Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA)

The question that IBPA staff probably gets asked the most by publishers is: How do I sell more books. We’re always happy to help, so IBPA’s Chief Content Officer Lee Wind joins “Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA)” to share advice on the most effective and ineffective book marketing tactics, including how you can get your book vetted so bookstores, librarians, and consumers will be more likely to buy it; how you can make your books more discoverable to buyers; how you should successfully market your book pre-publication, during the launch, and post publication; and much more.

PARTICIPANTS

Lee Wind (he/him) is IBPA's Chief Content Officer, and is constantly iterating IBPA's book marketing programs to help our members' books achieve and succeed. A book blogger and author published by six different independent presses himself, Lee is passionate about empowering and amplifying independent voices. As an author, Lee writes stories to empower kids and teens to be their authentic selves and change the world—the same books that would have changed his life as a young gay, Jewish kid. Lee is also the co-founder of We Are Stronger Than Censorship, a nonprofit program that buys and donates two books to offset every one book challenge. You can visit Lee's author website at leewind.org

Independent Book Publishers Association is the largest trade association for independent publishers in the United States. As the IBPA Director of Membership & Member Services, Christopher Locke assists the 3,900 members as they travel along their publishing journeys. Major projects include managing the member benefits to curate the most advantageous services for independent publishers and author publishers; managing the Innovative Voices Program that supports publishers from marginalized communities; and hosting the IBPA podcast, “Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA).” He’s also passionate about indie publishing, because he’s an author publisher himself, having published two novels so far in his YA trilogy, The Enlightenment Adventures.

LINKS
Learn more about the many benefits of becoming a member of Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) here: https://www.ibpa-online.org/

Sell more books with IBPA's book marketing programs: https://www.ibpa-online.org/page/ListofBenefits#sellmorebooks

Support independent publishers whose books have been banned through the We Are Stronger Than Censorship campaign: https://www.wearestrongerthancensorship.org/

Check out IBPA Chief Content Officer Lee Wind’s books here: https://www.leewind.org/

Follow IBPA on:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/IBPAonline
X – https://twitter.com/ibpa
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ibpalovesindies/

Follow Lee Wind here:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamleewind/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leewind

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/leewind.bsky.social
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/leewindauthor

Canadian publisher Page Two found their publishing niche early on, honed it to perfection, and have had great success since then. It’s always helpful to learn from other publisher’s stories to improve your own publishing business, so Page Two Co-Founder and Co-CEO Trena White joins the podcast today to share details about how their team discovered the best books for their business, how they build strong relationships with their authors, how they built their staff, and much more.

PARTICIPANTS

Trena White is co-founder and co-CEO of book publishing firm Page Two, which publishes non-fiction books by leading experts. Founded in 2013, the boutique hybrid publisher curates and publishes a thoughtful list of books, workbooks, and journals by authors who are leaders in their subjects, specializing in business and leadership, finance, self-help, relationships, health and wellness, and parenting. The company’s books are sold around the world and have been translated into dozens of languages. It has published category-defining books that have sold 1 million+ copies, including The Coaching Habit and Exactly What to Say. Trena was a finalist for the RBC Women of Influence Trailblazer Award. Before launching Page Two, she was publisher of Douglas & McIntyre and Greystone Books, Canada’s largest independent book publisher at the time; and an editor at McClelland & Stewart, now an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Independent Book Publishers Association is the largest trade association for independent publishers in the United States. As the IBPA Director of Membership & Member Services, Christopher Locke assists the 3,900 members as they travel along their publishing journeys. Major projects include managing the member benefits to curate the most advantageous services for independent publishers and author publishers; managing the Innovative Voices Program that supports publishers from marginalized communities; and hosting the IBPA podcast, “Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA).” He’s also passionate about indie publishing, because he’s an author publisher himself, having published two novels so far in his YA trilogy, The Enlightenment Adventures.

LINKS
Learn more about the many benefits of becoming a member of Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) here: https://www.ibpa-online.org/

Learn more about Page Two here: https://pagetwo.com/

Follow IBPA on:

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/IBPAonline
X – https://twitter.com/ibpa
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ibpalovesindies/

Follow Trena White here:

LinkedIn (Trena): https://ca.linkedin.com/in/trenawhite 
LinkedIn (Page Two): https://ca.linkedin.com/company/page-two 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pagetwo_books/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pagetwo/
Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/PageTwoBooks

Do you have an organized, detailed, strategic marketing plan for every book that you publish? President and Founder of Media Kit Buzz Brian Feinblum joins “Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA)” to share expert tips about the most important aspects of a book marketing plan pre-publication, during publication, and post-publication, including what your budget should be, best practices for marketing through email lists, social media, advertisements, and much more.

