An expert reflects on independent publishing today, with guest Joel Friedlander

Has publishing changed much in the past decades? A lot, but in many ways not at all. Influential blogger and opinion leader Joel Friedlander tells us what’s still important for all publishers to know . . . and do. Topics include: First rule: authors still have to understand their market. Hard copy printing, despite what we hear about ebooks, is still the most popular way of manufacturing, and most of that is offset. Can author-publishers get into bookstores? (One thought: consignment is not the way to go except in one specific instance.) So who gets mainstream distribution? What ever happened to ebooks? Humans have an endless need for stories, which is why we’ll always have books. The future of publishing: interactivity, special editions, crowdfunding. Bottom line: quality is still the most important thing a publisher can bring to a book. Participants Joel Friedlander is an award-winning book designer, blogger (since 2009!), and writer. He speaks regularly at industry events and is the author of A Self-Publisher’s Companion and The Book Blueprint. The blogger behind TheBookDesigner, Joel is a columnist for Publishers Weekly, and was named by Writer's Digest as one of the 10 people to follow in book publishing. He also operates several websites that provide design, marketing, and project planning resources for indie publishers and authors. Joel Friedlander’s blog and websites The Book Designer: http://www.thebookdesigner.com/ BookDesignTemplates.com: https://www.bookdesigntemplates.com/ AuthorToolkits.com: http://authortoolkits.com/ BookPlanner.com: http://bookplanner.com/ Books by Joel Friedlander The Book Blueprint: https://www.amazon.com/Book-Blueprint-Expert-Creating-Industry-Standard-ebook/dp/B07D5NRYW3/ A Self-Publisher’s Companion: http://www.amazon.com/Self-Publishers-Companion-Joel-Friedlander/dp/0936385111/ IBPA Industry Standards Checklist: https://www.ibpa-online.org/general/custom.asp?page=standardschecklist Peter Goodman (host) is publisher of Stone Bridge Press in Berkeley, California. He began his publishing career in Tokyo, Japan, in 1976. A longtime member of IBPA, he has served on the IBPA board and as IBPA board chair.