Christian publishers received crash courses this week on utilizing blogs to promote authors and improving their marketing to women during the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association's (ECPA) Publishing University (Pub U).

Held at the Westin Lombard Yorktown Center in Lombard, Ill., from Sunday to Tuesday, Pub U drew approximately 250 conference attendees from 60 Christian publishers who attended 42 sessions on numerous topics, including publishing, technology, rights, editorial, publicity, sales, marketing, production and design, ECPA officials said.

On Monday, Joe Wikert, vice president and executive publisher in the professional/trade division of John Wiley & Sons, was the keynote speaker on the topic of “The Joy of Blogging.” A former skeptic of blogging who has been a blogger for nearly three years, Wikert discussed the benefits, myths and challenges, and darker side of the Internet phenomenon.

"Blogging can make a difference for publishers and authors," he explained. "Develop a strategy. Learn from others. Leverage the openness. Your competitors are probably experimenting (with blogs), so shouldn't you? What can you do with your authors who are already blogging?"

Keynote speaker Michele Miller, a partner in the Wizard of Ads marketing firm, wrapped up Pub U Tuesday, when she spoke on "Hitting the Motherlode: The Vein of Gold in Publishing to Women." Miller, who writes a monthly marketing column for Inc.com as well as a blog on marketing to women, also led "ReThinking Marketing to Women," the most highly attended Pub U workshop, drawing 60 participants.

She discussed "The Seven Secrets of Marketing to Women": it is not a fad; women are wired differently; know who you are first; beware of soccer moms and graying grannies; get to know women from the inside out; speak to her in a language she understands; and embrace the marketing channels of the future.

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