Loading…
IBPA Boot Camp: 2026 Staff of Indie Pubs
Wednesday, September 23
 

TBA

Join your publishing industry colleagues from… (a growing list)
Wednesday September 23, 2026 TBA
Andrews McMeel PublishingAmplify Publishing GroupBarefoot BooksBlackstone PublishingBlood Moon Productions, Ltd.C&T PublishingCincinnati Book PublishersCornell University PressDayeLight PublishersEpicenter PressForefront BooksFruition Publishing Concierge Services®Gibbs SmithGolden Acorn PressInked Elephant Publishing HouseIntrepid LiteraryKaruka PublishingLerner Publishing GroupNarrative...
See More →
Wednesday September 23, 2026 TBA

8:30am PDT

Community Time Opening Session
Wednesday September 23, 2026 8:30am - 8:50am PDT
Log on for community introductions to 'find your peeps' before our opening welcome and keynote! With community leads TBA.Sign up for this Boot Camp to get access to the on-demand video of all the presentations as well as the private Slack channel on IBPA's Slack workspace just for folks who signed up for this (or last year's) IBPA Boot Camp for Staff of Independent Publishers. (Once you're in...
See More →
Speakers
avatar for Brittany Griffiths

Brittany Griffiths

Director of Editorial, Design, and Production , Cornell University Press
Brittany Griffiths is the Director of Editorial, Design, and Production at Cornell University Press. She has nearly a decade of experience across independent, university, library, and hybrid publishing, where she has held leadership roles as Publisher and CEO of Spontaneous Afflatus, Publishing Specialist at... Read More →
avatar for Crystal Daye

Crystal Daye

CEO, DayeLight Publishers
Crystal Daye is the founder & CEO of , the largest faith-based publishing consultancy in the Caribbean. She is a 13-time published author, and also host of Reach Millions Author Live, a premier conference equipping new and aspiring authors with proven strategies to write, launch, and profit from nonfiction books. She als... Read More →
avatar for Kayci Wyatt

Kayci Wyatt

Senior Managing Editor, Technica Editorial Services
A native of North Carolina, Kayci Wyatt has worked in publishing in a variety of different roles before joining Technica Editorial Services in 2018. As a Senior Managing Editor, Kayci is experienced in project management and all phases of manuscript development, including copyediting; peer review; editorial support; production... Read More →
avatar for Lee Wind

Lee Wind

Chief Content Officer, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA)

Wednesday September 23, 2026 8:30am - 8:50am PDT
  Community Time

9:00am PDT

Welcome and Opening CEO Keynote Discussion on the State of the Industry
Wednesday September 23, 2026 9:00am - 9:40am PDT
Welcome remarks from IBPA's CEO Andrea Fleck-Nisbet, followed by an opening CEO keynote discussion with Amy Barrett-Daffin (Publisher, C&T Publishing), Naren Aryal (CEO, Amplify Publishing Group), and Trena White (Co-founder and Co-CEO, Page Two).

Logged in attendees should see the "Open Zoom" button at the top of this session. If needed, the password to enter is:
IBPA
Speakers
avatar for Andrea Fleck-Nisbet

Andrea Fleck-Nisbet

CEO, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA)

avatar for Naren Aryal

Naren Aryal

CEO, Amplify Publishing Group
As CEO of Amplify Publishing Group, Naren Aryal advises industry experts and thought leaders on the opportunities and challenges that exist in the ever-evolving world of hybrid publishing. Naren’s visionary leadership has spearheaded a critical disruption of the publishing industry... Read More →
avatar for Amy Barrett-Daffin

Amy Barrett-Daffin

Publisher, C&T Publishing
Amy Barrett-Daffin is a publishing professional with over 25 years of experience. She currently serves as Publisher at C&T Publishing, where she oversees the release of over 60 books and products annually. She is also one of the founders of The Publishers Cooperative, a buying and... Read More →
avatar for Trena White

Trena White

co-CEO, Page Two
Trena White has built a company, and a life, that refuses the trade-off between ambition and everything else that matters. She is co-CEO of Page Two, the publishing company she launched in 2013 with Jesse Finkelstein. Page Two publishes non-fiction by entrepreneurs, leaders, and experts... Read More →
Wednesday September 23, 2026 9:00am - 9:40am PDT
  Program

9:45am PDT

Session 1: The Future of Book Discovery (GEO’s Impact on Search)
Wednesday September 23, 2026 9:45am - 10:25am PDT
The future of book discovery: How AI search reads your metadata and how to sell more books because of it.The core argument: Amazon's A10 update no longer rewards who bought a book, it rewards who it was genuinely right for. Many independent publishers aren’t aware this has happened, and their metadata isn't built for it. This session will help guide you on what you can do to position your...
See More →
Speakers
avatar for Nigel Lopez-McBean

