Minnesota Book Publishers' Roundtable

### Context Profile for Minnesota Book Publishers' Roundtable

1. **Organization Mission & Cause**:
   The Minnesota Book Publishers' Roundtable (MBPR) is dedicated to supporting and promoting the Minnesota book publishing community. Their mission focuses on fostering collaboration among publishers, authors, and industry professionals to enhance the visibility and accessibility of Minnesota's literary works. They aim to provide resources, networking opportunities, and educational events that empower small presses and independent authors to thrive in a competitive market.

2. **Type of Activities**:
   - **Events**: MBPR organizes various events, including panel discussions, workshops, and networking opportunities for members and the broader publishing community. The most recent event, "Small Press PR," focuses on strategies for book publicity and discoverability.
   - **Fundraising Campaigns**: They conduct fundraising campaigns to support their initiatives and events, including ticket sales for events.
   - **Community Programs**: MBPR actively engages with local authors and publishers, providing a platform for collaboration and sharing of best practices in the publishing industry.

3. **Tone of Voice**:
   The tone of the MBPR's communications is **professional yet approachable**, blending informative content with a friendly demeanor. They aim to inspire and motivate their audience, using clear and engaging language that encourages participation and collaboration within the publishing community.

4. **Emoji Usage**:
   The organization does not prominently use emojis in their communications, maintaining a more formal and professional tone in their written content. This aligns with their focus on serious industry discussions and professional development.

5. **Key Facts**:
   - **Founding Info**: Specific founding information is not detailed on the website, but they have established themselves as a key player in the Minnesota publishing scene.
   - **Scale**: MBPR has a total of 4 forms and has conducted 17 email campaigns, indicating active engagement with their community.
   - **Impact Metrics**: While specific metrics are not provided, their events and campaigns suggest a commitment to enhancing the visibility and success of local publishers.
   - **Volunteer Info**: There is no specific volunteer information available on the website, but the organization likely relies on community involvement for events and initiatives.

6. **Writing Guidelines**:
   - Use **clear and concise language** that is accessible to a broad audience.
   - Maintain a **professional tone** while being friendly and inviting.
   - Focus on **engagement and collaboration**, encouraging participation in events and discussions.
   - Avoid excessive jargon; instead, aim for **inclusive language** that resonates with both seasoned professionals and newcomers in the publishing industry.
   - When discussing events, provide **detailed information** (date, time, location, ticket pricing) to ensure clarity and ease of understanding.

This context profile will assist AI assistants in crafting personalized and relevant content that aligns with the Minnesota Book Publishers' Roundtable's mission, activities, and communication style.

LXCL:Includes Lunch for pre-registered attendees.