PARTICIPANTS

Brian Feinblum has been an award-winning book promoter and marketer for over three decades, working with thousands of authors and scores of book publishers to promote books of every genre, including children's books, poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. He worked for two independent publishers as their publicity director, and for 21 years was the chief marketing officer for the nation's largest book publicity firm. His own company, Media Kit Buzz Inc, celebrates five years of providing book marketing consulting and public relations services.

You may enjoy reading his award-winning blog of 14 years, which has generated over 4.7 million page views, BookMarketingBuzzBlog. BookBaby and FeedSpot each recognized this as one of the best book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” He can be reached at [email protected]

He has worked with indie presses, small presses, the Big 5, university presses, hybrids, and self-published authors, ranging from bestselling authors such as Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Susan RoAne, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler, as well as many first-time, self-published, unknown authors -- and everything in between. His clients have been featured in the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal, as well as on nationally syndicated radio and television shows and major podcasts. He has spoken before many writer’s conferences and presented for several years at Book Expo America. He has been published numerous times in The Writer magazine and The Independent. He served as a judge for the IBPA Book Awards.

Independent Book Publishers Association is the largest trade association for independent publishers in the United States. As the IBPA Director of Membership & Member Services, Christopher Locke assists the 3,900 members as they travel along their publishing journeys. Major projects include managing the member benefits to curate the most advantageous services for independent publishers and author publishers; managing the Innovative Voices Program that supports publishers from marginalized communities; and hosting the IBPA podcast, “Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA).” He’s also passionate about indie publishing, because he’s an author publisher himself, having published two novels so far in his YA trilogy, The Enlightenment Adventures.

LINKS
Learn more about the many benefits of becoming a member of Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) here: https://www.ibpa-online.org/

Learn more about Book Marketing Buzz Blog here: www.bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com  
Sell more books with IBPA’s book marketing programs here: https://www.ibpa-online.org/page/ListofBenefits#sellmorebooks

Follow IBPA on:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/IBPAonline
X – https://twitter.com/ibpa
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ibpalovesindies/

Follow Brian Feinblum here:
LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum 
Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum

Should you set up your publishing company as a hybrid publisher? To help answer that question, Broad Book Group’s co-founder Dr. Jennifer Dorsey joins “Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA)” to share details about how they formed their hybrid publishing business, including how they set up contracts with authors, how they handle book distribution, how they decided what types of marketing services to offer, and much more!

PARTICIPANTS

Dr. Jennifer Dorsey has worked in book publishing for over 25 years and is a founding partner of Broad Book Group and publisher of Broad Book Press. Specializing in nonfiction, she has worked for both small presses and large national publishers in the history, tech, lifestyle, self-help, business, and professional development categories. In addition to working in the business side of publishing, she has also co-authored, revised, and ghostwritten books in the medical, business, and personal growth categories. She is a graduate of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in rhetoric and composition at Saint Louis University.

Independent Book Publishers Association is the largest trade association for independent publishers in the United States. As the IBPA Director of Membership & Member Services, Christopher Locke assists the 3,900 members as they travel along their publishing journeys. Major projects include managing the member benefits to curate the most advantageous services for independent publishers and author publishers; managing the Innovative Voices Program that supports publishers from marginalized communities; and hosting the IBPA podcast, “Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA).” He’s also passionate about indie publishing, because he’s an author publisher himself, having published two novels so far in his YA trilogy, The Enlightenment Adventures.

LINKS

Learn more about the many benefits of becoming a member of Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) here: https://www.ibpa-online.org/

Learn more about Broad Book Group here: www.broadbookpress.com

Learn more about Dr. Jen Dorsey here: www.drjendorsey.com

Check out Dr. Dorsey’s book, From Pitch to Print: A Nonfiction Writer's 10-Step Plan to Getting Published here: https://www.drjendorsey.com/get-my-book

Check out the IBPA Hybrid Publisher Criteria here: https://www.ibpa-online.org/page/hybridpublisher

Follow IBPA on:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/IBPAonline
X – https://twitter.com/ibpa
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ibpalovesindies/

Follow Broad Book Group and Dr. Jen Dorsey here:

@broadbookgroup

@drjenniferdorsey
 

Advertising on Google, Facebook, Instagram, and various social media sites can be exceptional exposure for your books and possibly lead to more sales, but which platforms are better for garnering sales as compared to visibility, and what types of images and copy work best for each site? Also, how long is the ideal time to run an ad? Ingram Content Group’s Senior Manager, Consumer Products & Services Development Erin Cox visits “Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA)” to answer these questions and more!

