2025 API Program Highlights

Keynote: The Global Publishing Perspective

David Shelley

CEO, Hachette Book Group US and Hachette UK

David Shelley, CEO, Hachette Book Group US and Hachette UK, delivers a state-of-the industry overview of the challenges and opportunities book publishers face today, and shares his outlook for the future.

Reimagining the Author-Publisher Relationship

Madeline McIntosh

CO-FOUNDER, CEO, & PUBLISHER OF AUTHORS EQUITY

Madeline McIntosh, former CEO, Penguin Random House, and Founder, CEO and Publisher, Authors Equity, provides an inside look at her innovative new company, and the importance of putting authors first.

From Legacy Publisher to Category Leader

Aman Kochar

PRESIDENT AND GROUP CEO, BAKER & TAYLOR

Aman Kochar, President and Group CEO, Baker & Taylor, shares strategies for how to lead a team through times of change and disruption, evolving the old publishing world into the new, and emphasizing a “dare-to-change” philosophy.

The Ultimate Retailer on the Retail Marketplace

James Daunt

CEO OF BARNES & NOBLE

James Daunt, CEO of Barnes & Noble, talks shop, offering insights into the sales and merchandising strategies that are working in the current retail marketplace.

Building a Community of Book Lovers

Emma Straub

BESTSELLING AUTHOR & BOOKSELLER

Emma Straub, renowned New York Times-bestselling author, explains why she opened an independent bookstore, how she built a community of book lovers, and how publishers can best work with indies.

How International Book Fairs Can Grow Your Business

Leading international book fair directors from around the world discuss the latest global trends in book publishing, and how book fairs are attracting huge new audiences eager to buy and sell rights.

Juergen Boos

PRESIDENT & CEO, FRANKFURTER BUCHMESSE GMBH (FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR)

Elena Pasoli

DIRECTOR OF THE CULTURE BUSINESS UNIT OF BOLOGNAFIERE & DIRECTOR OF THE BOLOGNA CHILDREN’S BOOK FAIR (BCBF)

Jacks Thomas

GUEST DIRECTOR, BOLOGNABOOKPLUS

Rethinking Marketing: From Cost Center to Entrepreneurial Moneymaker

Mary McAveney

PRESIDENT & CEO OF ABRAMS

Mary McAveney, President and CEO, ABRAMS, shares her perspective on redefining leadership and success in publishing with a case study on performance marketing.

Shifting Consumer Tastes on Social

Kristin Fassler

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT & DIRECTOR OF INTEGRATED MARKETING STRATEGY FOR THE KNOPF DOUBLEDAY PUBLISHING GROUP AT PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE

Kristin Fassler, Senior Vice President and Director of Integrated Marketing Strategy, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, Penguin Random House, joins with Amanda Orenstein, Head of Consumer Insights for the company, to offer an inside look into how publishers and their marketing teams (big and small) can analyze and predict consumer tastes on social platforms, then make this data actionable.

DEI as Mission, Message, and Gateway to Growth

Shanteka Sigers

FOUNDER, GOOD AND FERAL

Shanteka Sigers, Author & DEI Strategist, presents a fresh approach to DEI as a way to grow businesses through the lens of market opportunity.

AI 2.0: What Book Publishers Need to Know

Nadim Sadek

FOUNDER & CEO OF SHIMMR AI

Nadim Sadek, Founder and CEO, Shimmr AI, unpacks what publishers need to know now about how AI can change their businesses in multiple ways, and spotlights the value of automated advertising for backlist titles.

AI in the Workplace

Anna Tavis

PROFESSOR AND ACADEMIC DIRECTOR OF THE HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT AT THE NYU SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES

Anna Tavis, Department Chair, Human Capital Management Department, NYU School of Professional Studies, draws upon her extensive experience as a professor and global researcher in workplace performance and behavior to present best practices for AI in the office.

Hands-On AI:

Keith Riegert

CEO OF ULYSSES PRESS & PERFECT BOUND TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION

Keith Riegert, CEO, Ulysses Press and Perfect Bound Technologies Corporation, offers a practical AI demonstration, sharing AI tools and techniques that publishers big and small can implement today to optimize their productivity at work.

What’s Next for Global Audio

Leading experts in the audio market speak to the latest trends in format and focus, how listening patterns differ around the world, and what’s next.

Yolanda Sangweni

VICE PRESIDENT, CONTENT (CULTURE PROGRAMMING) FOR NPR

Michelle Cobb

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AUDIO PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION

Global Trends and Opportunities

An in-depth exploration of innovative new business strategies, including new ways to use data, and opportunities in translation rights. A panel of experts addresses what’s new and next.

Jane Friedman

CO-FOUNDER AND EDITOR, THE HOT SHEET