IBPA Publishing University 2025: Full Schedule

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8:30am CDT

Breakfast and Intentional Membership

Saturday May 17, 2025 8:30am - 9:00am CDT

Intercontinental St. Paul Riverfront

Grab a yummy breakfast and learn about IBPA's committees, board, and volunteer opportunities.

Saturday May 17, 2025 8:30am - 9:00am CDT
Intercontinental St. Paul Riverfront 11 E Kellogg Blvd, St. Paul, MN 55101

Community Building

Audience For This Session Everyone, Start Strong Independent Publishers, Established Independent Publishers, Author Publishers (A.K.A. Self-Published Authors)

9:15am CDT

Saturday Morning Keynote Panel: Re-Thinking Business Models

Saturday May 17, 2025 9:15am - 10:30am CDT

Intercontinental St. Paul Riverfront

Brooke Warner, Publisher of She Writes Press, in conversation with Jonathan Merkh (President and Publisher of Forefront Books), Angela Engel (Publisher and Founder of The Collective Book Studio), and Dr. Ayo Sekai (Founder, CEO, and Publisher of Universal Write Publications) about rethinking business models, what to do with business models that straddle more than one category, and issues like co-opting business model terms to the point of dilution. The panelists will talk about how they think about their own models, how they're changing with the times, and how they position themselves relative to traditional publishing and other models.

Speakers

Brooke Warner

Publisher, She Writes Press

Brooke Warner is publisher of She Writes Press and SparkPress, president of Warner Coaching Inc., and author of Write On, Sisters!, Green-light Your Book, What's Your Book?, and three books on memoir. Brooke teaches memoir intensives online and in person, and publishes around 50 memoirs... Read More →

Angela Engel

Publisher & Founder, The Collective Book Studio

Angela Engel is the visionary founder of The Collective Book Studio, a publishing company committed to honoring the author’s voice throughout the entire creative process. With a rich background in traditional publishing, Angela has a keen eye for bringing beautifully crafted books... Read More →

Jonathan Merkh

President & Publisher, Forefront Books

Jonathan Merkh is a seasoned publishing executive with over 30 years of experience in the book industry. Throughout his career, he has worked with a diverse range of authors, including Brad Paisley, Glenn Beck, Dave Ramsey, and the Robertson family from Duck Dynasty, helping to turn... Read More →

Dr. Ayo Sekai

Founder, CEO & Publisher, Universal Write Publications

Dr. Ayo Sekai stands as a force in academia, championing equity, intellectual rigor, and the amplification of Black scholarship. With over 20 years of groundbreaking leadership in publishing, she is the visionary Founder, CEO, and Publisher of Universal Write Publications, LLC (UWP... Read More →

Saturday May 17, 2025 9:15am - 10:30am CDT
Intercontinental St. Paul Riverfront 11 E Kellogg Blvd, St. Paul, MN 55101

Plenary

Audience For This Session Everyone, Author Publishers (A.K.A. Self-Published Authors), Start Strong Independent Publishers, Established Independent Publishers

10:40am CDT

Breakout 3 (Author Publishers) - Author to Thought Leader to Publicist-in-chief: You as a Speaker

Saturday May 17, 2025 10:40am - 12:10pm CDT

Intercontinental St. Paul Riverfront

Author to Thought Leader to Publicist-in-chief: You as a Speaker
Jeniffer Thompson and Mary Catherine Jones

Details to be announced.

The author publisher breakout sessions are intended for author publishers (a.k.a. self-published authors) who are creating and publishing their own works.

Speakers

Jeniffer Thompson

Creative Director, Monkey C Media

Jeniffer Thompson is the founder of Monkey C Media, an award-winning book cover and author website design house since 2004. She is also a personal branding coach, book marketing strategist, and publishing consultant. She is the host of The Premise podcast, co-founder of the San Diego... Read More →

MaryCatherine Jones

Owner, Executive Producer, The Audiobook Experience

ABOUT MEHi everyone! I am Mary Catherine, Owner and Executive Producer at The Audiobook Experience at Voice Over Vermont, LLC - a boutique audiobook production company. I delight in working with authors to bring their stories into the world, either using their voices or finding the... Read More →

Saturday May 17, 2025 10:40am - 12:10pm CDT
Intercontinental St. Paul Riverfront 11 E Kellogg Blvd, St. Paul, MN 55101

Breakout Sessions + Ask the Experts

Audience For This Session Author Publishers (A.K.A. Self-Published Authors)

12:15pm CDT

Lunch and Meet Our Sponsors!

Saturday May 17, 2025 12:15pm - 1:30pm CDT

Intercontinental St. Paul Riverfront

Grab some food, meet a few sponsors, and connect with your community!

