Report 2013 - Kelly Fagan HERE - Australian Publishers Association

Cross Industry Collaboration
In this current climate of change, both inside trade publishing houses and change within the market generally, cross
industry collaboration seems more important than ever. I discussed earlier in this report the vibrancy and the immediacy
of the trade press in the UK, which goes a long way to fostering positive communication and debate across the industry.
There is a wealth of opinion shared, and few actions from publishers or retailers go without comment. As somewhat of
an outsider in London, The Bookseller website was a huge source of information about all segments of publishing and
it was refreshing to read articles written by editors and publicists and marketers and people from all levels, from all over
the industry.
The Bookseller also organises are series of conferences for publishing professionals throughout the year: The
Bookseller Design Conference; The Bookseller Children’s Conference; The Bookseller Marketing and Publicity
Conference; FutureBook Innovation Workshop; The Booksellerr Futurebook Conference – all boast stellar lineups
of presenters and workshops and go a long way toward championing excellence within these disciplines. Each
conference aims to provide inspiration and practical advice, and I was surprised at the attendance of the Marketing
and Publicity conference not to mention the usefulness of it.
I also found the Publishers’ Publicity Circle and Book Marketing Society to be of tremendous value to the UK industry.
In light of the challenges facing both of these departments, particularly in the instances where departments have been
merged or roles have been changed, both organisations provide a professional forum in which to discuss issues and
ideas.
The Publishers’ Publicity Circle has been running for over fifty years and aims to enable ‘all book publicists from
publishing houses and freelance PR agencies to gather and share information on a regular basis’. 69
Quarterly meetings are held in central London to provide a forum for press journalists, television and radio researchers
and producers to meet publicists collectively. Representatives from the media are invited to speak about the ways
in which they can feature authors and their books, and how book publicists can most effectively provide relevant
information and material.
The meetings are held in the Gallery of Foyles on the Charing Cross Road, cost £15 to attend and include lunch. The
meeting I attended had publicity representatives from all major publishers that ranged from assistants to directors.
The agenda for this particular meeting was The Times newspaper, and editors from several supplements and
sections came to speak about the opportunities for books within their pages over the coming months.
Quarterly awards are also presented to the best publicity campaigns– these are judged according to the use of
imagination, careful thought and effective planning rather than the most coverage achieved.
The Book Marketing Society represents marketers within the UK book industry. It champions marketing professionalism
and works on co-operative industry projects and events to raise the profile of books in general and help expand
the UK book market. Anyone working for a publisher, bookseller, wholesaler or other associated areas of the book
industry is eligible for membership.
According to their impressive website, The Book Marketing Society aims to deliver:
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collaborative projects
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networking opportunities
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a forum to debate industry initiatives
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a briefing centre with news on trends and marketing technology
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career opportunities
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a higher profile for marketing within the book industry, through awards, events and market research
69 http://www.publisherspublicitycircle.co.uk/index.asp
Author: Kelly Fagan
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