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Events…

Join Us as we celebrate PMA’s 25th anniversary with a stellar lineup of special events at Publishing University!

The Joys and the Challenges of Being an Independent Publisher
Dominique Raccah, President and CEO of Sourcebooks, will share her “I Did It and So Can You” story.

Here is an opportunity to hear one of today’s most successful and innovative independent publishers speak about her dramatic and insightful experiences as she built her growing company. Dominique Raccah, President and CEO of Sourcebooks, will share her “I Did It and So Can You” publishing story. Passionate about books she has published, Dominique declares: “The issue for book publishers in the coming decade is readership and it will continue to be readership. We need to explain to the nation why reading matters and specifically why reading books matters. It is a conversation we need to start having and include everyone: librarians, teachers and our customers. Books are different, books are not the Internet, books are not a screen, books give you a different kind of information and experience.” Come, be inspired and have the opportunity to participate in the Q&A session.

The Power of Positive Publishing
Sara Nelson, Editor-in-Chief of Publishers Weekly

Sara Nelson became editor-in-chief of Publishers Weekly in January 2005, straight from a stint as the Book Beat columnist for the New York Post. A journalist for 25 years, Nelson had previously written a publishing column for the New York Observer and reviewed for publications from Glamour magazine to the Chicago Tribune. She was one of the founding editors of Inside.com. Her freelance pieces have appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and many national magazines. Sara will speak on the topic of "The Power of Positive Publishing."

WEDNESDAY — Increasing Sales at Home and Abroad
Michael Healy, Book Industry Study Group and

Dawn Bruno, U.S. Department of Commerce

Increasing sales at home and abroad is the topic of our special luncheon program! After our Annual Meeting, meet Michael Healey, Executive Director of the Book Industry Study Group and Dawn Bruno, Global Publishing Team Leader at the US Department of Commerce, who will tell you what resources BISG AND the Department of Commerce have available to help you sell your books. Don't miss this opportunity to add to your arsenal of tools for growing your publishing business.

THURSDAY — New Vistas in Independent Publishing: A Conversation
David Steinberger, Perseus Books and
Johnny Temple, Akashic Books
The celebration of independent publishing continues with our special keynote presentation, New Vistas in Independent Publishing: A Conversation with David Steinberger, CEO of Perseus Book Group, and Johnny Temple, Founder and Publisher, Akashic Books. Don’t miss a lively panel discussion from two successful and diverse publishers, guaranteed to inspire and entertain! Publishing University is proud to welcome David Steinberger, CEO of Perseus Book Group, named by Publishers Weekly as the 2007 Publisher of the Year, and a key player in the recent headline-making PGW bankruptcy; and Johnny Temple, Publisher of Akashic Books, whose dual careers in rock music and publishing induced the International Herald Tribune to write that he is “as big in independent publishing as indie rock.” Learn how 10-year-old Akashic Books, publisher of Ron Kovac’s classic Born on the 4th of July, not just survives but thrives on publishing urban fiction and political nonfiction from “out of the mainstream” authors, while at the same time discovering the challenges of publishing and distribution from the 630-employee Perseus Book Group, begun as an independent publisher of serious nonfiction that has grown exponentially just in the last 18 months. Bring your questions and enjoy this unique chat with two who have had a tremendous influence on the publishing industry in very different ways. No matter where you are in your publishing career, the peaks and valleys in each of these publishers’ unique stories will resonate with you.