Workshops & Webinars

Webinars

AUPresses Webinars are opportunities for members of our community to learn from each other and from industry experts. Webinars are typically developed by the Association’s Professional Development Committee.

Browse a video library of AUPresses Webinars.

Webinar sponsorship opportunities are available. Contact Alexis Fagan if you would like more information.

Association committees also organize informal online hangouts for members.

Upcoming Webinars

Upcoming webinars will be announced soon!

Recent Webinars

AUPresses Sponsored Webinar: Drive books sales through Smart Buy Buttons and AI
February 28, 2024
Sponsored by Supadu

Using AI and Smart Buy buttons across all your sales and marketing channels will
drive engagement and sales. Come and join us to find out how easy it is to do!

Speaker: Sarah Arbuthnot, Chief Commercial and Operations Director

Watch the recorded session >

Navigating Legal Issues in Nonfiction Works About Real People
February 13, 2024
Hosted by the AUPresses Intellectual Property & Copyright Committee

Writing about real people can raise a number of complicated legal issues for authors and editors. Laws governing defamation, privacy, and rights of publicity have a number of fact-specific rules, exceptions, and exceptions to exceptions that can be difficult to navigate without help. These issues can be an obstacle to publication, especially for nonfiction authors.In collaboration with Authors Alliance, the AUPresses IP & Copyright Committee is pleased to offer this webinar on how to navigate these issues when working with authors. The webinar is based in part on Authors Alliance’s newly published open access legal guide, Writing About Real People,  which is part of its larger series of guides on legal issues for authors. Authors Alliance created Writing About Real People specifically for nonfiction authors, focused on three main legal issues: false statements and portrayals (e.g., defamation), invasions of privacy, and rights of publicity and identity rights. The guide includes substantial practical guidance, addressing issues such as permission, documenting research, and working with an IRB.This webinar will feature the Authors Alliance in discussion with AUPresses editors who have navigated these issues in working with authors. The webinar will reserve substantial time for audience Q&A.

Speakers: Rachel Brooke, Senior Staff Attorney, Authors Alliance; Lorri Hagman, Executive Editor,  Special Projects, University of Washington Press; Dave Hansen, Executive Director, Authors Alliance; Casey Kittrell, Editor in Chief, University of Texas Press; and Ann Regan, Acting Director and Editor in Chief, Minnesota Historical Society Press

Moderator: Aurora Bell, Associate Editorial Director, University of South Carolina Press

Session recording will be available shortly.

Making Books Accessible: A New Guide
January 16, 2024

This free members-only webinar will present an overview of the new guidelines published by the Association of University Presses for making books accessible.

Speaker: Bill Kasdorf, Principal, Kasdorf & Associates, LLC

Watch the recorded session >

AUPresses Sponsored Webinar: Waving a wand for quick wins and sustainable growth!
November 15, 2023
Sponsored by Supadu

Whether it is your title visibility, your website, your direct or social media marketing and/or your cart that all needs improving, Supadu reveals some quick wins and outline the benefits of having a one-cart-fits-all approach to eCommerce (physical, digital and audio) and helping publishers with merchant of record tips and pitfalls.

Speaker: Sarah Arbuthnot, Chief Commercial Officer, Supadu

Watch the recorded session >

AUPresses Webinar: Unpacking the Open Access Impact on Print Book Sales
October 24, 2023

In September, Ithaka S+R and the Association of University Presses published the report “Print Revenue and Open Access Monographs: A University Press Study,” as well as its affiliated data set. Watch the authors of the study discuss the findings in this report, and share ideas about how university presses can use the information to develop sustainable OA monograph publishing solutions. This research was funded by a Level I Digital Humanities Advancement Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The webinar took place during Open Access Week 2023

Introductions: Peter Berkery, Executive Director, AUPresses

Moderator: Brenna McLaughlin, Research & Communications Director, AUPresses

Panelists: Laura Brown, Senior Advisor, Ithaka S+R; Roger Schonfeld, Vice President, Libraries, Scholarly Communication, and Museums, Ithaka S+R; John Sherer, Spangler Family Director, University of North Carolina Press; and Erich Van Rijn, Director, University of California Press

Watch the session recording >

AUPresses Sponsored Webinar: Building your D2C community isn’t as easy as you think!
September 20, 2023
Sponsored by Supadu

Watch this lively discussion about building your D2C community. Supadu discussed how to effectively grow and engage with your online community: from adding supplemental content; to using your author’s network and knowledge-base; to metadata enrichment; or to simply adding bundles and incentives onto your website.

Speaker: Sarah Arbuthnot, Chief Commercial Officer, Supadu

Watch the session recording >

AUPresses Webinar: Maximizing Your Press’s EDP Workflow: Image Processing, MS Word, and Metadata
May 24, 2023
Hosted by the AUPresses Editorial, Design, and Production Committee

This webinar discussed various ways to enhance productivity within various facets of the EDP workflow, from image processing to editing in Word and creating metadata. Within the EDP framework how do we do maximize our time with the tools available to us? The session addressed image processing in Photoshop; creating and using Actions to improve processing time; ways to use MS Word functions to make editing more efficient; and ways metadata can help to formalize EDP’s workflow and procedures. Panelists spoke on each of these topics to address day-to-day challenges managing tasks by providing efficient shortcuts or workarounds.

Panelists: Ryan Morris, Production and Design Manager, SUNY Press; Amy Sherman, Manuscript Editorial Manager, University of Pittsburgh Press; and Lee Willoughby-Harris, Books Metadata and Digital Systems Manager, Duke University Press

Moderator: Jason Gosnell, Managing Editor, Marine Corps University Press

Watch the session recording >

AUPresses Sponsored Webinar: Easy Path to Purchase and Preventing Cart Abandonment
March 28, 2023
Sponsored by Supadu 

Selling your products directly to consumers is a great way to increase the value of your publishing brand, build repeat business, and increase revenue. However, users will abandon their cart if there is not a simple path to purchase. In this session, Supadu will discuss the key ingredients for successful eCommerce and how to ensure users stay on your site and buy directly from you.

