal marketing strategies and actionable steps
• Customized promotional activities and marketing tools
• Event, traditional media, and digital engagement pitch letter models
• One genre/topic-specific media list
• Specialty market outreach overview and strategies
• Social media marketing plan template and engagement strategies
• Book trailer template
• Media video pitching tutorial

This workshop is ideal for authors, publishers, and marketing professionals looking to develop powerful, repeatable book launch systems that build visibility, drive sales, and create long-term success.

Come in person with your questions!

You can also watch the conference orientation that we will record in advance.

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. Transcript will be added in early June.

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. Transcript will be added in early June.

Don’t judge a book by its cover is a nice saying, but books get judged by their covers all the time—and it happens in an instant. Join this panel of experts to learn what covers say and how they can help you sell your books. 

The first 30 minutes of this session will be three TED-style talks by our faculty experts on book design, covering genre expectations, accessibility, design trends (and whether you should pay attention to them), and more!  

The balance of the session (the next 60 minutes) will be a live critique panel by our experts, JuLee Brand (Publisher, W. Brand Publishing), Jeniffer Thompson (Creative Director, Monkey C Media), and Damon Freeman (Founder and Creative Director, Damonza).  

If you’re planning to attend this session, you’re welcome submit no more than TWO cover designs for possible critique to our online form by May 4, 2026: https://wkf.ms/4sQAbnq  
You may also bring physical books to the session, but priority will be given to the covers submitted online. 

The audio file is attached. Transcript will be added in early June.

This breakout session will cover the following topics:

• Special considerations for publishing manga/graphic novels (production requirements, marketing and distribution, etc.)
• Creative production requirements related to content contributors (author, illustrator, inker and colorists, editors, etc.)
• Lesson for licensing and IP expansion that non-Manga/Graphic novel publishers can leverage for their respective publishing programs, including licensing pickups (localization of content) vs developing originals.

Gen Z, the first fully digital generation, is surprisingly turning to analog experiences and physical books. New survey data from Immersive Media and Books 2025 reveals these digital natives seek physical materials to combat isolation, build reader identities, and discover content organically—often through library spaces.
In this session, professors Kathi Inman Berens and Rachel Noorda explore this paradox and provide actionable strategies for publishers navigating Gen Z's unique reading behaviors.

Attendees will learn:
Key findings from the Immersive Media and Books 2025 survey on Gen Z reading preferences and discovery patterns
Why physical books and library spaces matter to digital natives, and what this means for print and digital publishing strategies
How libraries function as critical discovery points in the Gen Z reader journey—and how publishers can leverage these touchpoints
Practical strategies for reaching Gen Z readers through both physical and digital formats
How to build meaningful connections with Gen Z that convert library borrowers into book buyers

What you'll gain:
Concrete insights to inform your publishing strategy, marketing approaches, and format decisions when targeting the Gen Z market, plus a deeper understanding of how this generation builds lasting relationships with books and authors.

The audio file is attached. Transcript will be added in early June.