Free monthly educational programs on a wide range of topics of interest to publishers
One of the most PCPA valued member benefits is our robust series of practical PCPA Third Thursday webinars!
As the name implies, these are 1-hour educational webinars on a wide range of topics of interest to those publishing for Christians. Generally, the facilitator speaks or offers a PowerPoint or video for 20 to 40 minutes, then the balance of the time is reserved for discussion and Q&A among the participants.
In addition, from time to time, we offer special webinars on timely topics on a day other than the "Third Thursday" of the month. These are also listed below in date order.
Please note: There is no PCPA Third Thursday webinar in February 2026 due to a scheduling conflict.
Interested in past PCPA Third Thursday webinars? They are recorded and may be found on our Vimeo Channel.
Do you have an idea for a topic or webinar presenter? Please contact Beth Lewis, Executive Director for PCPA.
Upcoming Webinars
Register to attend these upcoming webinars, which are all FREE for employees of PCPA member companies and are generally available about one week after the event at the PCPA Vimeo channel.
All PCPA Third Thursday webinars are scheduled for 1-2 p.m. ET (US & Canada) and are held on the Zoom platform.
Pre-registration is required. All pre-registrants will receive a link to the Vimeo recording of the webinar about 2 weeks after the event.
Have ideas for topics or speakers you'd like to hear on a PCPA Third Thursday webinar? Please send your suggstions to PCPA Executive Director Beth Lewis.
2026 PCPA 3rd Thursday & Special Webinars Calendar
- January 15, 2026 AI That Thinks With You: Custom GPTs in Publishing for Smarter Pitches and Market Insights led by Jannis Baltuttis of knkSoftware
- February 19, 2026 (no webinar due to scheduling conflicts)
- March 19, 2026 An Introduction to Audio Book Delivery Methods, and other accessibility aids", led by Dr. Skylar Covich
- March 26, 2026 Special PCPA webinar: How Christian Publishers Can Reach Gen Z with SPCK (note: This month's webinar will be at noon EDT/11 a.m. CDT/10 a.m. PDT because our facilitators will be Zooming in from London)
- April 16, 2026 China Market Developments: Impact on Publishing and Printing led by Michael Qian of LinkedPrint (note: This month's webinar will be at 9 a.m. EDT/8 a.m. CDT/6 a.m. PDT because our facilitator will be Zooming in from Shanghai where it will be 9 p.m.)
- May 21, 2026 Help all readers read better, led by Klaus Krogh of 2K/Denmark
- June 18, 2026 Future-Proof Your Metadata: Accessibility, AI, GEO & More, led by Joshua Tallent of Firebrand Technologies
- July 16, 2026 Updated: Empower Creativity with Automations: Designing Better Books Faster led by Emma Elzinga of Inksplatter Design
- August 20, 2026 Print with Purpose: A Publishers Guide to Vetting Printers, led by Brandie Herrell of Friesens, Matt Kennell of Versa Press & Joe Upton of Gasch Printing
- September 17, 2026 Pains in publishing and a possible cure led by Klaus Krogh of 2K/Denmark & Tyler Carey of Westchester Publishing Services
- October 15, 2026 topic TBD, led by Alex Murphy of Stison
- October 29, 2026 special webinar, Technology Selection for Publications Discoverability led by Mark Harvie-Watt and Miranda Harvie-Watt, co-founders of Inkara
- November 19, 2026 What AI Really Costs a Publisher: Tokens, Time, and the Realities of AI in the Publishing Industry with Rod Elder & Cameron Verrells of Virtusales
- December 17, 2026 topic TBD, led by IPG
Three No-Budget Changes That Drive Revenue:
More sales, better metadata, and happier authors
without buying new software
October 15, 2026
1-2 p.m. EDT/noon-1 CDT/11 a.m.-noon MDT/10-11 a.m. PDT
Description
Many publishers have revenue sitting quietly in their backlist: rights no one has licensed, titles buried under the wrong subject codes, and contracts or production files no one can find. None of these are exotic problems. They’re what happens when rights, metadata, and royalties all live in different places.
In this practical session, Alex Murphy will walk through three changes your existing staff can start the following week, using the tools you already have. No purchase, no budget request.
Wha you will learn:
Find it: How to run a contract check and rights snapshot on your top 50 backlist titles, including which contracts may reach a reversion trigger in the next 24 months.
Find it: How to run a contract check and rights snapshot on your top 50 backlist titles, including which contracts may reach a reversion trigger in the next 24 months.
Sell it: A metadata hygiene checklist for your 100 bestselling titles, from REL codes and Thema to keywords and audience fields.
Deliver it: How to confirm you actually have the files needed to license a title, plus a simple three-sentence author update that builds trust between royalty statements.
Every attendee will receive a free one-page checklist for each action. The first 40 minutes are entirely vendor-neutral, followed by a brief demonstration and time for Q&A.
Who should attend?
Rights, editorial, production, marketing and finance staff. Especially valuable for smaller houses, where no one’s job description includes tracking down missing contracts or watching reversion dates.
Your instructor:
Alex Murphy, Managing Director
PCPA Adjunct Member & 2026 Platinum Sponsor Stison
Alex Murphy has over 25 years of experience in publishing, firstly working in the newspaper industry and now in his current role as Managing Director at Stison. He is passionate about helping businesses succeed and has a proven ability to deliver on clear strategic goals.
