On Thursday, May 1, 2014, students, faculty, and friends of the MS in Publishing program were invited to the Spring 2014 David Pecker lecture. Cevin Bryerman, Publisher and Vice President of Publishers Weekly, and the 2013-2014 David J. Pecker Distinguished Professor, presented his lecture, “The Power of PW.” Professor Raskin, the Chair of the MS in Publishing program, gave Mr. Bryerman a warm welcome and thanked him for his support of the program. Mr. Bryerman has been in the magazine business, working at the helm of both trade and consumer magazines, and in strategic planning, business development, and partnerships for more than 25 years.
It was amazing, indeed, to see the power that Publishers Weekly possesses in the publishing industry. Mr. Bryerman laid out the details of how PW has affected publishing throughout its 150-year-long publication. Publishers Weekly, like other print magazines, has had to spread its property into the digital realm where it has also been successful. The magazine produces many types of publications that suit the needs of both the everyday consumer and the industry buyers. PW releases 9,000 book reviews each year, making it a very important tool.
Even though magazines may be declining in their print forms, they are still thriving, like Publishers Weekly, in other forms. In each of those forms, whether through print, online, the app, or on a smart phone, PW reaches over one million people. Those one million set of eyes are important when it comes to which books are chosen for review. Every year, tens of thousands of books come in with the hopes of receiving a PW review.
Bryan Kinney, the Marketing Manager at PW, and Carl Pritzkat, PW’s Vice President of Business Development and President of Booklife.com, also gave some great insight to where Publishers Weekly is going in terms of the online world. It was great to learn that the magazine is always on the cutting edge of what is new in technology and social media. In order to attract attention in today’s fast paced world, and to keep that attention, it is necessary to have team members like them who can guide our favorite print publications onto digital platforms as well.
Where will Publishers Weekly take the publishing industry in the next ten, twenty, or even 150 years? It is exciting to imagine what the future will hold.
Thank you to Cevin Bryerman, for your knowledge and insight as this year’s David J. Pecker Distinguished Professor. The David J. Pecker Distinguished Professorship, which enables Pace to recruit and invite publishing leaders to teach and lecture within the MS in Publishing Program, allows Pace Publishing students to learn from the most successful, innovative, and influential people in the publishing world; deepens the connection between students and the industry; exposes students to the latest insights, innovations, and trends in the business; enhances the program’s already-glowing reputation, and allows it to compete both locally and nationally.
Publishers Weekly offers a special subscription rate for students. Subscribe today!