IPG Autumn Conference: Getting stuff done!

Getting Stuff Done was the theme of this years IPG Autumn Conference and the sentiment rang true through all the panels and presentations. The ambition, the resilience and the practical strategic planning that this community demonstrates is truly inspiring. 

Inspired are proud to be regular supporters of the Independent Publishers’ Guild in a range of capacities and, again, at the conference this year we were exhibiting. It is a great privilege to be a part of the platform for the conversations and connections that take place, both on and off stage, at the event which really do fuel the confidence and knowledge growth of the delegates. 

For those of you who haven’t attended an IPG conference before, it’s designed for independently owned publishers across all sectors of the industry and, as such, the conference hosts discussions on a wide range of areas including trade publishing, academic publishing, distribution, financial management, sustainability, AI and also from experts outside the industry providing us with the wider, macro-level social, political and economic updates. We heard from BBC Correspondent, Dharshini David, journalist and former government director of comms, Alastair Campbell and author Bruce Daisley on what we can expect under the new government, how to lobby more effectively and how to lead our own teams with a more positive culture – all of which encouraged the audience to go and get stuff done! 

So how can we get stuff done? 

• Hire the right team! This is obviously something incredibly close to our hearts here at Inspired and rang loud and clear in the presentation from the founders of Magic Cat. Their rapid success was punctuated by making great appointments of people who are aligned with the mission and values as well as carrying relevant experience.
• Manage your cashflow. It’s very hard to get stuff done without money and this is especially crucial for smaller businesses. Martin Casimir left us with the message that: revenue is vanity, profit is sanity but above all, cashflow is reality. There can be real lag times between making a product and money generated from that product – account for it!
• With more books being published each year than ever before – 2.7m annually – and the urgency around sustainable business being greater than ever before, print-on-demand technology can be a superb solution to reduce returns and also the impact of shipping if we’re able to print locally. The answer to the increase in volume isn’t simply to have a bigger warehouse, but rather to have access to a wider range of manufacturing models.
• Remember, environmentalism isn’t just about paper! It’s about the supply chain too. Explore the tools available to you to support a sustainable business model. The IPG has produced a Sustainability report which is full of insight and let’s not forget that The Publishers Association have developed their own Carbon Calculator specifically for publishers. There are other tools in the market that shouldn’t break the bank too, such as Ecovadis.
• Make sure the wider team and your third-party suppliers such as printers are aware of the regulations/legislations that the EU Directives including the GPSR (General Product Safety Regulation), EUDR (European Deforestation Regulation) and the EEA (European Accessibility Act) are introducing. Achim Betty from Bloomsbury recommends having alt text inputted earlier in the workflow process and Chris Saynor from EDitEUR recommends having transparent metadata from the beginning. Both advice are two ways to get stuff done to make sure your content is compliant and accessible before the regulations are introduced.
• Making use of AI tools won’t replace the gut instincts of what makes a good book as said by Vicky Hartley from Watkins Media. She shared how using Storywise has helped speed the process of going through hundreds of unsolicited manuscripts. AI tools can be an added benefit to indie publishers who can use it as a starting point to inform editorial decision and priorities time about what submissions to take forward when there is a small team to manage it.
• PLS and CLA are one step closer to launching an AI License and next phase will be a detailed consultation with publishers so a big shout out to get involved now. The new product should launch in Q2 of 2025!
• The EAA (European Accessibility Act 2025)  is coming! It will require publishers to produce accessible formats of publications – with the deadline fast approaching, it was a good reminder for publishers to get their supply chains in order so that all content is available through accessible services. For more information you can read our blog on this which we published in April 2022 after attending an event on this at London Book Fair by clicking here!
• Cambridge University Press gave an impressive presentation on Licensing & AI in Academic publishing via the articulate, brilliant thought leader, Briar May, Business Development Director at CUP who is responsible for rolling this out globally. She spoke about both the risks and benefits but also having really strong principles before starting to roll out so that you have clear parameters to keep control of where your content is being used and what for. If you get it right you can create new revenue streams, partnership and collaboration as well as increasing wider dissemination and reach of your academic content! 

Thank you to IPG for inviting us to another successful conference filled with lots of insightful sessions and knowledgeable speakers. We’re left feeling very inspired and sense of urgency to apply the above. To learn more about IPG, visit their website on: https://www.independentpublishersguild.com/Default.aspx