MBPR Member

Non-Member

Student

<p fr-original-style='margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;margin:0in;' id="isPasted" style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in; width: 100%; line-height: 1.5; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Join the Minnesota Book Publishers Roundtable for our first in-person panel of the year!<p fr-original-style='margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;margin:0in;' style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in; width: 100%; line-height: 1.5; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> <p fr-original-style='margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;margin:0in;' id="isPasted" style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in; width: 100%; line-height: 1.5; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><i fr-original-style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: italic; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: fieldwork-hum, sans-serif; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.025em;" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: italic; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: fieldwork-hum, sans-serif; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.025em;"><span fr-original-style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 400; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: fieldwork-hum, sans-serif; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.025em;" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 400; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: fieldwork-hum, sans-serif; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.025em;">How will people find this book? To whom should we pitch it? When do we need to launch the campaign? What can small press publicity teams do to amplify their impact?<p fr-original-style='margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;margin:0in;' style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in; width: 100%; line-height: 1.5; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> These questions are just a few of the many that small press publicity, marketing, and sales teams ask every day. With small budgets and a frequently changing media landscape, getting the right book coverage (whether in trade reviews, articles, excerpts, awards, influencer posts, or author appearances) is more difficult to navigate today than it has ever been. Join this panel to hear from three savvy and experienced local publishing PR experts as they discuss core tenets and fresh insights of book discoverability and help us focus on the most important practices of book publicity planning today.&nbsp; The panel discussion will be followed by a brief Q&amp;A. About the Panelists Jana Nelson (she/her)Jana is a strategic communications expert with more than 20 years of experience in publishing, nonprofit development, and public relations. As Publicity Director at Augsburg Fortress Publishers, she leads organization-wide PR strategy, manages a team of publicists, and crafts campaigns that elevate authors and mission-driven narratives. Prior to this, Jana ran her own PR firm and worked as a senior consultant at AmplifyDMC, where she helped nonprofits grow their visibility and fundraising capacity. She has also held a leadership role at Graywolf Press and co-founded the inaugural Twin Cities Book Festival. Alyssa Miller (she/her)Alyssa is the Senior Marketing Manager at Amistad Books, an imprint of HarperCollins. Her 15 year marketing career spans corporate retail, small business, and independent press. She has a BA from Howard University in Journalism, Certificate of Digital Editing &amp; Publishing from the University of Chicago, and MFA in Creative Writing from Hamline University. A 2024 Mirrors and Windows Loft Fellow and 2025 recipient of a MN State Arts Board Grant, you can find her active in the broader Twin Cities writing community with Brown Noise, MN BIPOC Kidlit Collective, MN Black Authors Expo, TruArtSpeaks, and The Loft. Katie Olson (she/her)Katie Olson is the Marketing and Sales Assistant at the Minnesota Historical Society Press. In this role, she manages publicity outreach, social media, influencer marketing, review and award submissions, event planning, ARC mailings, and more for 5&ndash;8 titles per season. Her career has included a variety of roles spanning digital marketing, advertising, project management, and publicity. She has over two years of experience in publishing and has held previous positions at Wise Ink Creative Publishing, Coriolis Company, and Lerner Publishing Group. Katie holds a BA in English and Strategic Communications (Advertising &amp; Public Relations), as well as a Certificate in Editing and Publishing from the University of Minnesota.<p fr-original-style='margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;margin:0in;' style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in; width: 100%; line-height: 1.5; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">&nbsp;<p fr-original-style='margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;margin:0in;' style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in; width: 100%; line-height: 1.5; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Where &amp; When<p fr-original-style='margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;margin:0in;' style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in; width: 100%; line-height: 1.5; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Open Book (Target Performance Hall)<p fr-original-style='margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;margin:0in;' style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in; width: 100%; line-height: 1.5; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">1011 Washington Avenue S., Minneapolis, MN 55415<p fr-original-style='margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;margin:0in;' style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in; width: 100%; line-height: 1.5; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Thursday, September 25, 2025&nbsp;(**Please note that due to scheduling conflicts, this event is on a Thursday, not a Wednesday as is typical for MBPR panels.**)<p fr-original-style='margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;margin:0in;' style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in; width: 100%; line-height: 1.5; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Check-in and networking begins at 11:30. The program starts at 12:00 and will run for about an hour.<p fr-original-style='margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;margin:0in;' style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in; width: 100%; line-height: 1.5; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">&nbsp;<p fr-original-style='margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;margin:0in;' style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in; width: 100%; line-height: 1.5; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Tickets<p fr-original-style='margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;margin:0in;' style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in; width: 100%; line-height: 1.5; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Tickets are $20 for members and students. They are $25 for nonmembers with advanced reservation. If space allows walk-ins, those without reservations will be charged $30 at the door.<p fr-original-style='margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;margin:0in;' style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in; width: 100%; line-height: 1.5; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">&nbsp;<p fr-original-style='margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;margin:0in;' style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in; width: 100%; line-height: 1.5; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Food<p fr-original-style='margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;margin:0in;' style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in; width: 100%; line-height: 1.5; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Lunch will be provided for preregistered attendees.<p fr-original-style='margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;margin:0in;' style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in; width: 100%; line-height: 1.5; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">&nbsp;<p fr-original-style='margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;margin:0in;' style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in; width: 100%; line-height: 1.5; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Parking and Transit<p fr-original-style='margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;margin:0in;' style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in; width: 100%; line-height: 1.5; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">There is a small side lot next to the Open Book building (just past the building on the right as you are heading east on Washington; for those heading west, turn on 10th or 11th and go down the alley to access the lot). If the Open Book lot is full, other options are:<p fr-original-style='margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;margin:0in;' style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in; width: 100%; line-height: 1.5; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">* Meters along 10th and 11th<p fr-original-style='margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;margin:0in;' style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in; width: 100%; line-height: 1.5; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">* Guthrie ramp. Enter on 9th Ave (between Washington &amp; 2nd Street S)<p fr-original-style='margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;margin:0in;' style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in; width: 100%; line-height: 1.5; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">* Municipal parking ramp across from the Mill City Museum<p fr-original-style='margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;margin:0in;' style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in; width: 100%; line-height: 1.5; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">* Transit information is available at&nbsp;<a fr-original-style="" href="http://www.metrotransit.org/trip-planner" style="text-decoration-color: initial; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">www.metrotransit.org/trip-planner</a>