PARTICIPANTS

Erin Cox has almost two decades of marketing and development experience, primarily in the book industry. She previously worked with Simon & Schuster and Macmillan, was the director of development for World Book Night U.S., and has a master's degree in publishing from New York University. When Erin relocated to Nashville a few years ago, she experienced the other end of the marketing process while working at Parnassus Books. Since then, she's joined Ingram Content Group to help launch a consumer marketing services program for publishers.

Independent Book Publishers Association is the largest trade association for independent publishers in the United States. As the IBPA Director of Membership & Member Services, Christopher Locke assists the 3,900 members as they travel along their publishing journeys. Major projects include managing the member benefits to curate the most advantageous services for independent publishers and author publishers; managing the Innovative Voices Program that supports publishers from marginalized communities; and hosting the IBPA podcast, “Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA).” He’s also passionate about indie publishing, because he’s an author publisher himself, having published two novels so far in his YA trilogy, The Enlightenment Adventures.

LINKS
Learn more about the many benefits of becoming a member of Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) here: https://www.ibpa-online.org/

Learn more about how to get a discount on Google, Facebook, and Instagram advertising through the Ingram ID IBPA member benefit at https://www.ibpa-online.org/page/ingramid

Follow IBPA on:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/IBPAonline
X – https://twitter.com/ibpa
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ibpalovesindies/

Understanding reader habits can help independent publishers and author-publishers improve their book marketing strategies, hopefully boosting book sales. With over 550,000 readers on the popular digital review copy platform NetGalley, their team has collected invaluable data about reader’s preferences, so NetGalley’s Customer Success Manager Katie Versluis and Social Media Manager Hallie Fields join “Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA)” to discuss where readers say they discover books, the social media platforms that readers tend to share their book recommendations on the most, tips for how publishers can garner reviews, and much more.

PARTICIPANTS

Katie Versluis is a customer success manager at NetGalley. She works closely with authors and publishers of all shapes and sizes, helping their books reach the hands of passionate book advocates and industry professionals. She is a graduate of Brock University and Humber College's Creative Book Publishing Program.

Hallie Fields is the Social Media Manager at NetGalley, a service that helps publishers and authors promote digital review copies to book advocates and industry professionals. Hallie specializes in fostering community and connecting with NetGalley members, including reviewers, booksellers, librarians, educators, media/journalists, and other book trade professionals. She is a former librarian and a graduate of UNC-Greensboro's Library and Information Science MLIS program.

Independent Book Publishers Association is the largest trade association for independent publishers in the United States. As the IBPA Director of Membership & Member Services, Christopher Locke assists the 3,600 members as they travel along their publishing journeys. Major projects include managing the member benefits to curate the most advantageous services for independent publishers and author publishers; managing the Innovative Voices Program that supports publishers from marginalized communities; and hosting the IBPA podcast, “Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA).” He’s also passionate about indie publishing, because he’s an author publisher himself, having published two novels so far in his YA trilogy, The Enlightenment Adventures.

LINKS
Learn more about the many benefits of becoming a member of Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) here: https://www.ibpa-online.org/

Learn more about the IBPA NetGalley Program at https://www.ibpa-online.org/page/netgalley

Follow IBPA on:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/IBPAonline
X – https://twitter.com/ibpa
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ibpalovesindies/

The more independent publishers and their authors work together on their book marketing efforts, the better chance they have of selling more books. One of the main focuses of independent publisher Wordeee is figuring out how to leverage the relationships that their authors already have to maximize the reach of their book marketing efforts. Wordeee CEO Marva Allen and COO Patrice Samara join “Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA)” to share the interesting book marketing tactics they employ with their authors, partnerships they’ve created for the film and audiobook rights of their books, and more.

