Move Fast and Fix Things: BISG's 2025 Annual Meeting

Friday, April 25, 2025

8:30 AM - 4:00 PM (EDT)

The Times Center

242 West 41st Street New York, NY 10036 United States

* Registration open until 4/25/25 at 9:00 AM (EST)

Category: Annual Meeting

BISG’s annual meeting is where the industry’s leaders, fixers, and future-builders come to keep up, speak up, and level up.

This year’s theme, “Move Fast and Fix Things,” is a rallying cry. It’s time to stop patching problems and start building smarter, faster, and more resilient systems—from metadata to supply chains, censorship to discovery.

Join us for a jam-packed day of insights, strategies, and straight talk on how to thrive in a publishing landscape shaped by non-stop disruption, soaring title counts, censorship battles, evolving tech, and rapidly changing reader behavior.

We're at a new venue this year: The Times Center on 41st Street between 7th and 8th Avenues.

The Times Center theatre seating

Thank You to Our Lead Event Sponsor!

Bowker, the official ISBN agency for the United States, provides resources to help authors publish, distribute, and promote their books. Their products and services make books easier for readers to discover, evaluate, order, and experience.

Thank You to Our Gold Sponsor:

Your global supply chain partner for innovative, sustainable solutions, personalized to your business.

Registration Options

Registration Options	Credits	Price
BISG Member General Admission One General Admission seat. Registration Ends 4/25/25 at 4:00 PM EDT		$449.00
BISG Member Premium Admission One Premium seat in the first three rows of the theater. Registration Ends 4/25/25 at 4:00 PM EDT		$549.00
Nonmember General Admission One General Admission seat. Registration Ends 4/25/25 at 4:00 PM EDT		$549.00
Nonmember Premium Admission One Premium seat in the first three rows of the theater. Registration Ends 4/25/25 at 4:00 PM EDT		$649.00
BISG Member GA Group Package Package includes 10 general admission seats in the theater and 1 reserved table for lunch. Registration Ends 4/25/25 at 4:00 PM EDT		$4,490.00
BISG Member Premium Group Package Package includes 10 Premium seats (first three rows) in the theater and 1 reserved table for lunch. Registration Ends 4/25/25 at 4:00 PM EDT		$5,490.00
Nonmember GA Group Package Package includes 10 general admission seats in the theater and 1 reserved table for lunch. Registration Ends 4/25/25 at 4:00 PM EDT		$5,490.00
Nonmember Premium Group Package Package includes 10 Premium seats (first three rows) in the theater and 1 reserved table for lunch. Registration Ends 4/25/25 at 4:00 PM EDT		$6,490.00
BISG Member Virtual Admission Virtual Admission includes a Zoom link to access the live stream of all programming throughout the day. Registration Ends 4/25/25 at 4:00 PM EDT		$449.00
Nonmember Virtual Admission Virtual Admission includes a Zoom link to access the live stream of all programming throughout the day. Registration Ends 4/25/25 at 4:00 PM EDT		$549.00

Agenda

April 25
8:30 AM - 9:00 AM	Move Fast and Fix Things What does it mean to "move fast and fix things"? BISG board chair Joshua Tallent (Firebrand Technologies) and vice chair James Miller (B&N) share how their organizations have managed change, reflecting on what their experiences mean for BISG's efforts and the industry at large.
9:00 AM - 9:45 AM	Book Publishing Next Supply-chain change has been a constant across the industry over the last four decades. Industry veterans Phil Madans (Hachette Book Group) and Laura Dawson (Numerical Gurus) share their experiences managing technology, standards, and workflow investments that have changed how they work and some of what they do.
9:45 AM - 10:00 AM	Industry Innovator Award
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM	Coffee and Exhibitor Break
10:30 AM - 11:15 AM	Discovery and Purchase: Making the Case for BISAC Merchandising Themes Subject codes committee chair Connie Harbison (Baker & Taylor) leads a conversation with Geraldine Zepherin (B&N) and Michael Olenick (Proquest) on how BISAC Merchandising Themes, a companion to BISAC subject codes, can be used to improve discovery and increase sales.
11:15 AM - 11:45 AM	Around the Horn: Updates on BISG Initiatives Hear updates from the front lines on work BISG is doing to make the industry more efficient, transparent, and sustainable. Presenters include Claire Holloway (accessibility metadata), Brian O'Leary (sustainability), and more.
11:45 AM - 12:00 PM	Industry Champion Award BISG will honor Lee Wind, Chief Content Officer for the Independent Book Publishers Association, and co-founder of the national campaign "We Are Stronger Than Censorship" which buys and donates two books to offset every one book challenge.
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM	Lunch
1:15 PM - 1:30 PM	BISG Business Meeting A slate of incoming board members and the proposed budget for FY2026 will be presented for approval.
1:30 PM - 1:45 PM	Sally Dedecker Award for Lifetime Service BISG will honor Dominique Raccah, Founder and CEO of Sourcebooks, for her many contributions to the industry and BISG.
1:45 PM - 2:30 PM	Let the Book Be the Book: Reconsidering Our Relationships with Text & Technology A keynote conversation with Jeff Jarvis* (The Gutenberg Parenthesis; What Would Google Do?) and Matthew G. Kirschenbaum (Bitstreams; Track Changes)*
2:30 PM - 4:00 PM	Closing Reception Join friends, colleagues, speakers, sponsors, and exhibitors for a post-event reception. Attendees are invited to discuss the day, BISG's first 49 years, or the best thing you've binge-watched in 2025. Other topics allowed, even encouraged.