Please join us Thursday, September 24, as we launch our new Professional Development Conversations series. Each of these informal gatherings will present a different guest speaker on a variety of topics important to publishing people.

For our first gathering, PPN welcomes Heyday Books Finance and Operations manager Keasely Jones, whose career has been one of the most varied of anyone we know in publishing. Keasley stumbled into publishing in 1989, joining Peachpit Press just after its inception and mucking about with sales, marketing, foreign rights, operations, logistics, data systems, business management, and human resources. After its acquisition by Pearson, he served as Associate Publisher, Business Manager, and Digital Operations Manager. Keasley’s vast experience has placed him front-and-center in helping publishing houses find their footing through such major disruptions as mergers and reorgs, the shock of 9/11, and today’s global pandemic. Through it all, he has demonstrated a knack, not only for keeping businesses afloat, but also for retaining culture and connection among its people.

Keasley will share what he’s learned through managing widely disparate publishing groups, then we’ll open it up to your questions and discussion. We’re hoping you will come away with some strategies for managing businesses and staying positive through these times.

If you are a new, long-time, or prospective member the Virtual Tour of the Institute will orient you to our building, include an overview of our history and mission, and outline our current services and the benefits of membership. Tours typically take 45 to 60 minutes. We hope this will whet your appetite to see the Institute in person once the shelter-in-place order lifts.