An Interactive Webinar Series
February 13-27, 2024
While Doors Open Publishing has concluded for 2024, all sessions are available to view now!
To view the recordings, you will need to register with your name and email. Please follow the links below to access the recordings. Transcripts of all recordings are also available.
Session Recordings
Session 1: Editorial
Moderator: Anita Chong (Penguin Random House Canada, McClelland & Stewart)
Panelists: Yash Kesanakurthy (HarperCollins Canada) and Kelly Lewars (Oxford University Press)
Time: Tuesday, February 13, 6:00 PM EST
Perhaps the most ubiquitous role in publishing, the editor oversees a wide scope of work. This session will cover the educational and professional path to the editor’s role with three editors from some of Canada’s largest trade and educational publishing houses. Our panelists will then discuss the challenges of the editor’s role and how publishing houses can expand the kinds of stories they tell. Additional topics will include:
- How do editors find and acquire the books they publish?
- What does the working relationship with the author look like?
- What educational or professional experiences are beneficial in an editorial role?
Join Anita Chong (Penguin Random House Canada, McClelland & Stewart), Yash Kesanakurthy (HarperCollins Canada), and Kelly Lewars (Oxford University Press) for a decisive overview on how editors shape today’s publishing landscape.
Session 2: Production
Moderator: Christie Hanson (Penguin Random House Canada)
Panelists: Yolanda Pigden (McGraw Hill Education Canada) and Dina Ginzburg (Scholastic Canada)
Time: Wednesday, February 14, 6:00 PM EST
Production boasts a varied and dynamic department tasked with getting physical books and digital materials out to the general public. This session will introduce you to the professional and educational experiences that can lead to a career in a production department, in addition to providing an in-depth overview of how production works to produce print and digital resources. Additional topics will include:
- What are the different roles available in a production department?
- What does the process of producing digital materials like e-books look like in contrast to producing print materials?
- What skills and experiences would transfer to a production role?
Join Christie Hanson (Penguin Random House Canada), Yolanda Pigden (McGraw Hill Education Canada), and Dina Ginzburg (Scholastic Canada) for an insightful overview on one of the most dynamic and challenging departments in publishing.
Session 3: Art and Design
Moderator: Gigi Lau (Penguin Random House Canada)
Panelists: Yvonne Lam (Scholastic Canada) and Michèle Guevara (Scholastic Canada)
Time: Thursday, February 15, 6:00 PM EST
Art and design play a crucial role in providing a visual landscape for books and novels. This session will cover the educational and professional experiences of designers from different trade and educational publishing houses across Canada. Speakers will also walk you through the design process of creating the artwork for your favourite books. Additional topics will include:
- What are the different types of design in publishing?
- What types of roles are available in an Art and Design department?
- What technical and professional skills or experiences would be beneficial for an Art and Design profession?
Join Gigi Lau (Penguin Random House Canada), Yvonne Lam (Scholastic Canada), and Michèle Guevara (Scholastic Canada) for an extensive breakdown on the exciting opportunities in this expanding sector of the publishing industry.
Session 4: Marketing and Publicity
Moderator: Randy Chan (Harlequin)
Panelists: Kathaleen McCormick (Oxford University Press) and Sylvia Chan (Penguin Random House Canada Young Readers)
Time: Tuesday, February 20, 6:00 PM EST
Book marketing and publicity are different departments that work together to promote and amplify authors and their works. This session will cover the wide range of creative and technical skills and experiences that brought these book marketing and publicity professionals to their career paths today. Speakers will also provide an overview of the similarities and differences in marketing and publicity departments, and how they’ve created and executed effective and exciting marketing and publicity campaigns. Other topics will include:
- What is the difference between marketing and publicity departments and what makes someone better suited for each department?
- What education and professional experiences are important for a successful marketing or publicity career?
- What role does the author play in marketing their books?
Join Randy Chan (Harlequin), Kathaleen McCormick (Oxford University Press), and Sylvia Chan (Penguin Random House Canada Young Readers) as they share their different publishing paths and provide an overview of their exciting fields.
Session 5: Sales and Customer Success
Moderator: Rachel Coffey (Wiley)
Panelists: Léna Pestaluky (Scholastic Canada), Calyssa Erb (Scholastic Canada), Mirwais Akbari (McGraw Hill Education Canada)
Time: Thursday, February 22, 6:00 PM EST
Right at this moment, a sales team is hard at work getting your next favourite book on the shelves of bookstores or working with educators to share educational digital resources. In this session, sales professionals will explore their educational and professional paths to their current careers before outlining the everyday duties of their departments. They will then discuss how a sales team builds strong relationships with their clients beyond just the closing of the sale. Other topics will include:
- What are the different types of sales?
- What is “customer success” and how do you work with the customer through this process?
- What are the kinds of skills or experiences that would be beneficial in a sales position?
Join Rachel Coffey (Wiley), Léna Pestaluky (Scholastic Canada), Calyssa Erb (Scholastic Canada), and Mirwais Akbari (McGraw Hill Education Canada) as they provide an insightful breakdown of the intricate and fast-paced world of sales in trade and educational publishing.
Session 6: Data and Digital
Moderator: John Mani (Scholastic Canada)
Panelists: Mike MacDougald (Oxford University Press) and Sarah Seto (Penguin Random House Canada)
Time: Tuesday, February 27, 6:00 PM EST
Data and digital departments are rapidly evolving sectors of the publishing world. In this session, panelists will explore the skills and experiences that led them to their current, data and digital-driven careers and the differences between data and digital departments. This session will also reveal how these publishing professionals are integrating the latest data and digital developments to inform publishing decisions from sales to marketing to developing and selling e-books, audiobooks, and other digital resources. Additional topics will include:
- What software or technical skills are necessary in a digital publishing department?
- How does a digital department differ from a data department?
- How do digital elements improve accessibility in publishing?
Join John Mani (Scholastic Canada), Mike MacDougald (Oxford University Press) and Sarah Seto (Penguin Random House Canada) as they provide a decisive overview of how data and digital departments are changing the publishing landscape today, and into the future.
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