Saturday May 17, 2025 12:15pm - 1:30pm CDT
Intercontinental St. Paul Riverfront 11 E Kellogg Blvd, St. Paul, MN 55101

Community Building

Audience For This Session Everyone, Start Strong Independent Publishers, Established Independent Publishers, Author Publishers (A.K.A. Self-Published Authors)

12:30pm CDT

Diversity in Publishing Roundtable Discussion

Saturday May 17, 2025 12:30pm - 1:30pm CDT

Intercontinental St. Paul Riverfront

Grab your food and join this candid discussion with room for everyone to contribute. We'll talk and share about how we are all impacted in an industry and culture that is pulling back from diversity commitments, and generate ideas for how we move forward by building trust, authenticity, and mutual learning within the publishing community to help diverse books reach the readers who need them.

Saturday May 17, 2025 12:30pm - 1:30pm CDT
Intercontinental St. Paul Riverfront 11 E Kellogg Blvd, St. Paul, MN 55101

Community Building

Audience For This Session Everyone, Start Strong Independent Publishers, Established Independent Publishers, Author Publishers (A.K.A. Self-Published Authors)

1:40pm CDT

Breakout 4 (Author Publishers) - Data-Driven Decisions for Author Publishers

Saturday May 17, 2025 1:40pm - 2:40pm CDT

Intercontinental St. Paul Riverfront

Data-Driven Decisions for Author Publishers

Faculty and details to be announced.

The author publisher breakout sessions are intended for author publishers (a.k.a. self-published authors) who are creating and publishing their own works.

Speakers

Leigh Pierce

Key Account Sales Manager, Ingram Content Group

Leigh Pierce is a Key Accounts Sales Manager at IngramSpark, part of Ingram Content Group, and has been with the company for seven years. She started her career in Customer Support, where she quickly moved through the ranks before transitioning to the Sales team. As a Key Account... Read More →

Crystal Hardison

Business Development Manager, IngramSpark

Crystal J. Hardison is the US Business Development Manager at IngramSpark, part of Ingram Content Group. With several years of experience developing and maintaining partnerships in commercial and not-for-profit industries, she specializes in developing strategic partnerships for organizations... Read More →

Saturday May 17, 2025 1:40pm - 2:40pm CDT
Intercontinental St. Paul Riverfront 11 E Kellogg Blvd, St. Paul, MN 55101

Breakout Sessions + Ask the Experts

Audience For This Session Author Publishers (A.K.A. Self-Published Authors)

3:30pm CDT

Breakout 5 (Author Publishers) - Cover Design Live Critique Panel

Saturday May 17, 2025 3:30pm - 4:30pm CDT

Intercontinental St. Paul Riverfront

Cover Design Live Critique Panel!

Details to be announced.

The author publisher breakout sessions are intended for author publishers (a.k.a. self-published authors) who are creating and publishing their own works.

Speakers

CB Messer

Artist, CB Messer Illustration & Design

CB Messer is an Air Force veteran and award-winning illustrator and designer whose work has been featured by the American Red Cross, private enterprises throughout the tech and artisan communities, and U.S. Armed Forces units across the globe. Known for her evocative and mindful approach... Read More →

Lacey L. Bakker

Owner/Publisher, Pandamonium Publishing House

Lacey L. Bakker is a best-selling author and founder of Pandamonium Publishing House, an independent publishing company that has been helping authors bring their stories to life for nearly a decade. Lacey has a proven track record of guiding authors through every step of the process... Read More →

Paul Nylander

Book Designer, Illustrada Design

Melding a passion for design, printmaking, and photography with a background in science and engineering, Paul Nylander loves creating unique, well-crafted, and intriguing books. Collaborating with authors, artists, businesses, and small publishers, he attentively adapts their visions... Read More →

Claudine Mansour

Creative Director/Owner, Claudine Mansour Design

Claudine Mansour is a graphic designer specializing in publishing, marketing, logo, website, and music design. She’s been a publishing Art Director for the last 30 years working for all of the Big Five US publishing companies designing both fiction and nonfiction book covers and... Read More →

Saturday May 17, 2025 3:30pm - 4:30pm CDT
Intercontinental St. Paul Riverfront 11 E Kellogg Blvd, St. Paul, MN 55101

Breakout Sessions + Ask the Experts

Audience For This Session Author Publishers (A.K.A. Self-Published Authors)

4:40pm CDT

Closing Session and Raffle

Saturday May 17, 2025 4:40pm - 5:30pm CDT

Intercontinental St. Paul Riverfront

Don't miss our closing session of raffle prizes and rapid-fire takeaways!

Saturday May 17, 2025 4:40pm - 5:30pm CDT
Intercontinental St. Paul Riverfront 11 E Kellogg Blvd, St. Paul, MN 55101

Community Building

Audience For This Session Everyone, Start Strong Independent Publishers, Established Independent Publishers, Author Publishers (A.K.A. Self-Published Authors)