IBPA Publishing University 2025: Full Schedule

11:00am CDT

Welcome and Opening Keynote: The Pillars of Publishing – Copyright and Freedom of Expression

Friday May 16, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm CDT

Intercontinental - Great River Ballroom (first level, above lobby)

Our program begins!

Andrea Fleck-Nisbet, IBPA's CEO, will welcome everyone and introduce Maria A. Pallante for our opening keynote:

The Pillars of Publishing – Copyright and Freedom of Expression
The legal framework that supports the publishing industry has never been more important. Maria A. Pallante, President and CEO of the Association of American Publishers, will discuss the bedrock principles that underpin the global publishing ecosystem: copyright and freedom of expression. The discussion will explore the landscape of copyright law and regulation, with a particular focus on exclusive rights of authors and publishers in their creative works, as well as the crucial role of freedom of speech and freedom to publish to our democracy and an informed citizenry.

Speakers

Maria A. Pallante

President and CEO, Association of American Publishers

Maria A. Pallante leads AAP’s strategic agenda and public policy portfolio, working with her talented team to advance and protect the laws that incentivize and protect creative and intellectual authorship. From 2011 to 2016, she served as Register of Copyrights and Director of the... Read More →

Friday May 16, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm CDT
Intercontinental - Great River Ballroom (first level, above lobby)

Plenary

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

11:00am CDT

Exhibit Hall Hours (meet our sponsors!)

Friday May 16, 2025 11:00am - 5:30pm CDT

Intercontinental - Great River Ballroom (first level, above lobby)

Meet our sponsors in person!

Friday May 16, 2025 11:00am - 5:30pm CDT
Intercontinental - Great River Ballroom (first level, above lobby)

Audience For This Session Everyone

12:00pm CDT

Lunch & Meet Our Sponsors

Friday May 16, 2025 12:00pm - 12:45pm CDT

Intercontinental - Great River Ballroom (first level, above lobby)

Grab lunch and meet our sponsors!

Friday May 16, 2025 12:00pm - 12:45pm CDT
Intercontinental - Great River Ballroom (first level, above lobby)

Community Building

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

12:45pm CDT

Board Recognition

Friday May 16, 2025 12:45pm - 1:00pm CDT

Intercontinental - Great River Ballroom (first level, above lobby)

Join us to thank our outgoing – and welcome our incoming – members of the IBPA Board of Directors.

Friday May 16, 2025 12:45pm - 1:00pm CDT
Intercontinental - Great River Ballroom (first level, above lobby)

Community Building

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

1:15pm CDT

Main Ballroom (During Breakout Session 1) - Ask the Experts and Meet our Sponsors!

Friday May 16, 2025 1:15pm - 2:15pm CDT

Intercontinental - Great River Ballroom (first level, above lobby)

Ask-the-Experts consults (both one expert-with-one attendee and one expert-with-five attendees) will be happening in the main Colorado ballroom during Breakout 1, and you can chat with our sponsors as well.

Sign ups will be on-site, and will open on Friday May 16th at 10am by Registration.

Friday May 16, 2025 1:15pm - 2:15pm CDT
Intercontinental - Great River Ballroom (first level, above lobby)

Breakout Sessions + Ask the Experts

Audience For This Session Everyone

3:00pm CDT

Main Ballroom (During Breakout Session 2) - Ask the Experts and Meet our Sponsors!

Friday May 16, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm CDT

Intercontinental - Great River Ballroom (first level, above lobby)

Ask-the-Experts consults (both one expert-with-one attendee and one expert-with-five attendees) will be happening in the main Colorado ballroom during Breakout 2, and you can chat with our sponsors as well.

Sign ups will be on-site, and will open on Friday May 16th at 10am by Registration.

