State of Our Union: Inside Publishing Today

9:00 to 9:15 AM
Coffee and Breakfast

9:15 to 10:00 AM
Welcome Remarks and Attendee Introductions

10:00 to 11:15 AM
Keynote + Leadership Power Hour: Global leadership

David Shelley
David Shelley, CEO of Hachette Book Group UK and US, delivers his take on the state of the publishing industry today, establishing the framework for a week focused on global strategy and leadership practices.

11:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Entrepreneurship Reinvented: Author-centric publishing

Madeline McIntosh
Madeline McIntosh, Co-Founder, CEO, and Publisher of Authors Equity, looks back on year one of her innovative publishing endeavor, offering a look inside her business development process and what publishers big and small can learn from her author-centric approach.

12:30 to 1:30 PM
Lunch

1:30 to 2:30 PM
Author as Brand Steward: How an author can engage and invigorate a community

Jeff Kinney
Bestselling mega-author and book store owner Jeff Kinney presents his journey as author, brand steward, and innovator, followed by a conversation with Shannon DeVito, Senior Director of Books at Barnes & Noble Inc. Jeff and Shannon will discuss the power of an author to engage and invigorate consumers on and off the book page, demonstrating how a creator can succeed as a business leader and community builder, and how this plays out in the retail marketplace.

2:45 to 3:45 PM
Entrepreneur with a "Listening Heart": How an author can impact change

Dhonielle Clayton
Acclaimed author and innovator Dhonielle Clayton recounts her rise to bestseller status and her launch of Electric Postcard Entertainment, sharing her strategies for bringing impact and influence to mission-driven publishing.

4:00 to 5:00 PM
Closing Workshop: Leadership Lifeline and Reflections

Bahriye Goren
Clinical Associate Professor and head of the Executive Master’s in Marketing and Strategic Communication at the NYU School of Professional Studies, leads a series of exercises to foster connectivity and encourage tangible takeaways. What did you learn today and how will that shape and inform the week of programming ahead?

5:30 to 8:30 PM
Welcome Dinner

The Future of Publishing: Listen, Sell, and Mind Your Numbers

9:00 to 9:15 AM
Coffee and Breakfast

9:15 to 10:15 AM
Leadership Power Hour: Guiding Principles to Serve Customers on an International Scale

Lee Jarit, Global Head of Publisher and Partner Relations for Audible, in conversation with Publishing Perspectives Editor-in-Chief Porter Anderson, outlines the five “People Principles” at the heart of Audible’s leadership strategy and the importance of tailoring products to the customer on an international scale. Jarit will discuss how the company identifies listening patterns, content preferences and innovates in key global markets to serve listeners around the world.

Porter Anderson
Editor-in-Chief, Publishing Perspectives

Lee Jarit
Global Head of Publisher and Partner Relations, Audible

10:30 to 11:30 AM
Audio 2:0: What's Next for Audio?

A panel discussion exploring the current audio marketplace on a global scale, offering an inside look into the opportunities and challenges ahead.

Neal Carruth
Executive Vice President/General Manager, Freakonomics Radio Network

Michelle Cobb
Executive Director, Audio Publishers Association

Yolanda Sangweni
Vice President, Content, Cultural Programming, NPR

Charlie Schroder
Head of Original Content Development & Publishing, Scribd, Inc.(Moderator)

11:45 AM to 12:30 PM
The Psychology of Design

Brett Yancy Collins
Founder, Counterspace Design & Digital Solutions

What is creativity? Who is creative? An interactive presentation and workshop for everyone at every intersection of book publishing, led by Brett Yancy Collins, Founder, Counterspace Design & Digital Solutions. Learn how to rethink the creative process to craft better, more innovative design assets for profitable, more collaborative publishing.

12:30 to 1:30 PM
Lunch

RETAIL TWO WAYS

1:45 to 2:30 PM
The National Retailer

James Daunt
James Daunt, CEO of Barnes & Noble, returns for a second year to assess how the retail landscape has shifted. He will talk shop, offer new insider insights into the sales and merchandising strategies that are working, and reveal what books are selling and how consumers are buying in the current retail marketplace.

