BookCAMP Magazine Lands Publishing Executive Brian O’Leary for New Quarterly Column Following BISG Retirement

BookCAMP by Printed Word Reviews, a publishing industry publication and ecosystem dedicated to empowering authors and publishers, today announced a major editorial addition: industry futurist and supply chain expert Brian O’Leary will join the magazine as a quarterly columnist.

The announcement comes at a pivotal moment, arriving following O’Leary’s June 2026 retirement as Executive Director of the Book Industry Study Group (BISG), where he spent a decade serving as the industry’s chief diplomat. Stepping away from institutional constraints, O'Leary's new column will offer an unvarnished look at the operational friction points facing modern publishing.

“Securing Brian at this exact moment is an incredible scoop for our BookCAMP readers,” said Ted Olczak, publisher of Printed Word Reviews. “For 10 years, he had to navigate the diplomacy of representing the entire ecosystem: publishers, printers, distributors, and retailers alike. Having just presented at the American Library Association 2026 in his last official capacity, now he can speak with total candor. Our readers are getting direct access to one of the sharpest minds in media infrastructure, entirely uncensored.”

O’Leary's new quarterly BookCAMP column, ‘Friction Factors,’ will bypass generic industry retrospectives to tackle the gritty realities of publishing. Readers can expect deep, actionable dives into critical infrastructure questions, may include items on Global Sales; BISAC; AI Crossroads; and Tech Stack Realities. 

Within hours of the Executive Director's official retirement, Olczak sprung into action to capture O'Leary's first post retirement interview. Olczak had so many questions for the former Executive Director that their interview will be released in three separate installments.

“Publishing changes fast, but too many of us are still relying on yesterday’s rules of thumb,” said Brian O'Leary. “I'm looking forward to my quarterly BookCAMP column to share thoughts on key industry issues, how publishers can ditch outdated habits, master the operational side of books, and build more resilient paths to market.”

Known for his ability to translate dense logistical concepts into relatable real-world economics, O’Leary’s column promises to expose the hidden operational blind spots, like how poor metadata spreadsheets directly bleed thousands of dollars at retail, and turn complex macro-trends into immediate competitive advantages for independent publishers.

O’Leary’s debut column will appear in the upcoming issue of BookCAMP magazine, https://www.printedwordreviews.com/bookcampmagazine.