ECPA’s PUBu online webinars are a convenient and cost effective way to provide focused training to you and your employees. Featuring a variety of focused industry topics, experts are invited to conduct an online seminar using a phone line and computer. Participants are able to see and hear the entire presentation from their own computer via internet access.  Once you are registered, you will receive specific instructions on accessing the seminar.  Some webinars are available for download if you are unable to attend the live webinar.

PUBu online webinars :

How Effective Royalty Management Will Save Money, Enhance Author Relationships, and Generate Additional Revenues
Held April 1 -- Led by David Marlin, President, MetaComet Systems

MetaComet Systems demonstrated how their Royalty Tracker and AuthorPortal.com tools-- available as an ECPA member benefit -- can simplify and automate the entire royalty management life cycle. Recorded session available.

 Publicizing Your Award Win: So You’ve won a Christian Book Award! Now what?

Held March 19, 2014 -- Led by Scott Shuford, Chief Engagement Officer, FrontGate

Scott presented practical marketing tips for maximizing sales as a result of your award nomination.  The webinar ties public relations, social media, and sales strategies together to engage consumers and retailers.

ECPA partners with many retailers and organizations to market the Christian Book Award® finalists and winners but it is clear that promotion efforts from WITHIN our member houses are both valuable and critical in successfully raising the awareness of these great titles to the consumer. For this reason, ECPA set out to gird our publishing members with tangible tools and resources for providing low-cost, effective strategies for marketing finalists and winners. To make this a reality, ECPA partnered with the largest web & event network and marketing service reaching the faith and family values audience, FrontGate, and invited their President Scott Shuford to create a practical and informative resource for marketing, PR and sales teams at our member houses. Even if a publisher doesn’t have a book that is an Awards finalist, these tips are so practical and the principles so applicable, that people will find them to be beneficial.

Scott and FrontGate are a leader in serving Christian publishers and authors via advertising, public relations, and social media.  FrontGate is a two time Best Website Award recipient in Internet Advertising Competition in 2013 & 2011, and received two Standard of Excellence Awards in the 2012 WebAwards, in the Marketing & Faith-based categories.  Previously, Scott served as a principal in the ad agency he co-founded consistently launching successful, innovative campaigns for notable companies such as IHOP, World Vision, Initium Eyewear, Krikorian Premier Theaters, and Orange County Teachers Federal Credit Union, and with their award-winning work for Del Taco.  Scott started his career in 1989 as a buyer for Berean Christian Stores.  Recordings are available to ECPA members only.  Contact Cindy Carter.

Publishers Beware of State Tax Land Mines in Doing Business with Third Parties

Held July 10, 2012 at 1 PM EST -- Led by Martin I. Eisenstein, Senior Partner, Brann & Isaacson

Many publishers do business with third parties, such as contracting with sales representatives, using fulfillment houses to store and deliver books, selling  on consignment, and using third party platforms for receiving and fulfilling the sale of ebooks.  Each of these relationships can create nexus for state tax purposes and, therefore, expose publishers to significant tax exposure.  Mr. Eisenstein, an expert in the field of state and local tax, will discuss the state risks in these relationships and ways to reduce those risks. 

RECORDED PRESENTATION AVAILABLE TO ECPA MEMBERS AND WEBINAR ATTENDEES.

TAX EXPOSURE FROM eBOOK SALES: 

AGENCY MODEL, WHOLESALE MODEL AND RELATED TAX NEXUS ISSUES

Martin I. Eisenstein, Senior Partner, Brann & Isaacson; Recorded on Tuesday, January 11, 2011 -- 11 am ET

Publishers know that selling eBooks involves converting files and grappling with DRM, among other challenges. 

But selling eBooks also may generate new tax exposure for publishers, in part depending on the distribution model and distributors/platforms for sale of your eBooks.   And, this new exposure can potentially reach beyond the eBook transactions themselves to create broader tax exposure for other sales by the publisher. On January 11, tax attorney Martin Eisenstein of the firm Brann & Isaacson will lead an informative webinar in which he explains tax nexus, describes how the nexus rules apply to eBooks sales, and discusses best practices publishers can utilize to reduce tax exposure.

DESIGN FORUM: 

ANNOUNCING & ANALYZING THE 2010 BOOK COVER AWARD WINNERS
Rick Hamm, Director of RISC Research, Marshall Marketing; Recorded on Tuesday, December 14, 2010 -- 11 am ET
ECPA and Dickinson Press announced the 2010 finalists of the ECPA | dp Book Cover Award program on November 30.  The winners were announced on December 14 at a complimentary 60-minute webinar.  Under the direction of Rick Hamm, judging manager for the program, each Award Winner was analyzed for the design integrity in matching design to its targeted consumer group.  An educational program at its core, the ECPA | dp Book Cover Award program is brought full-circle through this process of highlighting the importance of cover design to book sales with hands-on discussion of RISC consumer profiles and their relationship to the cover design of the finalists and winners.

