2026 Programming
Session Lineup
March Session
Putting AI to Work
in Publishing Data
This Event has passed
Data has always driven publishing—but the scale, complexity, and speed at which teams must interpret that data has changed dramatically. AI is reshaping how publishers forecast, plan, acquire, position, and market books by turning large, messy datasets into clear, actionable insights.
In this session, we’ll explore how AI-enhanced data analysis tools are optimizing every stage of your workflow. You’ll learn how publishers are using AI to analyze performance, predict demand, inform acquisitions, optimize inventory, and identify audience behavior patterns that might be impossible to detect manually. We’ll also walk through real examples of AI-assisted market research, title positioning, and metadata refinement that help teams make clearer, faster, more confident decisions.
Whether you’re evaluating comps, reviewing sell-through, or planning a seasonal list, you’ll leave with a deeper understanding of how AI reframes your data—and how to integrate these tools safely and effectively into your existing processes.
What You'll Learn
Attendees will walk away with:
- How AI models interpret publishing data—and what that means for forecasting
- Practical applications for AI in inventory planning, budgeting, and sales projections
- Tools for transforming raw data into clear dashboards and actionable insights
- Methods for using AI to strengthen comps research and audience profiling
- How to analyze backlist and frontlist patterns to inform acquisition and marketing decisions
- How metadata gaps affect visibility—and how AI can help you identify and fix them
- Ways AI can support list planning, season-over-season performance review, and trend analysis
- Real case studies showing how AI-driven insights improve revenue and reduce risk
Who Should Attend
This session is designed for publishing teams responsible for analytics, list strategy, budgeting, and audience development:
- Editorial & Acquisitions Teams
Use AI-driven insights to strengthen comps and forecast audience fit - Sales & Inventory Teams
Model demand, manage reprint decisions, and reduce overstock or shortfalls - Marketing & Publicity Teams
Identify emerging audience behaviors, optimize targeting, and refine metadata - Publishing Analysts & Business Operations
Evaluate AI’s impact on forecasting accuracy, budgeting, and list profitability
If you rely on data to guide your decisions, this session will help you make faster, clearer, more confident calls using tools designed for the realities of modern publishing.
Meet the Hosts
Guest Host:
Brooke Dobson
Co-Founder & Chief Commercial Officer, Shimmr AI
Brooke Dobson is a Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Shimmr AI, the first fully automated advertising platform built specifically for books. With expertise in economic forecasting, marketing analytics, and AI technologies, she brings a practitioner’s perspective on how AI can transform publishing.
As a non-technical leader responsible for Revenue and Operations, Brooke has built AI agents to systematically analyze campaign performance, validate financial data, and generate executive-ready insights—demonstrating how accessible AI tools enable teams to move from ad-hoc prompting to repeatable, trustworthy systems.
Her executive background spans AI-native SaaS businesses (COO, CSO, US President), and at Shimmr, she translates cutting-edge AI into practical, revenue-generating strategies for publishers. Her perspective is valuable for an industry seeking to unlock new audiences, scale discoverability, and make faster, data-informed decisions.
Keith Riegert
President of The Stable Book Group and CEO of Perfect Bound Technologies Group
Keith Riegert is the President of The Stable Book Group, which includes Ulysses Press, She Writes Press, VeloPress Books, Trafalgar Square Books, and Skybox Press, as well as Stable Distribution (in partnership with Hachette Book Group). Keith is also CEO of Perfect Bound Technologies Corporation and a co-founder of the book publicity and digital marketing firm, Pacific & Court. Keith is a member of the board of advisors at NYU’s School of Professional Studies in the Center for Publishing where he also teaches Analytics and Consumer Insights. Keith also serves on the boards of the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) and the AI firm, Inkbloom.
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly‘s reach spans continents, connecting books, business and readers through authoritative editorial, U.S. and international publishing news coverage, and high-impact marketing solutions. From nearly 8,000 reviews a year to international Show Dailies, PW shapes conversations across the industry. With 200,000+ digital subscribers, 64,000 print readers, and 1.5 million social followers, your brand is seen by the decision-makers who matter most.
Registration
Choose How You Join
What You Get with Every Registration
- Live 90-minute session with Keith Riegert and guest experts
- After Hours Session with Keith—live AMA held two weeks after each session
- Downloadable resource guide
- Full session recording, available for replay on demand up to 30 days post-series
- Replay access even if you can’t attend live