PRHPS’s “On the Road: Berkeley” Event Connects, Informs and Raises Funds
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Penguin Random House Publisher Services (PRHPS) and many of their client publishers gathered in Berkeley, California for “On the Road: Berkeley,” an Ideas Exchange event on November 1 and 2. Todd Berman, Vice President, Business Development and Publishing Strategy for PRHPS, said, “On the Road events are a unique way for our publishers to connect with their PRHPS colleagues, other clients, and industry leaders. And it is invaluable to us to be able to see our clients on their home turfs.” 
The first day kicked off with a bookstore tour in San Francisco, where about 70 participants visited the famous Green Apple Books and City Lights Books. The next stop was the Berrett-Koehler offices, where everyone celebrated with a cocktail party that featured two appetizers from local client cookbooks, The Berkeley Bowl Cookbook (Parallax) and The Myrtlewood Cookbook (Sasquatch).
The “On the Road” conference took place the second day (November 2) at the DoubleTree Marina, Berkeley.
Featured speakers and panels included:
- What’s in the Bag: How Gift Reps Champion Your Books: Mary Margaret Callahan (Special Markets, PRH), Andy Armanino (Key Account Sales, PRH), and Linda Parrent (Key Account Sales, PRH) gave a behind-the-scenes look at who they are and how they get our clients’ books into niche locations in Northern California.
- Present Tense: What’s Happening with Indies Today: Alison Reid (Diesel, A Bookstore), Luisa Smith (Book Passage), and Stephen Sparks (Point Reyes Books) discussed tactics they employ to make their stores flourish in a complex bookselling landscape.
- Novel Ideas: How to Partner with Indie Bookstores: Calvin Crosby (NCIBA), Samantha Schoech (Independent Bookstore Day), and Paul Yamazaki (City Lights Books), in an engaging overview of the bookselling marketplace, these industry leaders explored the state of the indie bookselling landscape. Based on their experiences running prominent indie book organizations, they discussed the significance of relationships between indie bookstores and indie publishers and how clients can get more involved.
In the wake of the recent devastating fires in Northern California, PRHPS worked with two organizations, the Book Industry Charitable Foundation and the California Fire Foundation, to give PRHPS staff and clients the opportunity to support the California fire relief efforts. Penguin Random House matched their donations.