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Primary Menu Home Industry News Case Studies Insider Insights Best Practices Author Tips Visit NetGalley Subscribe Sign up for our weekly digest! Email Address Most Recent Articles NetGalley Community Update – May 2024 IBPA Publishing University, Conference Wrap Up, Part 4 Sustainability in Book Publishing 2024 London Book Fair Search for: Powered by Firebrand Technologies © 2010-2024 NetGalley LLC. All Rights Reserved NetGalley Community Update – May 2024 NetGalley.com Growth! ? 600,000 Active Members + Exciting New Stats! NetGalley is proud to host our highly-engaged community of reviewers, booksellers, librarians, educators, media/journalists, and book trade professionals and to facilitate the relationship between this community and the publishers who want to reach them. It’s been two years since we introduced a re-engagement campaign with our members to give publishers better visibility into each member’s primary audience, and to provide more meaningful ways for you to find the right audience for your books. As part of that re-engagement campaign, we also began removing inactive accounts. This is both a securityThis year we met in Denver, Colorado, and even a surprise snowstorm did nothing to dampen the excitement in the room! Katie Versluis and Kristina Radke at IBPA Publishing University in Denver The theme of this year’s event, Rise and Disrupt,” resonated deeply with attendees grappling with the challenges posed by consolidation in the industry, slowing sales, inflation, the rise of new AI technologies, and more. This is an event that does not shy away from the tough questions and conversations, and yet the energy is always inherently positive. This year was no different. The conference centered around the idea that innovation is inherently disruptive, energizing participants while also sparking discussions about the state of the industry. Saturday’s keynote, Rise and Disrupt,” featured Oriana Leckert (Kickstarter), Joe Biel (Microcosm Publishing), Dhonielle Clayton (Cake Literary & Electric Postcard Entertainment), and Brooke Warner (She Writes Press & SparkPress). Much was said about the benefits of hybrid publishing, which does not rely on the publisher to fund advances. Leckert shared many examples of Kickstarter campaigns (and not just the ones we all know about ), focusing on what makes a good campaign: a strong project image, a compelling personal video, appealing and creative rewards at different price levels. For instance, we heard about an author who offered to kill off a character named after the fan if they supported the project for $666… or to kill them AND bring them back for $777. Additionally, Leckert emphasized that it’s always better to get the money up front to pay for things like marketing, book design, and more. She told the audience about another author who wanted pink-gilded edges on her romance novel, and found a backer who would fund it! Dhonielle Clayton from Cake Creative discussed using her own intellectual property (IP) to fill in gaps in the industry that she sees, related to diverse story-telling. She uses her experience and knowledge to bring fully formed ideas to life by connecting with authors who will write the books based on her IP, and then sell it to publishers using data to back up that there’s an audience clamoring for it. Joe Biel from Microcosm Publishing inspired attendees when Brooke Warner pointed out that he’s one of the only publishers she knows who has completely stopped selling books on Amazon. Biel was matter-of-fact when he expressed that this was not a moral stance, but a financial one—he had looked at what it cost to sell via Amazon, and decided to instead put that money toward their own sales and marketing efforts, with great success. Another standout panel, AI (Artificial Intelligence): How to Use It, and What IBPA Should Be Doing About It” highlighted the dual nature of AI as both a tool for efficiency and a potential disruptor in the industry. Thad McIlroy (The Future of Publishing) delivered a cautiously optimistic...