Indie Press Summit 2027

Indie Press Summit

Welcome to the Indie Press Summit! Join us for a day filled with insightful discussions, educations sessions, and networking opportunities for indie publishers. We'll be celebrating the indie spirit alongside our bookselling friends and comrades. Don't miss this chance to connect with industry colleagues and gain valuable insights into best practices and new approaches in our ever-evolving publishing landscape.

2026 SCHEDULE

12 :00 – 12:15pm
Welcome, Introductions
Daniel O’Brien - Executive Director, Independent Publishers Caucus
Allison Hill - CEO, American Booksellers Association

12:15 – 1:15 pm
Keynote Conversation
State of the Industry: An Analysis

How did we get here? There has been an onslaught of change for the industry this year. Baker & Taylor has shuttered (among others). Venture capital has (more than) reared its head. The Trump agenda threatens the stability of local communities, including bookstores and libraries. Thinning margins (somehow) keep thinning. What is an indie press to do? We aren’t sure we have the answers, but we know we need to talk about the elephant(s) in all the rooms. Instead of recreating the same panel format, we’re trying something new. IPC will host a series of six speakers to identify their 5 minute "hot take" analysis of how we got here, and what we need to be thinking about now. Followed by 30 min Q&A. Moderated by Patrick Hughes (Pluto Press).
Speakers: Andy Hunter (Bookshop.org), Doug Seibold (Agate Publishing), Peggy Burns (Drawn & Quarterly), Christie Henry (Princeton University Press), Jelani Memory (DK Publishing)

1:30– 2:15 pm
Education Session:
Learning from Alternative & Adaptive Models

What lessons can we learn from challenging our own status quo? Traditional publishing models continue to be a challenge, and the nonprofit "alternative" now faces its own crisis of funding. Many publishers are adapting or creating new business models altogether. In this session, we’ll hear from three such publishers– all of whom have deep industry experience–who will build on the analysis of our previous session. They’ll identify the industry realities that led to their decision to adapt, how they implemented their model, challenges they faced, and benefits they are currently experiencing. We'll then open up to a Q&A that allows publishers to engage in deeper discussion around how alternative and adaptive models can inform how we move forward. Moderated by Andrea Fleck Nisbet (IBPA).
Speakers: Madeleine McIntosh (Authors Equity), Keith Riegert (Publishers Cooperative/Stable Book Co), Johnny Temple (Akashic Books)

2:30– 3:15 pm
Education Session
The Top 40: Publicity, Discoverability, and the Case for IPC’s Bestseller List

This year, IPC launched the Independent Press Top 40, a new bestseller list in partnership with the ABA. As we all know, publicity and discoverability continue to be a serious challenge for independent presses. This list seeks to intervene in that drought. That said, we don’t operate in a vacuum: what does it mean to add to the saturation of content in the marketplace? How can we be sure this list is used to uplift independent presses across the country. We’ll talk with booksellers about how they use bestseller lists, what they pay attention to and why, and how we can be better partners in the promotion of independent literature. Moderated by Ed Nawotka (Publishers Weekly)

Speakers: Michael Reynolds (Europa Editions), Danielle King (Left Bank Books, St. Louis, MO), Amanda Hurley (Tombolo Books, St. Petersburg, FL), Kelly Justice (Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, VA)

3:30 – 4:30 pm
Town Hall Open Forum

5:00 pm
Indie Press Mixer, location TBA

-Schedule subject to change-