Nigel Lopez-McBean

Narrative Muse
Nigel Lopez-McBean started his career selling books at Waterstones. He is an Emmy-nominated, Sundance-selected storyteller and founder whose work with Narrative Muse on algorithmic bias and gatekeeping in content discovery has been accepted for peer-reviewed publication through UNESCO IRCAI. He is based... Read More →
Wednesday September 23, 2026 9:45am - 10:25am PDT
  Program

10:30am PDT

Session 2: Breaking the Silo: How Barefoot Books’ Editorial and Sales Teams Build Bold Books for the Market Together
Wednesday September 23, 2026 10:30am - 11:10am PDT
In this session, leaders from the Barefoot Books team will share how they have crafted a publishing process built on collaboration across departments to successfully develop distinct titles and product lines. From Barefoot Bilinguals – a collection of bestsellers in eleven languages – to America’s Founding Myths…And What REALLY Happened! – Barefoot’s unique contribution to...
See More →
Speakers
avatar for Helen Kissler

Helen Kissler

Chief Operating Officer, Barefoot Books
Helen Kissler is Chief Operating Officer at Barefoot Books, an independent children's book publisher based in Concord, MA. She oversees the company's commercial and operational functions, including contracts, IP and content acquisitions. Helen has spent over two decades with the company in the... Read More →
avatar for Kate DePalma

Kate DePalma

Creative Development Director, Barefoot Books
Kate DePalma is Creative Development Director at Barefoot Books, an award-winning, women-owned independent children’s book publisher based in Concord, MA. In her almost sixteen years with the publisher, she has worked closely with authors, illustrators, musicians, and other creators to develop... Read More →
Wednesday September 23, 2026 10:30am - 11:10am PDT
  Program

11:15am PDT

Session 3: Operational AI: Four Ways to Build a Smarter, More Efficient Publishing Operation
Wednesday September 23, 2026 11:15am - 11:55am PDT
Alesha Brown will walk attendees through four ways established publishers can use AI to reduce repetitive work, strengthen internal systems, improve communication and decision-making, and extend your team’s capacity—while maintaining human oversight, ethical standards, and respect for intellectual property.Logged in attendees should see the "Open Zoom" button at the top of this session. If...
See More →
Speakers
avatar for Alesha Brown

Alesha Brown

Founder & CEO, Fruition Publishing Concierge Services™

Wednesday September 23, 2026 11:15am - 11:55am PDT
  Program

11:55am PDT

Break
Wednesday September 23, 2026 11:55am - 12:15pm PDT
Grab your food and come back for the community lunchtime discussion starting at 12:15pm PT.
Wednesday September 23, 2026 11:55am - 12:15pm PDT

12:15pm PDT

Lunch & Community Time Discussion: How to build your network and participate in office culture in a remote and hybrid work world?
Wednesday September 23, 2026 12:15pm - 12:55pm PDT
Reconnect with your cohort while everyone refuels and discusses How to build your network and participate in office culture in a remote and hybrid work world?

​Logged in attendees should see the "Open Zoom" button at the top of this session. If needed, the password to enter is:
IBPA
Speakers
avatar for Brittany Griffiths

Brittany Griffiths

Director of Editorial, Design, and Production , Cornell University Press
Brittany Griffiths is the Director of Editorial, Design, and Production at Cornell University Press. She has nearly a decade of experience across independent, university, library, and hybrid publishing, where she has held leadership roles as Publisher and CEO of Spontaneous Afflatus, Publishing Specialist at... Read More →
avatar for Crystal Daye

Crystal Daye

CEO, DayeLight Publishers
Crystal Daye is the founder & CEO of , the largest faith-based publishing consultancy in the Caribbean. She is a 13-time published author, and also host of Reach Millions Author Live, a premier conference equipping new and aspiring authors with proven strategies to write, launch, and profit from nonfiction books. She als... Read More →
avatar for Kayci Wyatt

Kayci Wyatt

Senior Managing Editor, Technica Editorial Services
A native of North Carolina, Kayci Wyatt has worked in publishing in a variety of different roles before joining Technica Editorial Services in 2018. As a Senior Managing Editor, Kayci is experienced in project management and all phases of manuscript development, including copyediting; peer review; editorial support; production... Read More →
avatar for Lee Wind

Lee Wind

Chief Content Officer, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA)

Wednesday September 23, 2026 12:15pm - 12:55pm PDT
  Community Time

1:00pm PDT

Session 4: Maximizing Your IP
Wednesday September 23, 2026 1:00pm - 1:40pm PDT
Maria Kjoller, Director of Rights, Special Sales, and International Distribution at Lerner Publishing Group will present on how publishers can maximize their IP, covering translation rights and other licensing.