2:45 to 3:30 PM
The Independent Retailer

Emma Straub
Emma Straub, bestselling author and owner of the Brooklyn bookstore Books Are Magic, along with her husband and co-owner Michael Fusco-Straub, shares secrets and best practices that publishers big and small need to know to achieve success in the independent world.

3:30 to 4:00 PM
Coffee Break / Networking

4:00 to 5:00 PM
Interactive Workshop: Management practices in action

Todd Cherches
Award-winning Professor and Executive Coach Todd Cherches leads an interactive workshop on how to use visual thinking to be a more effective communicator within your team and your organization. Through a series of exercises, Todd will present four ways to get people to ‘see’ what you’re saying.

Innovation and Disruption: Trends, AI, and More

9:00 to 9:15 AM
Coffee and Breakfast

9:15 to 10:15 AM
Leadership Power Hour: Leading through evolution

Amandeep Kochar
Amandeep Kochar, Chairman and Group CEO of Baker & Taylor, details his journey into "accidental entrepreneurship", sharing strategies for how to lead a team through times of change and disruption, evolving the old publishing world into the new.

10:30 to 11:30 AM
Publishing, Where Are We Now? Global trends, challenges, and opportunities

A panel discussion delving into current publishing and media trends around the world, including the latest insights into data analysis and why translation rights mean big business now more than ever.

Gilbert Cruz
New York Times Book Review Editor (Moderator)

Kelly Farber
KF Literary Scouting

Jane Friedman
Publisher & Editor, The Hot Sheet

David Walter
Executive Director, Client Development, Circana

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE THREE WAYS

11:45 AM to 12:45 PM
Advertising: AI turned Allied Intelligence

Nadim Sadek
Nadim Sadek, Founder & CEO of Shimmr AI, presents a comprehensive, holistic overview of AI today, exploring macro and micro applications in book publishing, including how to generate automated AI advertising for backlist titles.

12:45 to 1:45 PM
Lunch

1:45 to 2:45 PM
AI in the Flesh: A demo with Keith Reigert, CEO of Ulysses Press

Keith Reigert
Keith Reigert, CEO of Ulysses Press and Perfect Bound, offers a practical AI demonstration, sharing AI tools and techniques that every publisher can implement today to optimize their productivity at work, understand consumer buying patterns, inform book discovery, maximize marketing, and more.

3:00 to 3:45 PM
The Rights Choice: Will AI lead the next Golden Age in publishing?

Trip Adler
Trip Adler, Co-founder and CEO of Created by Humans, shares how AI is transforming the way publishers, agents, and authors navigate the world of rights, inspiring opportunities for enhanced learning, revenue streams, and a new life for books.

4:00 to 5:00 PM
Interactive Discussion/Workshop: AI and the Workplace

Anna Tavis
Anna Tavis, Department Chair, NYU, explores and explains, from the employee perspective up to the corporate enterprise level, the new world of digital assistants and digital coaching through case studies and a hands-on workshop.

5:30 to 7:30 PM
Panel Discussion: The Future of Publishing is NOW
NYU Kimmel Center, Rosenthal Pavilion

This added evening panel will be a thought-provoking conversation about the trends, challenges, and opportunities that lie ahead for book publishers. You’ll hear from and engage with CEOs and NYU API guest speakers Amandeep Kochar, Mary McAveney, Dominique Raccah, and Keith Riegert. In conversation with Jane Friedman of The Hot Sheet.

The panel will be followed by a cocktail reception from 6:30 to 7:30 PM.

Jane Friedman
Co-Founder & Editor, The Hot Sheet (Moderator)

Amandeep Kochar
Chairman and Group CEO, Baker & Taylor

Mary McAveney
President and CEO, Abrams Books

Dominique Raccah
Publisher and CEO, Sourcebooks

Keith Riegert
Publisher and CEO, Ulysses Press and Perfect Bound

Mindful Messaging: Marketing and Communications Day

9:00 to 9:15 AM
Coffee and Breakfast

9:15 to 10:15 AM
Leadership Power Hour: Shifting the marketing mindset

Mary McAveney
Mary McAveney, President and CEO of Abrams Books, shares insights for redefining leadership and success in publishing, focusing on how to transform your marketing team from a cost center to an agile, informed entrepreneurial moneymaker.

