Independent Book Publishers Assn. shares its 2023 highlights, including launch of four new affinity groups: Access and Disability in Publishing, BIPOC/Marginalized Communities in Publishing, LGBTQIA2+ in Publishing, and Women in Publishing

As the year comes to a close, we’d like to take this opportunity to wish IBPA members and friends happy holidays and thank you for your contributions of time, talent and treasure, without which, we could not have fulfilled our IBPA mission “to lead and serve the independent publishing community through advocacy, education, and tools for success.”

In addition to providing 36+ monthly webinars, podcasts, and roundtables, six issues of the IBPA Independent magazine, over a hundred member benefits, and dozens of cooperative marketing opportunities throughout this year, we also launched several new initiatives besides...and more are in the works, readying for their 2024 debut. The work never stops because providing indie publishers with access, tools and education they need to be successful is our goal. So, stick around and help us to help you forge a path to publishing success in 2024!

Our 2023 Highlights

January

• IBPA celebrates 40th anniversary in 2023 and announces the first exciting news of the year – all 2023 webinars will be free for members!

February

• Four new affinity groups—Access and Disability in Publishing, BIPOC/Marginalized Communities in Publishing, LGBTQIA2+ in Publishing, and Women in Publishing—formed on Social Link to allow members to network with their communities. 

March

• IBPA launches PubSpot, the first online resource on book publishing knowledge open to everyone.
• IBPA issues a Position Statement on Ebook laws that are proposed around the country.

April

• #SpringIntoIndieBooks campaign on social media raises bookstores’ awareness of indie books.

May

• Publishing University in San Diego attracts record attendees, surpassing pre-pandemic conference.
• The 35th IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award winners announced in a gala ceremony at PubU.
• Innovative Voices Program launched to provide guidance and support to 5 publishers to help them elevate their publishing which focuses on people and issues of importance to marginalized communities.

June

• IBPA announces streamlined membership categories and membership dues structure. Auto-renewal also now available for membership renewals.
• Letter from IBPA opposing State Bill 900 sent to Texas Governor.
• IBPA attends ALA Show and represents indie publishers’ books to librarians in Chicago.

September

• Monthlong #FallIntoIndieBooks campaign on social media generates over 100+ posts on social media.
• Five Innovators selected to join the first group in IBPA's Innovative Voices Program.

October

• Learning Pathways—namely, Independent Publisher Start Strong, Independent Publisher Level up, Author Publisher Start Strong, and Author Publisher Level Up—introduced. IBPA recognizes our members are different and commit to programming that answers each group’s needs.
• IBPA attends the Frankfurt Book Fair and represents indie publishers’ books to international rights buyers.

December

• IBPA soft launches Slack  for members to have live conversations around shared interests and communities.

About the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA)

Founded in 1983 to support independent publishers nationwide, the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) leads and serves the independent publishing community through advocacy, education, and tools for success. With over 4,000 members, IBPA is the largest publishing association in the U.S. Its vision is a world where every independent publisher has the access, knowledge, and tools needed to professionally engage in all aspects of an inclusive publishing industry. For more information, visit ibpa-online.org.