Location: Canada Water Library
Date: 29th January 2025
Time: 9:30 - 16:00
The Inpress Festival of Publishing is a celebration of all things creative, with a practical twist. It is a showcase of the inventiveness, innovation, diversity and agility of independent publishers, and all those working in the book trade.
Designed as a networking and sharing of ideas event, the Inpress Festival of Publishing is a day of presentations and panel events featuring an eclectic mix of experts ready to share their experiences and their discoveries. It is a chance to inspire and be inspired, to hone bookish ideas and meet new collaborators in a supportive and creative environment.
We are very excited about the speakers we have lined up - read on for further details about our programme.
2025 Festival of Publishing programme
Blurbs: What makes readers pick a book up to find out more, and what makes them put it right back down again? A copywriter and a bookseller discuss blurbs and how to write them.
Marketing SOS: How can indie publishers bring a campaign to life, ensuring they don’t hit publication day without a bit of buzz? A marketer who has worked with indie presses and Big 5 publishers shares her insights and practical advice.
The art of… art?: We all know we judge books by their covers, so we’re hosting a session on how to ensure they’re judged correctly. Join a cover design pro for his thoughts on how to brief a designer for the best outcomes, followed by a bookseller for insight from the shop floor.
Community and influencers: Strong relationships with readers can make such a difference to small presses. How can publishers develop these, and how can working with influencers help build that community online?
AI: AI is an unavoidable topic at the moment, whether we like it or not! Join us for a frank discussion about the opportunities and challenges presented by AI, centred around Anne Hervé’s super quote from last month’s Bookseller: "We want AI to do the washing up for us, not to paint the Sistine Chapel.”
Sustainability: When it comes to the fighting the environmental crisis, we can’t afford to gatekeep. In this session we want publishers to share what is and isn’t working as we try to be more sustainable, through discussing practicalities, skills-sharing and mini case-studies.
Keynote: Poet, vlogger and presenter Leena Norms will be delivering the festival's keynote, with her book Half-Arse Human: How to live better without burning out still hot off the press.
More Information
The Inpress Festival of Publishing is a celebration of all things creative, with a practical twist. It is a showcase of the inventiveness, innovation, diversity and agility of independent publishers, and all those working in the book trade.
Designed as a networking and sharing of ideas event, the Inpress Festival of Publishing is a day of presentations and panel events featuring an eclectic mix of experts ready to share their experiences and their discoveries. It is a chance to inspire and be inspired, to hone bookish ideas and meet new collaborators in a supportive and creative environment.
We are very excited about the speakers we have lined up, with more to be confirmed, and are delighted to be able to reveal our events programme for the day.
About Us
In case you’re unfamiliar with our work, Inpress is the UK’s specialist sales and marketing agency for independent publishers. With funding support from Arts Council England, we work with over 60 innovative, literary small presses across the UK and Ireland (including several recognised by the Booker Prize, the Women’s Prize, The Guardian, The New Yorker and more) to offer a one-stop-shop for booksellers and bookworms who want something a little bit different.