10:30 to 11:15 AM
The Creator Universe: How it really works

Georgia Henry
Georgia Henry, Founder of the Pitch Agency and TikTok expert, offers an inside look at influencer marketing strategies for publishers. From community building to ambassador programs and creators houses, publishers big and small will receive valuable takeaways for their campaigns.

11:30 AM to 12:15 PM
Retail Marketing That Works in 2025

Holly Smith
Holly Smith, Founder and Principal Consultant of Expansive Commerce, is known for her ability to drive explosive, profitable revenue growth on Amazon for book publishers. She reveals concrete marketing strategies and initiatives that yield quantifiable results, including a clear understanding of current retail media advertising trends and new ways to think about media planning budgets (at any level).

12:15 to 1:15 PM
Lunch

MARKETING & SOCIAL MUSTS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO STAY AHEAD

1:15 to 2:15 PM
DEI in Marketing: The business (and moral) case for inclusion

Shanteka Sigers
Shanteka Sigers, Author & DEI Strategist, presents a fresh approach to DEI as not only a moral imperative, but a business growth opportunity, walking through case studies on the value of creating inclusive content for diverse audiences.

2:30 to 3:30 PM
Analytics in Action: Demo/Case Study on the relationship between marketing and analytics

Carrie Thornton, Publisher of Dey Street Books (HarperCollins), along with Allison Carney, Senior Director of Marketing, HarperCollins, share case studies (and the secret sauce!) for using real-time analytics to generate solid sales and bestselling books.

Allison Carney
Senior Director of Marketing, HarperCollins

Carrie Thornton
SVP, Publisher, Dey Street Books, HarperCollins

3:30 to 3:45 PM
Coffee Break / Networking

3:45 to 5:00 PM
Shifting Consumer Tastes in Social Media
Presentation/Workshop

Kristin Fassler, SVP, Director of Integrated Marketing Strategy (PRH) and Amanda Orenstein, Senior Manager of Strategic Insights, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, PRH, provide an inside look into how publishers (big and small) can analyze and predict consumer tastes on social platforms, using this data to amplify their authors, titles, and sales and distribution strategy.

Kristin Fassler
SVP, Director of Marketing and Engagement Strategy, PRH

Amanda Orenstein
Senior Manager of Strategic Insights, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, PRH

The Future is Growth

9:00 to 9:15 AM
Coffee and Breakfast

9:15 to 10:15 AM
A Tale of Acquisitions and Agenting: A top agent and editor share strategies for success in buying and selling

Molly Stern, CEO, Zando Publishing, in conversation with her husband Jay Mandel, Worldwide Head of WME Books, takes you inside the deal-making and best practices for a slate of notable and memorable property acquisitions, all from the perspective of the innovative publisher and the global agent.

Jay Mandel
Worldwide Head, WME Books

Molly Stern
CEO, Zando Publishing

10:30 to 12:00 PM
Growing International Book Fairs Panel + Global Trend Predictions

The Bologna, Frankfurt, London, and Sharjah Book Fairs are expanding their audience, spotlighting trends, enhancing the buying and selling of rights, and creating buzz and more buzz. Their leaders show us how, in person and on Zoom: Elena Pasoli and Jacks Thomas (Bologna), Joergen Boos (Frankfurt), and His Excellency Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri (Sharjah). Moderated by Edward Nawotka, Editor for International Publishing, Publishers Weekly.

His Excellency Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri
Sharjah International Book Fair

Juergen Boos
Frankfurt Book Fair

Edward Nawotka
Senior International & Bookselling Editor, Publisher’s Weekly (Moderator)

Elena Pasoli
Bologna Children’s Book Fair

Jacks Thomas
BolognaBookPlus, Bologna Children's Book Fair

12:15 PM
Closing Luncheon

1:15 to 2:15 PM
Certificate Ceremony