Immediate Release: June 20, 2017
Gabe Lyons to keynote ECPA PubU, held November 7-8 in Nashville
A team of publishing leaders throughout the industry will develop the program, with B&H execs Jennifer Lyell and Dave Schroeder at the helm
JUNE 20, 2017, PHOENIX AZ – ECPA announces the 2017 program of PubU, the industry’s annual “publishing university” held November 7-8 at Nashville’s Lipscomb University, with Q founder and bestselling author GABE LYONS as keynote speaker.
B&H executives JENNIFER LYELL and DAVE SCHROEDER will lead the event’s “Brain Trust,” the committee of publishing leaders who are charged with developing 40+ workshops on significant topics in editorial, marketing/publicity, design, rights, reader engagement, and data/delivery/workflow.
“PubU gathers Christian publishing professionals and industry experts to share what they know best about their discipline: best practices, interactive discussions, and action learning,” states ECPA executive director Stan Jantz. “But the most unique feature is that PubU is put on BY Christian publishers FOR Christian publishers, and we are very grateful to Dave Schroeder and Jennifer Lyell for recruiting a dynamic Brain Trust of industry experts to plan this year’s program.”
Each Brain Trust member will recruit speakers and develop sessions in their area of expertise. The 2017 PubU Brain Trust includes:
- Jennifer Lyell, VP of Book Publishing, LifeWay Christian Resources (LEAD)
- Dave Schroeder, VP of Marketing, B&H Publishing Group (LEAD)
MARKETING/PUBLICITY sessions - James Kinnard, Founder of the Useful Group
MARKETING/PUBLICITY sessions - Jeff James, VP of Marketing for Nelson Books/ HarperCollins Christian Publishing Group
READER ENGAGEMENT sessions - Chriscynethia Floyd, VP of Sales & Marketing, Learning Resources, David C Cook
READER ENGAGEMENT sessions - Devin Maddox, Trade Books Publisher, B&H Publishing Group
EDITORIAL sessions - Kristen McLean, Executive Director of Business Development, NPD Book
DATA, DELIVERY & WORKFLOW sessions - Joshua Tallent, Director of Outreach and Education, Firebrand Technologies
DATA, DELIVERY & WORKFLOW sessions - Brian Flagler, Founder and Principal, Flagler Law Group
RIGHTS sessions - Patti Brinks, Art Director, Baker Books
DESIGN sessions - Amy Green, Fiction Publicist, Bethany House Publishers
WRITERS TRACK
“I am grateful to be a part of an industry where we are committed to excellence in serving our readers,” shares Dave Schroeder, Brain Trust lead. “Together, we are facing immense challenges with retail and how we continue to connect our Christian content with readers. It is a fact that people are buying and reading more books than ever but their behaviors in doing so have changed. At PubU this year, we will focus on learning and solving these problems together. By bringing PubU to Nashville, a major entertainment hub, our hope is to bring a unique flavor of learning that we have not seen before this year.”
PubU will also host for the first time a series of workshops for content creators and storytellers the afternoon of November 8, followed by The Christy Award™ Christian Fiction evening gala. Already signed to participate is bestselling author Karen Kingsbury, musician and author Andrew Peterson, and media host and author Chris Fabry, with more to be announced soon.
Early-bird registration for PubU is now open.
To register and learn more, visit the event site at ECPAPubU.org.
The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) is an international non-profit trade organization comprised of member companies that are involved in the publishing and distribution of Christian content worldwide. Since 1974, ECPA has strengthened Christian publishing by building networking, information, and advocacy opportunities within the industry and throughout multiple channels so that our members can more effectively produce and deliver transformational Christian content. For more information about ECPA: info@ecpa.org ECPA.org @ECPA
Media contact: Stan Jantz, ECPA executive director, sjantz@ecpa.org 480-966-3998
