2016 Yale Publishing Course to Expand Discussion on Digital Publishing Strategies

The dates for the 2016 Yale Publishing Course have been announced and applications to attend are now being accepted. The educational event gathers mid- to senior-level book publishing professionals to discuss leaderships strategies as well as the most pressing issues facing the industry. YPC will be held on July 31-August 5 in New Haven, CT.

This year’s theme focuses on the print-to-digital evolution within the book industry. Program director Tina Weiner said in a press release that “YPC's curriculum will include new sessions slated to focus more deeply on the challenges and opportunities publishers are facing in today's digitalized world, including ways to develop new revenue streams and improve management techniques. Participants can expect to build new skill sets that will empower them to prepare for a more digitally-driven future that harnesses the power data analytics and the increased use of mobile devices.”

There are a number of familiar executives filling out this year’s speaker roster. Nihar Malaviya, executive vice president and COO at Penguin Random House will speak at the event. Malaviya participated in the course last year and discussed how digital technology is creating new opportunities for publishers to connect with their readers. He told Book Business that, thanks to digital, publishers “can now engage in more of a dialogue with readers instead of the monologue that has existed in the past. This new dialogue isn’t necessarily to sell consumers books directly but rather to learn more about what matters to them as readers.”

Marcus Leaver, CEO of The Quarto Group, will also return to speak at YPC in a session titled, “Illustrating Change at Quarto: A Global Publishing Company for the 21st Century.” Leaver has placed a growing emphasis on global expansion at Quarto by developing distribution partnerships to provide titles to the most underserved international markets. He explained to Book Business in an interview that the most important aspect of driving books sales globally is getting the books in readers’ hands in the way that they want to receive them. “We think as an illustrated publisher that it’s channel rather than format that is most important. Making the channels really sing and making partnerships around the world in both English and foreign languages is key.”

Other speakers participating in the course include Neil De Young, executive director of digital media at Hachette Digital and Kirsty Melville, president and publisher at Andrew McMeel Universal.

The application deadline for the Yale Publishing Course is July 1^st. Learn more about the 2016 course here.