USING NETGALLEY: 

AN INTRODUCTORY WEBINAR ON DIGITAL GALLEYS

Recorded on Thursday, December 2, 2010 -- 11 am ET

Considering digital galleys?  Wonder about reviewer & buyer comfort with e-galleys?  Or, how to make the best use of NetGalley widgets and features?  NetGalley is hosting a free webinar for ECPA members to conduct a brief tour of the NetGalley site, answer questions about the ECPA-NetGalley discount program, and present examples of how other publishers are using NetGalley to engage reviewers, bloggers, media, librarians, booksellers and even professors.

Maegan Roper, Abingdon's Marketing and Publicity Manager, will be on hand to talk about Abingdon’s learning curve and experiences with the service. 

eBOOK BASICS: JUST THE FACTS
Joshua Tallent, eBook developer and author of Kindle Formatting: The Complete Guide

As eBooks become more popular with consumers, publishers are struggling understand this new market and take advantage of it with the best returns. Recorded on July 13, 2010, this webcast gave an overview of the eBook market, including information on:

• The major devices, formats, and retailers you need to know
• "Enhanced eBooks": what that means and what is actually possible right now
• Conversion essentials (doing it yourself versus finding a conversion partner)
• The balance of cost versus quality in eBook conversions
• Future trends in the eBook world, and how to be prepared for them.

  THE ANATOMY OF THE TRADEMARK:  WHAT PUBLISHERS NEED TO KNOW
Matthew A. Wilson, Shareholder, Lane Powell Attorneys & Counselors

• Using, Registering and Protecting Your Trademarks in US and Internationally
• When to clear or register a brand or book title
• When does a brand or title infringe on another and what to do about it

  INTRODUCING ECPA ROYALTY TRACKER
David Marlin, President, MetaComet Systems
ECPA/Royalty Tracker® manages the royalty payments, rights tracking and royalty statements for your entire organization in a highly customizable format. Royalty Tracker® knows no limits. It handles unlimited authors per title, reserve accounts, subrights, sliding scales, advances and expenses applied against royalties. Plus – it integrates seamlessly with nearly any accounting, AP or GL system. 

  DRIVING SALES:  MAKING BOOK CLUB READERS WORK FOR YOU
Carol Fitzgerald, co-Founder and President, The Book Report Network
In today’s market, readers are just as important as booksellers, librarians and educators for building excitement about a book. Book groups, with their collective passion, are the uber-readers and book cheerleaders to capture as they can translate a single sale into much larger numbers. What’s your competition for these readers? What books make for a good discussion? How can you use social media and the Internet to connect with reading groups and their leaders? What can be done to make a book "book group ready?” It’s more than just writing a list of discussion questions. Join Carol Fitzgerald, President of TheBookReportNetwork.com, as she shares what she has learned from readers of ReadingGroupGuides.com and FaithfulReader.com about what book groups want.  Recorded on October 29, 2009.

  TACKLING THE CHALLENGES OF ELECTRONIC PUBLISHING
David Rech, president and founder of Scribe
Learn more about the Well-Formed Document Workflow and what it could mean for your company. In this 60-minute webinar recorded on September 22, 2009, Rech discusses how an understanding of electronic technology can help you save money by working more efficiently; cut time in the editorial and production process; improve the quality of your books; control your rights through a self-controlled electronic publishing program; and be prepared for any future development in publishing.

  THE SCIENCE BEHIND GREAT BOOK COVER DESIGN:  CONNECTING WITH YOUR CONSUMER
Rick Hamm, Director of RISC Research, Marshall Marketing
In this 60-minute webinar recorded on August 13, 2009, Rick Hamm discusses in-depth the Dickinson Press book study, the four RISC consumer profiles and how they relate to book planning and design.  Several industry book covers were viewed and discussed, relating the design and title elements to their intended audience.

  USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO CREATE PRODUCT EVANGELISTS
Aaron Linne, Manager, Digital Promotions, B&H Publishing Group
In this 60-minute webinar recorded on July 21, 2009, Aaron Linne, Manager of Digital Promotions at B&H Publishing Group discussed elements of marketing with social media and the avenues of digital distribution, while sharing about his own integration of micro-marketing via social networks at LifeWay/B&H, answering these publishing-related issues:

• Is social media a viable marketing mechanism for publishers?
• Are there any success stories on either Facebook or Twitter of publishers who are growing reader bases or effectively interacting with current readers to make them into product evangelists?
• How can publishers use free digital content to drive sales of either print or digital content?
• Can publishers use RSS to send out free content that might drive readers to a subscription based site?
• Are social-media based contests and/or book clubs an idea Christian publishers should be participating in?
• Should Christian publishers devote real people/positions to the social media space?

  PREPARE YOUR AUTHORS FOR CBE SUCCESS
Rob Eagar, WildFire Marketing
ECPA hosted a free webinar for Christian Book Expo exhibitors on "Prepare Your Authors for CBE Success.”  Rob Eagar, founder of WildFire Marketing, a firm that helps authors, speakers and publishers with innovative marketing strategies, led the 75-minute session on Monday, January 19.  Topics included: Three Reasons Why CBE matters to modern book-selling; Primary Publisher Goals for CBE; What do your authors need to succeed at CBE?; What do your authors need before CBE?; Your Authors Must Bring their "A-Game.”