Friday May 16, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm CDT
Intercontinental - Great River Ballroom (first level, above lobby)

Breakout Sessions + Ask the Experts

Audience For This Session Everyone

4:15pm CDT

Friday Afternoon Keynote Panel: AI and Publishing - Opportunities, Challenges, and Transformation

Friday May 16, 2025 4:15pm - 5:30pm CDT

Intercontinental - Great River Ballroom (first level, above lobby)

In this panel discussion moderated by Keith Riegert (President of the Stable Book Group and CEO of Perfect Bound), Mary Rasenberger (CEO of the Authors Guild), Amanda Zila, PhD (Co-Founder of Inkbloom), and Trip Adler (Founder and CEO of Created by Humans) will address the various opportunities, challenges, and transformations happening as AI impacts the publishing landscape.

Topics will include:

Acquisition management
Copyright protection
Fair use and ethical considerations
Licensing opportunities
Editorial, production, and marketing tools

These industry experts will provide their insights into the emerging technologies that are rapidly changing our industry. With ample time for Q&A, the audience will also have the opportunity to share and engage on these topics.

Speakers

Mary Rasenberger

CEO, The Authors Guild

Mary Rasenberger is the Chief Executive Officer of the Authors Guild. Prior to joining the Guild in November 2014, Mary practiced law for over 25 years in the areas of intellectual property, media and technology, with special expertise in copyright law. Most recently, Mary was a partner... Read More →

Trip Adler

Co-Founder & CEO, Created by Humans

Trip Adler is an entrepreneur and executive who has spent his career at the intersection of publishing and technology. He is the co-founder and CEO of Created by Humans, an AI Rights licensing platform that connects creators and AI companies. The company is dedicated to preserving... Read More →

Amanda Zila

Co-Founder & CEO, Inkbloom

** Participating in “Ask the Experts” at these times: 1A - Fri 5/16, 1:20-1:35pm, 1B - Fri 5/16, 1:40-1:55pm, 1C - Fri 5/16, 2:00-2:15pmArea of Expertise: AIRegistered attendees can sign up for “Ask the Expert” consults at the conference starting at 10am on Thursday May... Read More →

Keith Riegert

President / CEO, The Stable Book Group / Perfect Bound

Keith Riegert is the CEO of the SaaS platform, Perfect Bound, as well as the president of The Stable Book Group. He serves on the Board of Advisors for the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) and is a member of the Board of Advisors and an adjunct professor at NYU’s Masters... Read More →

Friday May 16, 2025 4:15pm - 5:30pm CDT
Intercontinental - Great River Ballroom (first level, above lobby)

Plenary

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

7:00pm CDT

IBPA Book Awards Dinner and Ceremony

Friday May 16, 2025 7:00pm - 9:30pm CDT

Intercontinental - Great River Ballroom (first level, above lobby)

The 37th Annual IBPA Book Awards!
6:00-7:00pm Cocktail Reception
7:00-9:30pm Dinner and Ceremony
9:30-10:30pm Photos and After-Party

Finalists and judges receive a free ticket. Email terry@ibpa-online.org to arrange that, please. There is an additional fee to attend the dinner and ceremony.

Friday May 16, 2025 7:00pm - 9:30pm CDT
Intercontinental - Great River Ballroom (first level, above lobby)

IBPA Book Awards

Audience For This Session Everyone

8:30am CDT

Breakfast and Intentional Membership

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

Intercontinental - Great River Ballroom (first level, above lobby)

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

Saturday May 17, 2025 8:30am - 9:00am CDT
Intercontinental - Great River Ballroom (first level, above lobby)

Community Building

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

8:30am CDT

Exhibit Hall Hours (meet our sponsors!)

Saturday May 17, 2025 8:30am - 5:30pm CDT

Intercontinental - Great River Ballroom (first level, above lobby)

Meet our sponsors in person!