Hi <span contenteditable="false" data-custom-variable="{{firstname}}" fr-original-class="fr-deletable styled-tag-chip" fr-original-style="" style="background-color: rgb(248, 248, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(191, 191, 255); border-radius: 4px; color: rgb(42, 42, 196); padding: 1px 8px; font-size: 11px; display: inline-block; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: anywhere; user-select: none; box-sizing: inherit;">First name, Thank you for registering for the MBPR In-Person Luncheon, Small Press PR!&nbsp; We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, September 25.&nbsp; MBPR Reservationsreservations@publishersroundtable.org

Join the Minnesota Book Publishers Roundtable for our first in-person panel of the year! How will people find this book? To whom should we pitch it? When do we need to launch the campaign? What can small press publicity teams do to amplify their impact? These questions are just a few of the many that small press publicity, marketing, and sales teams ask every day. With small budgets and a frequently changing media landscape, getting the right book coverage (whether in trade reviews, articles, excerpts, awards, influencer posts, or author appearances) is more difficult to navigate today than it has ever been. Join this panel to hear from three savvy and experienced local publishing PR experts as they discuss core tenets and fresh insights of book discoverability and help us focus on the most important practices of book publicity planning today.  The panel discussion will be followed by a brief Q&amp;A. About the Panelists Jana Nelson (she/her)Jana is a strategic communications expert with more than 20 years of experience in publishing, nonprofit development, and public relations. As Publicity Director at Augsburg Fortress Publishers, she leads organization-wide PR strategy, manages a team of publicists, and crafts campaigns that elevate authors and mission-driven narratives. Prior to this, Jana ran her own PR firm and worked as a senior consultant at AmplifyDMC, where she helped nonprofits grow their visibility and fundraising capacity. She has also held a leadership role at Graywolf Press and co-founded the inaugural Twin Cities Book Festival. Alyssa Miller (she/her)Alyssa is the Senior Marketing Manager at Amistad Books, an imprint of HarperCollins. Her 15 year marketing career spans corporate retail, small business, and independent press. She has a BA from Howard University in Journalism, Certificate of Digital Editing &amp; Publishing from the University of Chicago, and MFA in Creative Writing from Hamline University. A 2024 Mirrors and Windows Loft Fellow and 2025 recipient of a MN State Arts Board Grant, you can find her active in the broader Twin Cities writing community with Brown Noise, MN BIPOC Kidlit Collective, MN Black Authors Expo, TruArtSpeaks, and The Loft. Katie Olson (she/her)Katie Olson is the Marketing and Sales Assistant at the Minnesota Historical Society Press. In this role, she manages publicity outreach, social media, influencer marketing, review and award submissions, event planning, ARC mailings, and more for 5–8 titles per season. Her career has included a variety of roles spanning digital marketing, advertising, project management, and publicity. She has over two years of experience in publishing and has held previous positions at Wise Ink Creative Publishing, Coriolis Company, and Lerner Publishing Group. Katie holds a BA in English and Strategic Communications (Advertising &amp; Public Relations), as well as a Certificate in Editing and Publishing from the University of Minnesota. Where &amp; WhenOpen Book (Target Performance Hall)1011 Washington Avenue S., Minneapolis, MN 55415Thursday, September 25, 2025 (**Please note that due to scheduling conflicts, this event is on a Thursday, not a Wednesday as is typical for MBPR panels.**)Check-in and networking begins at 11:30. The program starts at 12:00 and will run for about an hour. TicketsTickets are $20 for members and students. They are $25 for nonmembers with advanced reservation. If space allows walk-ins, those without reservations will be charged $30 at the door. FoodLunch will be provided for preregistered attendees. Parking and TransitThere is a small side lot next to the Open Book building (just past the building on the right as you are heading east on Washington; for those heading west, turn on 10th or 11th and go down the alley to access the lot). If the Open Book lot is full, other options are:* Meters along 10th and 11th* Guthrie ramp. Enter on 9th Ave (between Washington &amp; 2nd Street S)* Municipal parking ramp across from the Mill City Museum* Transit information is available at <a href="http://www.metrotransit.org/trip-planner" target="_blank">www.metrotransit.org/trip-planner</a>

Minnesota Book Publishers' Roundtable

September In-Person Event: Small Press PR

1011 Washington Ave S

MBPR Member

$20

Non-Member

$25

Student

$20