PARTICIPANTS

MARVA ALLEN, CEO WORDEEE

Ms. Allen was president and co-owner of USI, a multi-million-dollar technology firm that was thrice nominated for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneurship Award. She is the recipient of numerous business awards, including the IBM & Kodak Excellence Awards, and was named a Crain's 40 Under 40 Awardee for significantly achieving in business before her 40th birthday. Allen was a nominee for the Top 100 Most Influential Women in Michigan. She holds a BSN from SGI in England; a B.S in Biology from the University of Michigan; and an M.S. in Health & Business Administration. As a noted book subject matter expert, Allen has been the 'go to‘ person for books for NPR, NBC, and was the on-air book contributor and commentator for Arise TV. She has been featured in the New York Times, NYSE Diversity Magazine (she rang the closing bell for Wall Street), Time Out, and various other magazines and periodicals. She spearheaded the First Literary Festival in Anguilla and hosted major events for Toni Morrison, President Bill Clinton, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Maya Angelou, among many others. She consults with celebrities and high-profile authors who want out-of-the-box thinking on marketing, promoting, and selling their books.

Ms. Allen is also the author of several books, including If I should Die Tonight; Camouflage; Protégée; and The Pianist and Min Jade under the nom de plume, C.C. Avram

PATRICE SAMARA, COO

A veteran entrepreneur in the communications, media and entertainment industries, Emmy, Parent’s Choice, and Cine Golden-Eagle-winner Samara brings global business skills and relationships that play heavily into Wordeee’s marketing and growth. An author and publisher, she has keen insight into the day-to-day operations of a myriad of successful public, private, and non-profit organizations in her forty-year career.

Ms. Samara has worked in over fifty countries, has twice been an NGO Representative to the United Nations, and was the Senior Media Advisor to the 61st President of the UN General Assembly.

A cross-cultural specialist, she is the author of seven Alphabet Kids children’s books, a multicultural series celebrating the similarities and applauding the differences in all of us.

She is also the co-author with Marva Allen of North Star, North Star, an aspirational children’s book fostering community and inspiring children to be the best they can be.

Independent Book Publishers Association is the largest trade association for independent publishers in the United States. As the IBPA Director of Membership & Member Services, Christopher Locke assists the 3,600 members as they travel along their publishing journeys. Major projects include managing the member benefits to curate the most advantageous services for independent publishers and author publishers; managing the Innovative Voices Program that supports publishers from marginalized communities; and hosting the IBPA podcast, “Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA).” He’s also passionate about indie publishing, because he’s an author publisher himself, having published two novels so far in his YA trilogy, The Enlightenment Adventures.

LINKS
Learn more about the many benefits of becoming a member of Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) here: https://www.ibpa-online.org/page/membership

Learn more about Wordeee at https://www.wordeee.com/

Follow IBPA on:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/IBPAonline
X – https://twitter.com/ibpa
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ibpalovesindies/

To set your books and audiobooks up for the best chance at success, you need to make your titles available to purchase in as many retail outlets as possible. Author and book publishing consultant Erin Wright joins “Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA)” to share her expertise about the most effective methods to distribute books and audiobooks to as many retail sites as possible, including details about how to best use IngramSpark, Draft2Digital, PublishDrive, Author’s Republic, Bookvault, and more for your publishing goals.

PARTICIPANTS

Erin Wright is a full-time contemporary western romance author, but unless you're a fan of sexy cowboys, you've probably heard of her instead because of her work in the Wide for the Win Facebook group. She conned Suzie O'Connell (close writing friend and fellow cowboy romance author) into co-founding the Facebook group back in March of 2019, and has been avoiding writing books by posting in the group ever since. If you're thinking about going Wide, or if you're already Wide and just want to connect with other Widelings, be sure to come join Erin in the largest group on the internet for Wide authors. She'd be thrilled to have you!

Independent Book Publishers Association is the largest trade association for independent publishers in the United States. As the IBPA Director of Membership & Member Services, Christopher Locke assists the 3,600 members as they travel along their publishing journeys. Major projects include managing the member benefits to curate the most advantageous services for independent publishers and author publishers; managing the Innovative Voices Program that supports publishers from marginalized communities; and hosting the IBPA podcast, “Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA).” He’s also passionate about indie publishing, because he’s an author publisher himself, having published two novels so far in his YA trilogy, The Enlightenment Adventures.