Saturday May 17, 2025 8:30am - 5:30pm CDT
Intercontinental - Great River Ballroom (first level, above lobby)

Audience For This Session Everyone

9:15am CDT

Saturday Morning Keynote Panel: Re-Thinking Business Models

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

Intercontinental - Great River Ballroom (first level, above lobby)

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

**Participating in “Ask the Experts” at these times: 1A - Fri 5/16, 1:20-1:35pm, 1B - Fri 5/16, 1:40-1:55pm, 1C - Fri 5/16, 2:00-2:15pm, 3B - Sat 5/17, 11:05-11:20am, 3C - Sat 5/17, 11:25-11:40am, 3D - Sat 5/17, 11:45am-12noonAreas of Expertise: Distribution, Editorial, General... Read More →

Angela Engel

Publisher & Founder, The Collective Book Studio

** Participating in “Ask the Experts” at these times: 2A - Fri 5/16, 3:05-3:20pm, 2B - Fri 5/16, 3:25-3:40pm, 3A - Sat 5/17, 10:45-11:00am, 3B - Sat 5/17, 11:05-11:20am, 3C - Sat 5/17, 11:25-11:40amAreas of Expertise: Children's/YA Publishing, Distribution, General Publishing... Read More →

Jonathan Merkh

President & Publisher, Forefront Books

**Participating in “Ask the Experts” at these times: 3A - Sat 5/17, 10:45-11:00am, 3B - Sat 5/17, 11:05-11:20am, 3C - Sat 5/17, 11:25-11:40am, 3D - Sat 5/17, 11:45am-12noon, 4A - Sat 5/17, 1:45-2:00pm, 4B - Sat 5/17, 2:05-2:20pm, 4C - Sat 5/17, 2:25-2:40pm, 5A - group - Sat 5/17... Read More →

Dr. Ayo Sekai

Founder, CEO & Publisher, Universal Write Publications

**Participating in “Ask the Experts” at these times: 2A - Fri 5/16, 3:05-3:20pm, 2B - Fri 5/16, 3:25-3:40pm, 1C - Fri 5/16, 2:00-2:15pmAreas of Expertise: Marketing, Academic Publishing, Strategic Partnerships in PublishingRegistered attendees can sign up for “Ask the Expert... Read More →

Saturday May 17, 2025 9:15am - 10:30am CDT
Intercontinental - Great River Ballroom (first level, above lobby)

Plenary

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

10:40am CDT

Main Ballroom (During Breakout Session 3) - Ask the Experts and Meet our Sponsors!

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

Intercontinental - Great River Ballroom (first level, above lobby)

Ask-the-Experts consults (both one expert-with-one attendee and one expert-with-five attendees) will be happening in the main Colorado ballroom during Breakout 3, and you can chat with our sponsors as well.

Sign ups will be on-site, and will open on Friday May 16th at 10am by Registration.

Saturday May 17, 2025 10:40am - 12:10pm CDT
Intercontinental - Great River Ballroom (first level, above lobby)

Breakout Sessions + Ask the Experts

Audience For This Session Everyone

1:40pm CDT

Main Ballroom (During Breakout Session 4) - Ask the Experts and Meet our Sponsors!

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

Intercontinental - Great River Ballroom (first level, above lobby)

Ask-the-Experts consults (both one expert-with-one attendee and one expert-with-five attendees) will be happening in the main Colorado ballroom during Breakout 4, and you can chat with our sponsors as well.

Sign ups will be on-site, and will open on Friday May 16th at 10am by Registration.

Saturday May 17, 2025 1:40pm - 2:40pm CDT
Intercontinental - Great River Ballroom (first level, above lobby)

Breakout Sessions + Ask the Experts

Audience For This Session Everyone

3:30pm CDT

Main Ballroom (During Breakout Session 5) - Ask the Experts and Meet our Sponsors!

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

Intercontinental - Great River Ballroom (first level, above lobby)

Ask-the-Experts consults (both one expert-with-one attendee and one expert-with-five attendees) will be happening in the main Colorado ballroom during Breakout 5, and you can chat with our sponsors as well.

Sign ups will be on-site, and will open on Friday May 16th at 10am by Registration.

Saturday May 17, 2025 3:30pm - 4:30pm CDT
Intercontinental - Great River Ballroom (first level, above lobby)

Breakout Sessions + Ask the Experts

Audience For This Session Everyone

4:40pm CDT

Closing Session and Raffle

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

Intercontinental - Great River Ballroom (first level, above lobby)

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

Saturday May 17, 2025 4:40pm - 5:30pm CDT
Intercontinental - Great River Ballroom (first level, above lobby)

Community Building

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