Independent Publishing and Industry Insiders Convene at BookCAMP 2026 for Multi-Day Publishing Conference

On April 24–25, 2026, authors, publishers, and literary professionals gathered at the DoubleTree by Hilton near Newark Airport for BookCAMP 2026. Hosted by Printed Word Reviews and publisher Ted Olczak, the multi-day educational conference and networking event aimed to give independent creators the corporate-level strategies as well as the guerilla techniques needed to compete in a rapidly evolving book market.

The intensive weekend offered attendees a highly focused curriculum broken down into three specialized learning tracks:

• The Business Track: Sessions provided deep dives into scaling author brands, licensing global rights, navigating book-to-screen adaptations, and breaking through the logistics required to land independent books onto the shelves of big-box retail giants.

• The Marketing Track: Industry leaders focused heavily on modern visibility tactics, including building publicity and marketing frameworks, Artificial Intelligence, pitching to independent bookstores, securing national media spots, and capturing market share in the booming audiobook space.

• The Writing Track: Craft workshops centered on mastering deep point-of-view, structuring sustainable book series, and understanding the specific elements required to secure a traditional or hybrid publishing deal.

  
  

Beyond the lecture halls, the event served as a high-value networking hub. Authors took advantage of dedicated "Meet the Expert" sessions, scheduling one-on-one consultations with literary agents, printers, marketers and publicists to get direct feedback on their current projects.

The weekend’s main event took place on Saturday night, April 25, with a joint gala dinner celebrating the winners of the Independent Press Award and the NYC Big Book Award. Held in the hotel's Garden State Ballroom, the evening featured a cocktail reception, red-carpet photography, and an awards banquet honoring standout independent literary achievements from creators across the globe. Attendees were from four different continents; and countries such as Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Sweden, United Kingdom, and across the United States. 

With social media feeds on LinkedIn and Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/independentpressaward/, still buzzing with photos of award wins and shared marketing frameworks, BookCAMP 2026 cemented its reputation as a vital annual accelerator for the indie publishing community.

BookCAMP 2027 has been announced for April 9-10, 2027. Tickets available at https://www.ipabookcamp.com/tickets.