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 Webinar
AUPresses Webinar: Maximizing Your Press’s EDP Workflow: Image Processing, MS Word, and Metadata
May 24, 2023
12:00pm-1:00pm ET
Hosted by the AUPresses Editorial, Design, and Production Committee
This webinar will discuss 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? Take a step-by-step tour of image processing in Photoshop, learning how to create and use Actions to improve processing time. Learn about ways to use MS Word functions to make editing more efficient. Finally, ways metadata can help to formalize EDP’s workflow and procedures. Panelists will speak on each of these topics to address day-to-day challenges managing tasks by providing efficient shortcuts or workarounds.
Panelists:
Ryan Morris is the Production and Design Manager at SUNY Press, overseeing the production of books and journals. Previously employed by a digital-imagining studio where she learned many of these tricks.
Amy Sherman manages manuscript editorial at the University of Pittsburgh Press and also works as a freelance developmental editor and copyeditor.
Lee Willoughby-Harris is the Books Metadata and Digital Systems Manager at Duke University Press. Willoughby-Harris began at DUP in 1985 in a marketing role and has built these systems up from the ground since that time.
Moderator:
Jason Gosnell has been working as an editor in university press publishing for more than twelve years. Currently, Gosnell serves as the managing editor of Marine Corps University Press, managing both books and journals. Previously, Gosnell has worked in editorial roles at The Kent State University Press and West Virginia University Press.
Recent Webinars
AUPresses Webinar: Mentorship–Tips for Mentees and Mentors
April 12, 2023
Hosted by the AUPresses Professional Development Committee
A panel discussion of strategies and practices used by successful mentors. What makes a pairing run smoothly, and how do you know if you’re ready to be a mentor?
Becoming a mentor offers the chance to expand your network, to learn new things, and to help your colleagues, and this webinar will offer insight and practical tips to make these relationships successful. Participants from the AUPresses mentoring program will be included on our panel.
Panelists: Karen Jackson, Director of Marketing & Sales, University of California Press; Jessica Pellien,Director of Marketing and Communications, MIT Press; Peter Perez,Director of Public Relations and Communications, UNC Press; and Anna-Lise Santella, Head of Acquisition, Humanities, Oxford University Press
Facilitators: Alodie Larson, Executive Editor, Oxford University Press; and Megan Michel Mendonça, Nature Publications Coordinator at Princeton University Press
Session recording will be available shortly!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 Marketing, Journals, and Editorial, Design, and Production Committees hosted pre-AUPresses 2022 Annual Meeting workshops. More information.