Independent Book Publishers Association

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The Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) is a nonprofit group that supports independent publishers through advocacy, education, and practical tools. It has more than 3,500 members, making it the largest publishing trade association in the United States. IBPA began in 1983 as the Publishers Association of Southern California (PASCAL), later became the Publishers Marketing Association (PMA), and adopted its current name in 2008. In 2025, PubWest joined IBPA, bringing its members into IBPA.

IBPA’s members include independent publishers, as well as publishing service providers, printers, distributors, students, and authors. Membership for publishers starts at $155 per year.

Mission and focus
- Advocacy: IBPA supports independent publishers in industry matters and offers resources such as the IBPA Industry Standards Checklist, the IBPA Book Award, the Hybrid Publisher Checklist, and the DEI Resource Center.
- Education: IBPA provides webinars, Publishing University (a two-day indie publishers’ conference), roundtables, podcasts, magazines, and an online forum to share best practices.
- Tools for Success: IBPA runs marketing programs to help members reach bookstores, librarians, reviewers, rights agents, and the media, and it negotiates discounts on services like printing, shipping, warehousing, design, and editing.

IBPA Book Award
Established in 1985 (formerly the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award), it honors independent publishers and self-published authors for excellence in editorial quality and design. The awards span several categories and involve more than 190 judges from IBPA members and the broader publishing community, who select winners and provide feedback to authors.

Publishing University
This is a two-day networking and educational event for independent publishers, featuring learning labs and a book award ceremony.

Standards and guides
- Since 2017, IBPA has published the Industry Standards Checklist to help ensure professional book presentation.
- In 2018, IBPA released the Hybrid Publisher Criteria, a list of 11 criteria to help authors understand what makes a professional hybrid publisher.
- IBPA also offers a free guide, Publishing Models and Author Pathways, explaining eight types of publishing business models.

Cooperative marketing
IBPA runs cooperative marketing programs to help indie publishers reach key markets, such as bookstores, librarians, reviewers, international rights agents, and media.