AMP attends the Yale Publishing Course

From July 29 through August 2, a group of AMU associates honed their industry knowledge and gleaned new best practices as participants in the 2019 Yale Publishing Course. Presented by the Yale School of Management, the intensive course was attended by managers and executives in book publishing from all over the world.

Participants had the opportunity to learn or expand skillsets in leadership, consumer-insight-driven marketing and techniques for innovation. This year’s course included sessions on building brand strategy, leading cultural change and driving growth, among many others.

During the week, professionals learned practical wisdom from managers and executives at top publishers about every aspect of their business, from editorial, marketing and business strategies to digital transformation. “Attending the Yale Publishing Course reaffirmed for me that the passion for reading is stronger than ever across the globe, despite the constant evolution of the publishing industry.” said Senior Editor Jean Lucas. “It’s our mission to evaluate change and make it easier to choose reading over everything else as a habit.”

The open, interactive environment of the Yale Publishing Course encourages engagement and connection among participants. “I was able to make connections with professionals from almost every niche in the book publishing world — including Nigeria, The Netherlands, Peru, Brazil, Italy, Australia and Denmark — and I left with a million ideas on how to improve my department, mindset and communications with my colleagues,” said Audio Book Editor Charlie Upchurch.

Renowned Yale School of Management professors also lead sessions on current management research and techniques. “I learned that there is power and benefit to integrating ‘good disagreement’ throughout our business and thinking inside the box can make more sense,” said Lucas. “We need to ask ourselves, are we bringing the best out in our associates? What do we need to risk in order to grow?”

Also in attendance was President and Publisher Kirsty Melville, who has presented at the course for the past eight years. This year, she and Chief People Officer Susan Johnson led a session entitled “Accelerating the Pace of Cultural Change — Leadership Lessons (and Bruises) From a 50-Year-Old Startup,” presenting insights gleaned from AMU’s long history as a leader in the publishing industry.

“It was a whirlwind week cram-packed with information,” said Suzanne Garrett, Director, International Sales. “It was a great experience, and our goal is to apply some of what we learned here in KC!”