IBPA Publishing University 2026

Optimizing Amazon for Profit in an AI Age
Presented by Ian Lamont

Amazon Ads. Kindle Direct Publishing. Vendor Central. No matter which way you turn, Amazon is always finding another way to take a bigger slice of the revenue pie ... and leave less for publishers. So how can publishers put some of that money back into their own pockets?

An experienced independent publisher and Amazon seller, Ian Lamont has deep insights into ever-evolving Amazon programs and new AI features. While he doesn't have a magic wand, he has best practices that can help everyone from independent authors to distributed publishers make more money from sales on Amazon.

Come prepared with your three biggest concerns about Amazon and your best listening skills. This fast-moving session will leave you with tons of notes and resources, and will feature an opportunity for on-the-spot evaluations of your own Amazon book listings.

Topics will include:

• An Amazon Roadmap for Publishers in an age of AI
• Detail Page Optimization for Books
• Search and Rufus Fundamentals
• Best Practices for Amazon Ads  
• Branding on Amazon, from A+ to Amazon Stores

Market Research for Emerging Publishers: Before saying “yes” to a manuscript, smart publishers know to dig deeper. This session will walk author-publishers and emerging presses through the essential steps of market research that inform sound publishing decisions. Learn how to evaluate an author’s platform and audience potential, analyze genre and category trends, identify comparable titles, and study cover and metadata patterns that signal market positioning. We’ll also discuss the need to assess who else is publishing in your space, track performance post-publication, and refine your future acquisitions strategy. Whether you’re preparing to launch your first title or building a sustainable list, this session will give you ideas and tools to publish with confidence and clarity.

Presented by Michelle Halket, Publisher of Central Avenue.

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!

AI-Powered Self-Editing: Align with Reader Expectations, Cut Costs, and Prepare for Market

The most expensive editing pass is the one that discovers your book isn't delivering on its core promise to the reader. What if you could diagnose and fix these "reader expectation gaps" before your manuscript ever reaches a human editor? This session offers a strategic, cost-saving "pre-edit" process using AI. Join AI editing expert Erin Servais and IBPA award-winning author-publisher Linda Ruggeri for a practical, business-focused workshop. They will demonstrate how to use AI as a predictive "beta reader" to analyze whether your book's structure, pacing, and clarity align with the specific expectations of your target reader. This session is designed to save you significant money by empowering you to fix big-picture problems yourself. Attendees will learn how to create an "AI Reader Persona" for their genre, get actionable feedback on their manuscript's market alignment, and ensure their book meets reader expectations from page one.

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

Independent presses can’t afford “wing-it” years. In this strategy lab, I’ll walk you through building a one-page operating plan tied to revenue, margin, and cash flow. We’ll map a P&L-aware title mix, set quarterly OKRs, design a simple finance/KPI dashboard (AR/AP, inventory turns, returns, CAC/LTV for direct), and adopt a monthly operating review cadence that moves the needle, whether you’re just starting out or  just getting serious about profit. You’ll learn to translate vision into a measurable plan and budget; forecast cash and scenario-plan; pick a title portfolio that protects margin; and align editorial, marketing, and sales around a 90-day sprint rhythm. You leave with: a completed one-page plan, a KPI dashboard template, and a monthly meeting agenda you can run immediately.

Presented by Alesha Brown, Founder & CEO of Fruition Publishing Concierge Services®, an award-winning hybrid publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of Published! Magazine™.

The audio file is attached. Transcript is also attached (shout out to Beth L for reviewing!)

Structuring royalty-based Publisher-Author agreements from a small press POV: Why new and future publishers should develop an in-depth understanding of contract clauses

Strong contracts form the cornerstone of a publishing company looking to grow over the long term. In this session for new and future publishers, we will walk participants through our experience of drafting our publishing contract, with examples to demonstrate why contracts are a vital piece of a publisher’s work, and what small presses should keep in mind when building out their own agreements. Our goal through this session is for attendees to gather a thorough understanding of key publishing contract clauses and their various implications, including a contract checklist to use as a reference when working with their attorney. This is from the perspective of a small traditional children’s press with 30 books (picture, middle grade, and young adult) in their catalog.

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

After successfully completing six international author events in Germany and Singapore, author publisher (self-published author) Courtney Kelly will share her framework, strategy, and lessons learned from these experiences. During this interactive session, attendees will walk away with the specific steps that she took to secure bookings at schools, libraries, and organizations abroad while minimizing cost and maximizing impact. Using this proven blueprint, author publishers will be equipped with the tools to generate their own roadmap of how to plan, implement, and execute international event opportunities for their publications. Additionally, she will provide insights from her visit to the 2024 Frankfurt Book Fair where she leveraged IBPA’s display options to showcase her books at the largest international book fair in the world.

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