MARKETING/PUBLICITY 2017

PubU marketing sessions are designed especially for marketers, publicity, and sales teams. However, graphic designers, developers, and editors will also benefit from the sessions.

This track will focus on creating “renaissance publishing professionals,” providing the best possible book marketing and publicity education for attendees to grow and lead in their discipline.


Author
Jonathan Merkh

Former VP and Publisher,
Howard Books a division of
Simon & Schuster

Author
Daisy Hutton

Sr VP and Publisher of W Books,
HarperCollins Christian Publishing

Author
Paul Franklyn

Associate Publisher for Bibles
and Leadership, United Methodist
Publishing House

Author
Byron Williamson

CEO and Publisher,
Worthy Publishing

Author
Jennifer Lyell

Sr. VP and Publisher, B&H Books,
LifeWay Christian Resources

Session 1

Five Essential Things a Publisher Needs from Their Marketing Team

Veteran publisher Jonathan Merkh and a group of some of the most talented publishers in the industry will share five essential insights into what a Publisher / Business Leader needs from a marketing team to be cutting edge and successful in a changing business environment. In this session, they will share stories and some of the greatest lessons they have learned in their careers to help any marketer be successful.

Author
Jennifer Willingham

Co-Founder of Icon Media Group

Author
Brian Mitchell

Sr. VP and COO, Working Title Agency

Author
Ryan Dunlap

Sr. Project Manager, Ribbow Media

Session 2

What Movies and Music Promotion can Teach the Book Industry

Are there marketing techniques that movie and music marketers employ that could benefit the book industry? Are there new ways to reach consumers with content? Take a page from some of the foremost movie and music marketers in this session.

Author
David McKay

Producer & Creative Director

Session 3

Video Campaigns: Building value through story-driven creative

Video has become an integral part of brand-building efforts.  Even videos must adhere to the three primary steps of brand-building: consistency, persistence, and restraint. By aligning these forces around a shared mission from the start, we can achieve a greater impact in our video content. In this session we’ll discuss a systems and value based approach that surround the video creation process to deliver impact and build your content on the foundation of the company’s values and mission statement while keeping the target audience in mind. In the end they’ll have multiple ways to enjoy your brand story, wanting more, and having a reason to come back again and again.

Author
Matt Tully

Marketing Director, Crossway

Session 4

5 Essential Strategies for Promoting Books Online

With more and more business and consumer engagement happening online, it’s essential for publishers to develop a robust digital marketing strategy. But how do you make the myriad of online platforms and opportunities fit together into a cohesive effort? This session will explore 5 essential digital marketing strategies, and demonstrate how publishers can link them together into an integrated system. Topics will include content marketing, social media engagement, email marketing, conversion to sales, and backlist marketing.

Author
Todd Adkins

Director of LifeWay Leadership and Co-Host of 5 Leadership Questions Podcast

Session 5

Influencer Marketing: In God we trust, everyone else has to bring data  

Christian marketers are finally starting to come into the idea but don’t know how to show the value or vet influencers. They are spending real money on people with fake followings and then dismiss the idea when they don’t get results. In this session, Todd Adkins (co-host of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast and head of LifeWay Leadership) shares his insights on how to find and cultivate relationships with genuine influencers and to encourage them to market your book.

Author
Todd Adkins

Director of LifeWay Leadership and Co-Host of 5 Leadership Questions Podcast

Author
Barnabas Piper

Author, co-host of 5 Leadership Questions Podcast and The Happy Rant Podcast

Author
Richard Clark

Director of Editorial Development
for CT Pastors

Session 6

Podcasts: What is fun, what sells, and what stinks

Why you should stop wasting time with radio, drop the act, and focus on podcasts that actually inspire people to buy books. In this session, we will bring some top podcast hosts to share their experiences interviewing authors, how they like being pitched, and provide insights into other great podcasts that are selling books better than anyone. We will discuss the importance of podcasts in selling books and how publishers can work with them most effectively.

Author
Emily McFarlan Miller

National reporter for RNS

Author
Richard Clark

Director of Editorial Development
for CT Pastors

Author
David Bennett

Managing editor of HomeLife
and Open Windows

Author
Bob Smietana

Veteran religion reporter and frequent contributor to national publications;
senior writer for Facts&Trends magazine

Author
Holly Meyer

Religion reporter for The Tennessean

Author
Jenaye White

Publicist at
B&H Publishing Group

Author
Dave Schroeder

Vice President of Marketing at
B&H Publishing Group

Session 7

What Every News Editor or Producer Needs from a Publicist/Publisher

Moderated by Jenaye White (publicist at B&H Publishing Group) and Dave Schroeder (VP of Marketing of B&H Publishing Group)

Join some of the most talented editors and producers in news media who will share their insights into what works and doesn’t work in the tv, magazine, newspaper, and online media world. Attendees will learn:

  • How to effectively pitch the media. (and how NOT to pitch).
  • What kinds of stories have the best traction and engagement with viewers/listeners.
  • What every author needs to know before doing an interview.
  • Trends in the general market media regarding coverage of evangelical books and authors.
  • What media coverage of evangelicalism has been this year and how it has changed (and will change).
  • How evangelical content can get better media coverage.
  • Is everything on the record?
  • What we need to anticipate in 2018 in the media.
  • Some of the craziest stories from media interaction with authors.

Brain Trust Leads

Team Member

Dave Schroeder

VP of Marketing, 
B&H Publishing Group

Team Member

James Kinnard

Founder, 
Useful Group

We thank the following companies for their support of the industry and this event:

client
client
client

client
client
client
client
client
client
client
client
client

For more information on sponsoring this event, contact [email protected]