Alex is clearly focused on customer service and satisfaction. He has an ability to understand complex processes and explain situations in a clear fashion. He is known for sharing his insights as well as for his excellent communication skills.
Alex uses his particular strengths in strategic planning, understanding of technology, project and program management, SaaS and cloud-based solutions to assist Stison’s clients discover and implement solutions that will help them succeed in the rapidly changing publishing and media industry.
Alex is a graduate of Birkbeck, University of London.
To keep his creative side in check, Alex can also occasionally be found working as an Actor and a Magician!
Technology Selection for Discoverability
October, 29 2026
1-2 p.m. EDT/noon-1 CDT/11 a.m.-noon MDT/10-11 a.m. PDT
Description
The publishing world is awash with new technology, tools and everyone claiming to be able to help you reach new audiences, increase your title discoverability and guarantee more sales. But which promises yield the results?
Inkara will focus on how enhanced automated content can deliver tangible results. Providing a much needed an extra pair of hands to the Marketing, Sales and Rights teams.
We will cover how Content Automation - using your ONIX - enables every title in your inventory to be
A) Beautifully represented on Amazon+,
B) Enjoy a full cross platform marketing campaign - website, socials, & email, and
C) Enable your teams to create Rights and Sales catalogues/PDF's on the "Fly".
Saving huge amounts of time and money.
Join us for what promises to be exciting and leaving you wanting more!
Who should attend?
This is for Marketers, Digital team, the Rights and Sales team
Your instructors:
Mark Harvie-Watt- CEO
Inkara
Mark is the visionary behind Inkara, and is the platform architect. He has 30 years experience building web publishing having jointly founding Supadu back in 2010.
Mark studied Architecture at Yale University. He has worked with Clay for more than 25 years.
Miranda Harvie-Watt - Co-founder
Inkara
Miranda is joint founder with Mark, responsible for strategic development, client adoption and marketing. She co founded Supadu in 2010 and despite training as an attorney after University has worked in publishing for more than 30 years.
What AI Really Costs a Publisher: Tokens, Time, and the Realities of AI in the Publishing Industry
November 19 2026
1-2 p.m. EDT/noon-1 CDT/11 a.m.-noon MDT/10-11 a.m. PDT
Description
Join industry experts Rodney and Cameron for an exclusive webinar unpacking the realities of implementing Artificial Intelligence in the publishing industry.
While AI offers incredible potential, navigating its integration can be complex. In this session, Rodney and Cameron will draw directly from their real-life experiences working alongside publishers to reveal what truly works, what doesn't, and why setting up an integrated, trained AI model into your existing workflow is the most sustainable way forward.
Wha you will learn:
We are cutting through the hype to bring you practical, actionable insights based on actual publisher experiences. During this session, we will explore:
- Real-Life AI Scenarios: Discover how publishers are actively using AI right now, highlighting the tangible benefits they are seeing and the critical pitfalls they must avoid.
- The Integrated Approach: Understand the negative consequences of isolated AI interactions versus the operational power of embedding a trained model directly into your publishing workflow.
- Strategic Decision-Making: Explore the various AI options available for specific publishing tasks and how to choose the right tools for your unique process.
- Cost & Output Implications: Learn how to navigate the financial impact of different AI decisions and anticipate the varying qualities of output based on your chosen strategy.
Who should attend?
Publishing professionals, workflow managers, and operational leaders looking to understand the practical applications, costs, and necessary strategies for successful AI implementation.
Your instructors:
Rodney Elder, EVP
Virtusales
Rodney Elder has worked in the publishing industry for 20 years across North America, Europe and Australasia, with clients including Macmillan, Harvard, Princeton and the United Methodist Publishing House, implementing new technologies to support process efficiencies and best practice. Over the past 18 years, Rodney has led the operations at Virtusales North America.
Cameron Verrells, AI Solutions Architect
Virtusales
Cameron Verrells joined Virtusales in 2022 after graduating with a BSc in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence. With a background in Natural Language Processing and Supervised Machine Learning, he leverages his expertise to collaborate with customers on AI and Machine Learning developments within BiblioSuite.
How to Optimize Maximize Amazon Sales
December 17, 2026
1-2 p.m. EDT/noon-1 CDT/11 a.m.-noon MDT/10-11 a.m. PDT
Description
In recent years, we have seen Amazon disincentivize the discoverability of books on their platform. That is why it is important that as an industry we stay up to date on the latest ways to maximize sales potential. We can boost all of our sales together if we can show Amazon that we can sell books effectively. Amazon is an ever-changing game that rewards trending searches and product clicks. This webinar aims to teach publishers how to get the most product page interaction as possible.
What you will learn:
1. How to optimize a listing.
2. How to keep your books in stock.
Who should attend?
C-suite and sales team members
Your instructor:
Joe Matthews, CEO
PCPA Adjunct Member & 2026 Lunch Sponsor IPG
Joe Matthews joined Independent Publishers Group in 2006 and has represented the company as the CEO since January 2016. He’s spent the last 10 years building traditional relationships, streamlining operations, and propelling IPG’s strategic initiatives. Under his leadership, IPG continues to find ways to innovate and grow in the changing landscape of publishing while remaining loyal to its core principle to support the expression of ideas, art, and culture from independent presses around the world. Now in 2026, Joe has seen IPG come to be one of the last independent distributors in the US.
