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By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
Six Facilitators Featured in Opening Talks
As Publishing Perspectives readers will recall, the International Publishers Association‘ (IPA) “IPA Academy” program is designed to assist the world’s publishers in gaining commercial and technical skills needed to cope with the “digital acceleration” of the still-ongoing coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. Reflective of the clear demarcation between how digitally fluent markets’ book businesses and those in less digitally advanced regions have performed under the impact of the health emergency, the program has opened today (March 7), an effort to level the field with instruction.
The program has been created in association with three educational programs—New York University’s (NYU) School of Professional Studies’ Center for Publishing in the States; Oxford Brookes University at the Headington Campus in Oxford; and the charity Publishing Training Centre based in London.
A quick look at the program’s site shows its offerings—available to publisher-members of the 86 organizations that make up the IPA’s membership in 71 nations—shows the offerings divided into a series of themed talks (accessible to anyone on the site). These are presentations provided through the support of Sharjah Book Authority, at Sharjah Publishing City under the direction of Ahmed Al Ameri.
The facilitators delivering commentary here are:
- Filipe Silva, Macmillan Publishers
- Sarah Odedina, Pushkin Press
- Rachel Martin, Elsevier
- Nathan Hull, Beat Technology
- Former IPA president Michiel Kolman, Elsevier
- IPA Freedom to Publish committee chair Kristenn Einarsson, World Expression Forum (WEXFO)
This is followed by access to featured courses including “Essential Editorial Project Management,” “An Introduction to the World of Proofreading,” and “Going Global: How To Take a Local Publishing Company to International Heights.”
Chambers: ‘Greatly Respect the IPA’s Mission’
Andrea Chambers, the executive director of NYU’s Center for Publishing, tells Publishing Perspectives, “As publishing educators, we greatly respect the IPA’s mission to support its members as they shift publishing models and practices to the digital space.
Andrea Chambers
“When Bodour Al Qasimi,” the president of IPA, “reached out to us with her vision for the new academy, we immediately began working with her team to identify specific topics and skills most beneficial to publishers on a global scale.
“We’re offering a range of video-based courses taught by members of our adjunct faculty, all of whom are leading publishing professionals in New York.
“We focus on key areas including top digital marketing and publicity strategies; creating and growing an effective international sales plan; using social media for best sales results; new business models; and data-driven decision making for publishing profit.”
At the Oxford International Centre for Publishing, that program’s director, Angus Phillips, is quoted in this morning’s media messaging from IPA in Geneva, saying, “The IPA Academy is an exciting development and Oxford Brookes University is delighted to be partnering in this new venture.
“Here in Oxford we have students from all over the world and the publishing community is truly global. What a great industry we have with a common interest in both skills development and a healthy future for the book as a source of knowledge and entertainment.”
And at the Publishing Training Centre, Petra Green says, “As publishing changes so fast, it’s essential for people to keep up to date with the latest developments, and training is a great way to do this.
“As a charity, the PTC is committed to improving access and education for all.”
A list of courses, searchable by topic and facilitator, is here.
More from Publishing Perspectives on the International Publishers Association is here. More on the work of Bodour Al Qasimi is here, more on the work of Ahmed Al Ameri is here, more on Sharjah’s projects is here, and more on digital publishing is here.
Publishing Perspectives is the world media partner of the International Publishers Association.
More from us on the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on international book publishing is here.