FEB 3-5, AT THE CURTIS HOTEL IN DENVER, COLORADO
Be sure to pre-register! Conference registration closes January 28. Traveling to Denver? Click here for area health care and related resources.

Agenda: Thursday, February 3
Intensives, Exhibitor Set Up, Welcome Social

Looking to take a deep dive into a topic? Intensives are offered as an add-on to the conference. 
Short on time? You may choose to only attend an intensive.

8:30am - 6pm

Registration Desk Is Open
Exhibitor set up and intensives check in.

9am - 10am

Breakfast

10am - 2pm

Intensive Attendees Select ONE of the Following Options

Getting Your Book Into Readers’ Hands 
We have faced many roadblocks in getting our books to readers. Digital distribution and consumption rose during the pandemic because it was easier to purchase ebooks when stores were closed and it allowed readers to bypass shipping delays. Accessibility affects book sales and a book’s format shapes its accessibility. Let’s dive in and discuss all the ways in which we can make books easier to find, buy, and read.

-or-

Monetize Your Content: Beyond Just Selling the Text
We all know how to sell books, but in the digital world publishers are getting creative with options such as joint ventures, unique partnerships, crowdfunding, subscription services, and paid events exposing consumers to products. These different ways to make money are accelerating and creating new opportunities. Let’s hear and learn from some of the key people playing outside the traditional bookstore. Case studies and discussion of your ideas included.

2pm - 4pm

Gibbs Smith Publishers Roundtable
All are invited to attend this extended publishers roundtable, designed to give publishers ample time to engage in smart, open-forum discussions on the ever-changing landscape of publishing. Share challenges, explore a range of topics, and exchange valuable information with your peers.

5pm - 7pm

Evening Opening Reception & Happy Hour Social with Tattered Cover

Calling all local members!  If you are in the Denver area, plan to kick off our conference mixing it up at this reception/social (Tattered Cover McGregor Square, 1991 Wazee St). Details to come.

Agenda: Friday, February 4

8:00am - 6:00pm

Registration Desk & Exhibits are Open

8:00 - 9:00am

Coffee & Muffins with Exhibits

9:15 - 10:30am

Location, Location, Location... Where We Work and How We Travel
What to consider regarding where we work, if we travel, and how to move forward in a world that looks different than it did 2 years ago. Working remote, back in the office, or a hybrid what is your team doing to get the job done, stay connected and in communication?  When will you be comfortable regularly traveling for business again and has the person experience been forever altered? 

-or-

In the Trenches with Bookstores: The Daily Pivot
Many bookstores are permanently implementing practices they developed for survival in the depths of COVID. Some are keeping events online only for the foreseeable future, while some are looking for creative ways to have in-person events. Some have moved aggressively to online sales, and others have changed their buying and merchandising strategies. This session will explore how publishers, publicists, and authors can work effectively with booksellers as everyone figures out the new normal.

10:30 - 11:00am

Coffee Break with Exhibits

11:00am - 12:15pm

Clicks, Toks, Grams: Social Media Marketing
Increasingly publishers must interact with and market to readers via social media channels, begging the holy trinity of questions:

• What tools do you use?

• How much time do you spend?

• How do you measure success?

In this session, practitioners, sages, and students of social media marketing share their stories of campaigns, successes, and lessons learned.

-or-

Supply Chain and Distribution: State of the Industry
Freight and manufacturing disruptions have caused delays, price increases and uncertainty. What is the outlook for 2022 and beyond? Will more publishers shift to US printing? When will container costs go down? Will more paper or printing plants open in the US? Come and look into a crystal ball with us as we analyze trends and make predictions about the future.

12:15 - 1:45pm

Lunch & Rittenhouse Award Presentation

2:00 - 3:15pm

Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives: Where Are We? What’s Working? Where Do We Go from Here?
We heard the rally cry for more diversity in publishing! Now what? This session will focus on innovative/new diversity and inclusion initiatives. What are publishers doing? What has been implemented? What is coming? Where do we go from here? Join us and find out.  

-or-

Owning the Relationship: Direct to Consumer
Learn what it’s like to be in the driver’s seat of the customer relationship (versus it being owned by the retailer) and why you may want to take this route. 

3:15 - 3:45pm

3:45 - 5:00pm

PubWest Hall of Fame Presentation

Just prior to our Keynote Address, the PubWest Board of Directors will announce this year's inductee into the Hall of Fame.  

Keynote Address

The Way Forward: On the Front Lines of Change with DEI
How are publishers answering the calls for diversifying publishing and what can/should the industry do better in this space?  Carrie Bloxson, Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Hachette Book Group, will address these questions and bring additional insights from her personal experiences with this critical topic.

5:00 - 6:00pm

Friday, Feb. 4: Evening Reception & Cocktail Party 
Unwind over drinks and hour de vours with fellow PubWest members.

Agenda: Saturday, February 5

8:30am - 6:00pm

Registration Desk & Exhibits are Open

8:30 - 9:30am

Coffee & Muffins with Exhibits

9:30 - 10:45am

Design and Production: State of the Industry
What is the most up-to-date official editable version of your book file? Where is it located? What is its name? Who has access to it? Join industry veterans as they examine the tech, the art, and the environment of book creation today.  

10:45 - 11:00am

Coffee Break with Exhibits

11:00am - 12:00pm

Amazon Tools -- Did You Know These Were FREE?
Interested in growing your business on Amazon? There are a few free tools that will help you increase customer engagement and generate more sales. Join us to learn more about these tools. 

-or-

Your Book Can Be SO MUCH More --  Acquiring and Selling Rights
The idea of a book as intellectual property is expanding. We continue to add layers of rights to contracts as we think about the content as exploitable as more than just a print book and audiobook.  Are you exploiting all the possibilities? Can your book be a podcast, a film, a play? What about something that hasn’t been thought up before? We will hear from acquisitions editors and agents about how these new opportunities are changing the process and what you should know before you sign a contract.

12:15 - 12:30pm

Coffee Break with Exhibits

12:30 - 2:00pm

Lunch and Book Design Awards Presentation
PubWest will announce winners in every category of this year's Book Design Awards. 

2:00 - 3:15pm

What’s New in Special Sales?
Our experienced panel will share with you how to generate more revenue from your content by marketing it to different audiences.  From new models to licensing to new markets, we cover it all.

3:15 - 3:45pm

Coffee Break with Exhibits

3:45 - 5:00pm

If I Knew Then What I Know Now: Data Access and Applications

Hear from people about how they are finding and using the data that drives their business. Get time-saving advice by learning what our panelists have tried in the past and what they currently use now (and how they use it!).

5:00 - 6:00pm

Closing Reception & Cocktail Party 
Close out the 2022 PubWest conference with old friends and new connections!

Are you interested in speaking and/or leading a session listed above?
Our conference committee is open to participation from the PubWest Community.  Please email executivedirector@pubwest.org today.

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