Members have consistently told us that one of the main reasons they join IBPA is so they can connect with other publishers. Our publisher members want to be able to have conversations with their peers who face the same challenges they do, be able to ask questions and get answers, and also make new friends to expand their professional network.

IBPA, as the largest association serving independent publishers in the US, offers diverse opportunities for members to connect with fellow publishers, such as:

• Member Roundtables – Throughout the year, two hour-long roundtable sessions take place: one for independent publishers and another for author-publishers. Members meet here and discuss their challenges and solutions.
• IBPA Publishing University – For over 40 years, independent publishers have been attending this premier national conference to get the latest education on publishing, as well as to network with peers.
• IBPA Slack Workspace – Every day, in real time, you can join over 500 fellow members in conversation on a wide variety of publishing topics on Slack. There are channels for #amazon, #book-marketing, #ingram-and-ingramspark, and more.
• IBPA Member Directory – Publisher members can search for other members in the member directory and direct message each other. (Note: This feature is available to publisher members only.)
• IBPA Supplier & Services Directory – Anyone, members and nonmembers alike, can search this directory to find IBPA publisher partner members who provide products and services for publishers.

Of the many ways to connect, perhaps the least known are the member and supplier directories, so today, we’ll show you some ways you can use them to build mutually beneficial connections with fellow publishers.

Who Are in the Member and Supplier Directories?

The IBPA Member Directory is exactly as its name implies. It’s a list of all current IBPA members from all classes of memberships, including publisher members, publisher partner members, as well as associate members.

The IBPA Supplier Directory is a directory of all publisher partner members only. These are the current IBPA members who provide products and services for publishers. They include printers, editors, designers, SaaS technology providers, marketing experts, publishing consultants, and more.

What Can I Use the Directories For?

IBPA allows members to use the IBPA Member Directory for peer-to-peer communications (among publishers) and the IBPA Supplier Directory to find members who can provide the services that publishers need. Here are some ways you can use the directory:

• Do you want to connect with someone from another publishing company who is publishing books similar to you to ask a question about how they handled a problem? Search the company name in the IBPA Member Directory to find a contact there.
• Had a great conversation with someone at IBPA Publishing University or another event and want to follow up but forgot to get their contact information? Search by first/last name and find this member in the directory.
• Interested in organizing a publisher meetup in your city and wondering who’s in your area? Search by city or state in the IBPA Member Directory.
• Looking for publishing services providers? Search in the IBPA Supplier Directory and search for the area of specialization that you need, such as printers, SaaS providers, rights consultants, for example.

How Do I Access the Member and Supplier Directories?

There are two ways to access the Member and Supplier Directories. One way is to sign in to the Member Portal, and once in the portal, click on the Directory tab. This opens the IBPA Member Directory only.

The second way is by clicking on the Resources tab on the IBPA homepage, and then clicking Member Directory and Supplier & Services Discovery Database. From here, you can search using the many filters available, such as: name, company, location, member type, and area of specialty. Then you can click on the individual results to pull up each member’s profile to learn more about them, including how to contact them. A tip: the Location filter means State.

Finally, a note on how NOT to use the Member Directory: The directories are designed for members to benefit from peer-to-peer cooperation and mutually beneficial connections. So, in this spirit, we ask that members not abuse the directories by using them for the wrong reasons.

• Please do not solicit for business, or promote books, products, events, or services of any kind.  
• Please do not send mass messages, and do not send repeated or harassing messages.
• Please do not collect information from the database to create mailing lists, to use for other reasons than individual outreach, or to share access with others. You get the picture. Please do not use the directory for any reason other than its intended purpose.

It is our pleasure to provide these resources to you because we know that an essential part of succeeding in publishing is connecting with your peers who know first-hand the challenges you’re facing, and they may have the answers to help you resolve them. Or perhaps you can work together to resolve them.

The IBPA community is made up of the most innovative individuals in the publishing industry. Now go out there and meet them!

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