Association of American Publishers

Networking? Here’s How With YPG and Ed2010

October 23, 2012 by vmckeon

YPG+Ed2010 021 — Young to Publishing’s Sara Sargent and Ed2010’s Chandra Turner

One of the greatest perks of being a student in the M.S. in Publishing: Digital and Print Media program at NYU-SCPS is the industry events we are frequently invited to attend. I was delighted to be able to go to a brown-bag lunch with speakers Chandra Turner, Executive Editor of Parents magazine and founder and president of Ed2010, and Sara Sargent, Assistant Editor, Balzer+Bray (an imprint of HarperCollins Children’s Books) and the chair of the Young to Publishing Group (YPG) Planning Committee. [YPG is part of The Association of American Publishers (AAP), which has more than 300 publishing organizations as its members.] Both speakers offered valuable insights on how to break into the industry, as well as all the opportunities for entry-level publishing professionals to connect with each other. The lunch was informative, interesting, and a great opportunity to listen to the wisdom of people who have gone through exactly what we are going through now as we attempt to get a foot in the door of publishing. And they have come out on top!

Social Media Success Story: 7 Students, 500,000 WBN books

April 27, 2012 by vmckeon

To the literati of the world, April 23rd used to have special meaning as the day Shakespeare was born and Cervantes died. This year, the date took on even more significance as longtime book lovers and new readers alike participated in a nationwide movement that is likely to become as addictive as a juicy novel. On April 23rd, World Book Night (WBN) debuted in the U.S. after a successful launch last year in the United Kingdom. All over America, volunteers from all 50 states handed out books to non-readers and reluctant readers in an effort to promote literacy. “Givers,” selected through an application process online, passed out 500,000 free paperbacks in churches, bars, children’s shelters, public transit systems and senior centers—even on beaches. (One innovative “giver” put copies of Patti Smith’s Just Kids inside Ziploc bags and doled them out in Monterey Bay.) Now, who better to promote this kind of national literary love fest than the students in the Master of Science in Publishing: Digital & Print Media program at NYU?

“Ten Things You Might Do to Get a Job” (And More!)

July 2, 2011 by vmckeon

Tom Allen. good — AAP's Tom Allen addressing SPI students

“You may well have signed up for this summer institute because you want to edit fiction or nonfiction,” Tom Allen, President and CEO of the Association of American Publishers (AAP), told the students in his keynote address at the beginning of the book session of the NYU-SCPS Summer Publishing Institute (SPI). “But in a few weeks, you’ll learn what that [editing] entails,” Allen counseled, and then added:

“You’ll also gain insight into the breath of jobs in this industry in finance, production, rights, marketing, to name a few, that directly affect the success of books. In publishing, it takes a village. It really takes a village. I urge you to be open to the many—what I think will be unexpected—opportunities that you come across that will offer you a fulfilling career within the community of literate, engaged, and interesting people.”

After this brief appeal, Allen then launched into a discussion of the effects of the digitization of books on the publishing industry. When more than half of the SPI attendees told Allen they read on digital devices, it would have been remiss for him not to focus a majority of his talk on this topic. Still, I wondered, if digital was so important, why would he have urged us to stay open-minded to all the opportunities that the publishing industry affords? As I listened to the panel discussion that followed on the future of book publishing, I had a far better understanding of what Allen meant. [Read more…] about “Ten Things You Might Do to Get a Job” (And More!)

Brooklyn Loves Books

September 16, 2009 by vmckeon

: AAP’s Get Caught Reading table

More than 220 authors, musicians and other artists joined 150 booksellers and presses at New York City’s biggest free celebration of authors and books at the Brooklyn Book Festival on Sunday, September 13^th. Book lovers of all ages had an opportunity to meet authors, attend panels and browse through books. Well-known publishers such as HarperPerennial, Drawn and Quarterly, and DK publishing were in attendance, as were independent presses such as Akashic books, Giron books, and PM press. Readings and literary activities were held all day in the children’s area, sponsored by Target, and poetry and writing workshops for teenagers took place in the main workshop tent. The event was held outdoors at Borough Hall and with no rain in site, it was a perfect day for discovering new and talented writers.

[Read more…] about Brooklyn Loves Books