LINKS
Learn more about the many benefits of becoming a member of Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) here: https://www.ibpa-online.org/page/membership

Make sure to connect with Erin for her consulting at work https://erinwright.net/consulting and https://erinwright.net/authors, as well as in the Wide for the Win Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wideforthewin

Follow IBPA on:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/IBPAonline
X – https://twitter.com/ibpa
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ibpalovesindies/

Follow Erin on:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@erinwrightLV
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/AuthorErinWright
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/erinwrightbooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/erinwrightlv
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/erin-wright
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorerinwright
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/erinwright

Amazon is still the world’s largest bookseller, so naturally, many independent publishers and author publishers want to know how they can succeed on the platform. IBPA is always working to help indie publishers take their businesses to the next level, so we invited Firebrand Technologies’ Director of Sales and Education Joshua Tallent as a guest on “Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA)” to share his expertise. He discusses how the Amazon search algorithms work to garner more exposure for your books, how Amazon sales ranks are calculated, smart strategies for Amazon advertising, and more.

PARTICIPANTS

Joshua Tallent is the Director of Sales and Education at Firebrand Technologies, where his focus is on helping publishers of all sizes find solutions to their workflow and metadata problems. Joshua’s background is deeply rooted in ebook development, metadata, and other publishing technologies, and he is an acclaimed teacher and guide on the role of data in publishing. He serves as the Chair of the BISG Board of Directors and is the host of the BookSmarts Podcast, which features practical discussions and interviews about publishing data and technologies. In his spare time, Joshua enjoys teaching Bible studies, playing complex board games, and fiddling with his home automation system.

Independent Book Publishers Association is the largest trade association for independent publishers in the United States. As the IBPA Director of Membership & Member Services, Christopher Locke assists the 3,600 members as they travel along their publishing journeys. Major projects include managing the member benefits to curate the most advantageous services for independent publishers and author publishers; managing the Innovative Voices Program that supports publishers from marginalized communities; and hosting the IBPA podcast, “Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA).” He’s also passionate about indie publishing, because he’s an author publisher himself, having published two novels so far in his YA trilogy, The Enlightenment Adventures.

LINKS
Learn more about the many benefits of becoming a member of Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) here: https://www.ibpa-online.org/page/membership

Make sure to check out Firebrand Technologies at:https://firebrandtech.com
Also, check out the BookSmarts Podcast at: https://booksmartspodcast.com/

Follow IBPA on:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/IBPAonline
X – https://twitter.com/ibpa
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ibpalovesindies/

Publishing books is the main focus and source of revenue for independent publishers, but there are many alternative revenue streams that can be lucrative. President and Publisher for Gibbs Smith Books & Gift Suzanne Taylor joins “Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA)” to share tips about the sidelines they create, including how they decide what products to make, which are the most popular, where they sell them, how they’re manufactured, and much more.

PARTICIPANTS

Suzanne Gibbs Taylor brings more than 35 years of publishing and retail experience to her role as President and Publisher for Gibbs Smith Book & Gift, where she leads all business development from idea to fulfillment. She has created, acquired, and developed multiple million-dollar brands, including the New York Times best-selling 101 Things® cookbook series (more than 15 million LTD revenue) and BabyLit® children’s series (more than 13 million LTD revenue), which was featured on the front page of the Sunday print edition of The New York Times. Her leadership on the company’s management team and board of directors contributed to transitioning to employee ownership and B Corp status. She currently volunteers on the PubWest Design Awards Committee and is a member of B Lab, the Independent Publishers Guild, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and Print Production Professionals. She holds a BA in Journalism, English, and Secondary Education.  

Independent Book Publishers Association is the largest trade association for independent publishers in the United States. As the IBPA Director of Membership & Member Services, Christopher Locke assists the 3,600 members as they travel along their publishing journeys. Major projects include managing the member benefits to curate the most advantageous services for independent publishers and author publishers; managing the Innovative Voices Program that supports publishers from marginalized communities; and hosting the IBPA podcast, “Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA).” He’s also passionate about indie publishing, because he’s an author publisher himself, having published two novels so far in his YA trilogy, The Enlightenment Adventures.

LINKS

Learn more about the many benefits of becoming a member of Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) here: https://www.ibpa-online.org/page/membership

Make sure to check out the Gibbs Smith Book & Gift sidelines at:  https://www.gibbssmithcovers.com/gift/index.html 

Also, check out their Spring 2025 catalog at: https://www.gibbssmithcovers.com/GS-Spring-Catalog.pdf

Follow IBPA on:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/IBPAonline
X – https://twitter.com/ibpa
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ibpalovesindies/

Follow Gibbs Smith Book & Gift on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/@GibbsSmithBooks

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gibbssmithbooks/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gibbssmithbooks

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gibbs-smith