Speaker: Sarah Arbuthnot, Commercial, Partnerships and Operations Director. Arbuthnot has worked for the company since it started in 2010 across customer services and business development. Her interests and experience has been focused on consumer behavior and specifically how consumers behave in the digital world in respect of what they buy and how they shop.

Watch the session recording >

The Meaning and Relativity of Keywords
November 28, 2022
Sponsored by Virtusales Publishing Solutions

Jake Furbush from Harvard University Press and Tricia McCraney from Virtusales will review the meaning and value of keywords, looking at how to select keywords and measure their effectiveness, along with the mechanics of sending them to retailers, including some top tips for handling specific requirements for various retailers. The session will reference Nielsen’s study on keywords, and will include real-life experiences and examples from publishers including Harvard University Press.

Watch the session recording >

Think Like a Bookshop
November 17, 2022
Sponsored by Supadu

Now that publishers are directly involved in D2C book sales, our focus is on how to learn from bookshops who have been running author-led reader events for decades, even centuries. From attracting their attention, to reader engagement, and onto a simple shopping experience, join Supadu as we take a look at their successes. We look at how they engage directly with readers through direct marketing, offers, sales, and events; building a community through a broad range of marketing activities including online and offline book clubs, and engaging their authors to provide author-reader experiences through interviews, videos, and events. We will be joined by Davida Breier, author of Sinkhole and Director, HFS and Co-Director, Marketing and Sales at Johns Hopkins University Press, who will share her experiences and answer questions. 

Watch the session recording >

Overcoming the 5 Barriers to Royalty Automation
October 4, 2022
Sponsored by MetaComet Systems

Automating the calculation and payment of royalties is a sure-fire way to improve accuracy and efficiency. Good royalty management should be part of the strong foundations of all publishing businesses. It saves time, reduces risk, and establishes a strong reputation.

MetaComet’s royalty management systems can deliver these benefits and more, but we know that publishers can be hesitant about introducing new technology. This is perfectly understandable as change can be unpredictable. Most of us have experienced hitches in installing new software of some kind, whether personally or professionally. However, in our experience it is easier to remedy problems and roll out new systems than you might think. This webinar will go over the five barriers of royalty automation that we encounter most often – and how MetaComet can help overcome them.

Watch the session recording >

Interviewing Best Practices: Tips from University Press Professionals
September 20, 2022
Sponsored by Jack Farrell & Associates

Your resume and cover letter have opened the door and you’ve scheduled that interview you’ve been hoping for, but now what?

Interviewing, whether for a new job or a different position with your current press, is an important part of the hiring process, and can be a nerve-racking experience. Developing successful interviewing skills can help you be at ease in the interview room and help you convey why you’re the best fit for the role. The AUPresses Professional Development Committee has partnered with Paths in Publishing to launch a highly-practical discussion on standout interview practices. We’ll address best practices for before, during and after the interview, how to convey your experience with confidence, what kinds of questions to ask, and how to follow up afterwards. Through real-life examples from professionals across the publishing landscape, this webinar will benefit those at every stage of their career. This will be a space to ask the interview questions you’ve always wanted to ask and hear experiences from colleagues in the field.

Watch the session recording >

Resumes and Cover Letters: Tips from University Press Professionals 
August 3, 2022
Sponsored by Jack Farrell & Associates
 
Your resume and cover letter do a lot of heavy lifting. They go before you to introduce your story, your skillset to those you’ve likely never met. It can be daunting to sum up your career journey, and feedback can be tough to come by. The AUPresses Professional Development Committeehas partnered with Paths in Publishing to launch a highly-practical discussion on standout applications that land the interview. We’ll dive deep into tactics to adapt your resume to a specific job, apply for your first management role, and ways to articulate your experience with confidence and precision. It will focus on effective storytelling, especially when you are transitioning between careers or have a gap in your resume. Through real-life examples from professionals across the publishing landscape, this webinar will benefit those at every stage of their career. This will be a space to ask the resume and cover letter questions you’ve always wanted to ask but may never have had an outlet to voice. We hope you’ll join us. As part of your registration, we encourage you to list any specific topics you would like the panelists to address.

Watch the session recording >

Marketing and selling your books online: what to do and how to do it!
May 24, 2022
Sponsored by Supadu

Join us as we discuss how to effectively use your marketing channels to draw your audience to your website and store. We will explore in detail how to create the most successful social media content with our guest speaker the University of Notre Dame Press. We will look at the power of API driven content, including catalogue collections, landing pages, product details pages, flash sales, book flyers, samplers—all to help drive traffic to your website.

Watch the session recording >

Workshops and Special Group Meetings 

Professional Development workshops allow individuals to explore topics in depth. Workshops are typically developed by Association Committees and are generally held in conjunction with Annual Meetings. Professional interest groups (journals staff, press directors, financial officers, EDP staff) often meeting face to face to network and collaborate. Special Group meetings are occasionally stand alone, but more often held in advance of the Annual Meeting.  

View a list of pre-meeting workshops held in recent years.

The AUPresses MarketingJournals, and Editorial, Design, and Production Committees hosted pre-AUPresses 2022 Annual Meeting workshops. More information.

आम्ही अशा जागतिक प्रकाशक समाजाच्या अत्यावश्यक भूमिकेची प्रगती करतो ज्यांच मुख्य कार्य शैक्षणिक श्रेष्ठतेची व ज्ञानाच्या जोपासण्याची हमी देणे आहे.

— AUPresses Mission Statement in Marathi