Logged in attendees should see the "Open Zoom" button at the top of this session. If needed, the password to enter is:
IBPA
Speakers
avatar for Maria Kjoller

Maria Kjoller

Director of Rights, Special Sales and International Distribution, Lerner Publishing Group
bio to come.
Wednesday September 23, 2026 1:00pm - 1:40pm PDT
  Program

1:45pm PDT

Session 5: Closing Keynote Panel: Where are Books Selling? (And what’s going on with the supply chain and returns right now?)
Wednesday September 23, 2026 1:45pm - 2:25pm PDT
Moderated by Keith Parent (Vice President, S&S Publisher Services) this panel discussion will include Jonathan Merkh (Co-Founder of Forefront Books), Nicole De Jackmo (Quirk Books, an imprint of Andrews McMeel Publishing), and Anne Fonteneau (Chief Sales Officer, Blackstone Publishing).Logged in attendees should see the "Open Zoom" button at the top of this session. If needed, the password to...
See More →
Speakers
avatar for Keith Parent

Keith Parent

Vice President, Simon & Schuster Publisher Services
Keith Parent is Vice President of Simon & Schuster Publisher Services, where he partners with independent publishers to drive growth through strategic sales channels, global distribution solutions, and effective supply chain management. With two decades of experience in publishing... Read More →
avatar for Anne Fonteneau

Anne Fonteneau

Chief Sales Officer, Blackstone Publishing
Anne Fonteneau is the Chief Sales Officer at Blackstone Publishing, where she has driven growth in both retail and digital sales since joining in 2001. She leads strategies that connect authors, partners, and readers in today’s evolving publishing landscape. Blackstone Publishing is one of the natio... Read More →
avatar for Jonathan Merkh

Jonathan Merkh

President & CEO, Forefront Books and Unicorn Publishing Group UK

avatar for Nicole De Jackmo

Nicole De Jackmo

Quirk Books, an imprint of Andrews McMeel Publishing

Wednesday September 23, 2026 1:45pm - 2:25pm PDT
  Program

2:30pm PDT

Community Time Closing Session
Wednesday September 23, 2026 2:30pm - 3:00pm PDT
Gather with your cohort to share take-aways and make plans to stay connected.Remember to sign up for the private Slack channel on IBPA's Slack workspace just for folks who signed up for this (or last year's) IBPA Boot Camp for Staff of Independent Publishers. (Once you're in Slack, DM @leewind to request access to that private group channel.)Logged in attendees should see the "Open Zoom" button at...
See More →
Speakers
avatar for Brittany Griffiths

Brittany Griffiths

Director of Editorial, Design, and Production , Cornell University Press
Brittany Griffiths is the Director of Editorial, Design, and Production at Cornell University Press. She has nearly a decade of experience across independent, university, library, and hybrid publishing, where she has held leadership roles as Publisher and CEO of Spontaneous Afflatus, Publishing Specialist at... Read More →
avatar for Crystal Daye

Crystal Daye

CEO, DayeLight Publishers
Crystal Daye is the founder & CEO of , the largest faith-based publishing consultancy in the Caribbean. She is a 13-time published author, and also host of Reach Millions Author Live, a premier conference equipping new and aspiring authors with proven strategies to write, launch, and profit from nonfiction books. She als... Read More →
avatar for Kayci Wyatt

Kayci Wyatt

Senior Managing Editor, Technica Editorial Services
A native of North Carolina, Kayci Wyatt has worked in publishing in a variety of different roles before joining Technica Editorial Services in 2018. As a Senior Managing Editor, Kayci is experienced in project management and all phases of manuscript development, including copyediting; peer review; editorial support; production... Read More →
avatar for Lee Wind

Lee Wind

Chief Content Officer, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA)

Wednesday September 23, 2026 2:30pm - 3:00pm PDT
  Community Time
 

Get help with the event

Contact event planner Event login
View support guides Find upcoming events
Create an event you'd love to attend!
Explore why organizers choose Sched • Success stories
Event App • Event scheduling • Event registration • Event ticketing • Sched forms • Call for papers • Badges • Conferences
© 2026. SCHED LLC - All rights reserved - Helping events since 2008
Conference Scheduling Software • Privacy • Terms
Share Modal

Share this link via

Or copy link

Filter sessions
Apply filters to sessions.
Wednesday, September 23
  • Community Time
  • Program
  • Popular