Month: January 2025

PubWest and IBPA Merge in 2025

As announced in November, the Independent Book Publishers Association is set to merge with PubWest’s membership into their organization. The merger should be completed by July 2025 and will also combine the staff and boards of the organizations. Until then, organizations plan to continue their previously scheduled events as usual. PubWest 2025 will take place in New Orleans, February 11–13, and IBPA’s Publishing University, also known as PubU, will meet in St. Paul, May 15–17.

The 2025 PubWest conference features the theme of “Innovative Ways to Finance” and will be held in conjunction with BMI (Book Manufacturers Institute) at Caesars New Orleans Hotel. Further information is available at https://pubwest.org/PubWest-Conference.

Established in 1977, PubWest represents about 150 publishers while IBPA has more than 3,000 members. IBPA has been championing indie authors and publishers since 1983. In their joint press release, both organizations stressed that the 2025 merger is being designed to be beneficial for all sizes of independent publishers.

“The combination of IBPA and PubWest will unite our strengths and provide even greater opportunities for independent publishers to thrive. This allows us to better support our members through expanded resources, stronger advocacy, and a unified voice that champions the vital role of independent publishers,” said IBPA Board Chair Tieshena Davis in November.

IBPA is hosting multiple “Get to Know Your IBPA Member Benefits” webinars over the next few months designed to introduce new and current members to the organization’s popular discount programs. These include:

To find out more about IBPA and PubU, visit https://www.ibpa-online.org/.

Worldcon Seeking Books For Freebies Lounge

Worldcon 2025 is seeking books for its “freebies lounge,” an area where convention attendees can hang out and find new (to them) tales of science fiction and fantasy. The convention takes place August 13-17, 2025. The 87th Worldcon will be held at the Seattle Convention Center. Expected attendance is between 5,000 and 10,000 (the Worldcon 2024 had 7,000+ attendees).

Retro sci-fi styled image that says Freebies Lounge in front of a diamond shaped graphic with books in orange and magenta flanking the words on each side.


The convention’s centrally-located “Freebies Lounge” is being touted as a place for discovering new authors.

Seattle Worldcon is actively seeking book donations from traditional publishers, small publishers, and self-published authors. Publishers and authors are encouraged to donate new releases or backlist items.

Books should be in the fantasy, science fiction, and horror genres, adjacent historical fiction, or nonfiction relevant to SFF readers. Adult, young adult, middle-grade, children’s books, and graphic novels are all welcome.

Books can be shipped to the convention organizers prior to convention dates. Limited pickup in the Seattle area may be available. Authors or publishers attending Worldcon can drop books off at the Freebies Lounge during the event.

For more information or to request the shipping address, contact Freebies@seattlein2025.org.

To learn more about Worldcon 2025, go to https://seattlein2025.org/

Publishing Conferences and Book Fairs in 2025

Start marking the calendar with conferences and book fairs of interest to indie authors and publishers.

IBPA Publishing University: This year’s three-day conference will take place May 15–17, 2025 at the Intercontinental Saint Paul Riverfront in Saint Paul, MN. It will feature hands-on sessions, workshops, and other educational opportunities for independent, hybrid, and author publishers, as well as university and association presses. The Independent Book Publishers Association is in the process of finalizing the schedule. To find out more, check https://www.publishinguniversity.org/.

 U.S. Book Show: Formerly known as Book Expo America (BEA), this conference takes place in May 2025.  No details posted yet on the website but sign up for further information at https://usbookshow.com/.

Looking to sell books at book fairs? Connect with readers? Here’s a few ideas for the Pacific Northwest:

Get Lit! Festival, April 10-13, 2025; Spokane, Washington. The state’s “longest-running annual literary festival” (as per organizers) offers four days of readings, writing workshops, craft classes, panel discussions, literary happy hours, virtual events, and a book fair. Find more information at https://inside.ewu.edu/getlit/.

Worldcon 2025, August 13-17, 2025; Seattle, Washington. A giant international science fiction and fantasy convention that shifts cities every year, Worldcon is coming to Seattle. Applications for dealer tables and for author participation in panels are currently being accepted at https://seattlein2025.org/.

Portland Book Festival, November 8, 2025; Portland, Oregon. Run by Literary Arts, this festival offers spaces for authors to meet readers and sell books. Sign up for information at https://literary-arts.org/about/programs/portland-book-festival/.

We’ll be adding information on other book festivals and conferences as these become available. Staging an event of interest to indie authors and publishers? Send us the information at bpnwnews at aol.com.