CIPA committed the 2011-2012 year to building a resource system based on three components: monthly meetings followed by a more casual and intimate Focus Forum, and then supported by online class content that can be accessed at a member’s discretion.
Our first Focus Forum proved to be a great success with 18 in attendance, made up of CIPA members, nonmembers, and even a few interested parties who joined out of curiosity and stayed for the excellent content.
Barnes and Noble hosted our group and provided great information based on “The Customer Experience with eBooks.” Many of us were surprised with the information Martin Baker, Barnes and Noble’s Nook Manager, shared regarding Barnes and Noble’s partnership with independent authors. His guidance added to our resources and helped with book marketing and e-platform selection options.
Mandi Pralle, Owner of Visual Persuasion, followed with a conversation about what it takes to get a manuscript from an MS Word document to an Adobe InDesign and ultimately to an ePub format that can be used when setting up an account within either Barnes and Noble or Apple requirements.
While technical issues caused some difficulty with the presentations, the conversation was nonetheless lively and full of good ideas and experiences.
A special thank you to Martin Baker and Mandi Pralle for donating their time and expertise to teaching our members.
We are all looking forward to October’s meeting and the Focus Forums that will follow this year.