We’d love all of you who’ve joined The Digital Publishing Group via MeetUp (and any of your colleagues/friends) to now become part of our expanded community on Ning. You’ll benefit from being able to communicate with fellow members and learn about all the cool stuff we’re launching. It’s easy to join, and best of all, it’s completely free. You can also follow us on Twitter—@publishingpoint—and tweet about us using the hashtag #pubpt.

So here’s our new and improved mission statement:

Publishing today is being transformed. Whether we’re authors, agents, publishers, or booksellers—everything about the way we create, publish, distribute, market, and sell is changing.

A transforming industry demands a new type of organization, an organization that supports, encourages and enables change. The Publishing Point is that organization.

What is The Publishing Point? The Publishing Point is a community excited about change, a community that empowers professionals and inspires innovation. The Publishing Point is a forum that recognizes that change comes from all directions—from the bottom, top, inside, and outside our industry. The Publishing Point is a conversation where we share and debate the issues that shape everything we do.

The Publishing Point is about information, education, training, and news; it’s about the ideas and resources for our changing industry. But it’s more than that. The Publishing Point is a movement. A movement for those passionate about change—the changing reader, the changing book, the changing opportunities, and the changing industry.

Be part of the transformation. Be part of the future. Be part of the movement. Be part of The Publishing Point.

The second talk will explain the fundamentals of Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and how publishers can use highly targeted SEM campaigns to drive online sales. The strategic use of social media to build long-term connections between authors and readers will also be discussed.

Both talks will be given by Hanny Hindi, an SEO/SEM expert at Clickable.

You can sign up for these free talks here. The Digital Publishing Group can also be found on Twitter using hashtag #digpub.

We’re finalizing the schedule of events for this fall, but here’s a taste of what’s coming:

Andrew Savikas, VP of Digital Initiatives at O’Reilly Media, will be speaking to the group on September 8th.  I’ve heard him speak a number of times and have to say he’s one of my favorite speakers.  More information on his talk and RSVPs will be coming shortly on Meetup.

Seth Godin, bestselling author on marketing and a digital media expert, will be speaking on “How to Fix the Publishing Industry.” September 24, 12:30-1:30, Midtown Manhattan. Folks are encouraged to bring their boss/colleague or a key player in the publishing industry (or their office!) who is open to taking traditional publishing and turning it on its head. RSVPs to open on Meetup shortly.

We’re planning a number of other events, including a seminar on SEO (Search Engine Optimization)/SEM (Search Engine Marketing) and a brown-bag with Michael Healy, the CEO-disignee of the Book Rights Registry who will be explaining (in words we can all understand!) the Google Book Settlement. More information to follow on Meetup.

And if you can’t wait until the autumn for your DPG fix, we’re holding a happy hour on Thursday, August 20. Details are available on Meetup.

“Even in a world of Internet business precocity, Mr. Karp’s trajectory stands out. He started interning for the animation producer Fred Seibert when he was 14…soon, an employee of Mr. Seibert’s put him in touch with the owners of UrbanBaby, where he saved enough money to allow him to go to Japan….And when UrbanBaby sold to CNET in July 2006, Mr. Karp was able to cash out the sweat equity he’d built up.

“By the time Mr. Karp was 19, a new word had entered the lexicon: “tumblelog,” which referred to short-form blogging…Mr. Karp says he ‘kept waiting’ for one of the established blog platform players to set up a platform for tumblelogging. When, after a year, that hadn’t happened, Mr. Karp decided to do it himself.”

We can’t wait to hear David’s thoughts on the digital world.

The Digital Publishing Group is an industry group designed to educate, inspire, and empower publishing professionals to take advantage of the digital space. The group holds monthly events featuring talks by leaders in the digital realm. All industry professionals (and aspiring professionals), including publishers, agents, authors, bloggers, service providers, and booksellers are welcome to attend.

The Digital Publishing Group is sponsored by DailyLit (www.dailylit.com). Previous events have featured Debbie Stier, SVP and Associate Publisher of HarperStudio (co-sponsored by the Book Industry Study Group), Gail Glickman Horwood, SVP, Digital Programming & Strategy at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, and Neelan Choksi, CEO of Lexcycle/Stanza. For more information, visit the Digital Publishing Group’s site on Meetup.

Gail Glickman Horwood is SVP, Digital Programming & Strategy at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. Prior to joining MSLO she spent almost six years at Time Inc. serving as Executive Director, InStyle.com and Executive Director, Creative Development for Time Inc. Interactive overseeing web strategy and development for AOL Living and Time Inc.’s women’s brands including In Style, Real Simple, Cooking Light and Parenting. She was formerly the VP of Content for Zagat Survey, where she managed both digital and print product initiatives including the company’s expansion into movies, music, golf, and shopping. She was editor-in-chief of epicurious.com, an affiliate of Condé Nast Publications and a member of the launch team for that site in 1995. Prior to that she was Managing Editor/Style Editor of Worth magazine and an editor of Condé Nast Traveler. She is a graduate of Colby College in Maine.

The Digital Publishing Group, sponsored by DailyLit, is an industry group designed to educate, inspire, and empower publishing professionals to take advantage of the digital space. The group holds monthly events featuring talks by leaders in the digital realm.  All industry professionals (and aspiring professionals), including publishers, agents, service providers, and booksellers are welcome to attend.

If you’re interested in attending this brown bag lunch (for free), please contact Maggie Hilliard. She can be reached at events [at] dailylit [dot] com or on Twitter at @MaggieHilliard. (And don’t forget to follow @DailyLit on Twitter!)

We’re excited to announce the launch of the Digital Publishing Group (DPG), an industry group designed to educate, inspire, and empower publishing professionals to take advantage of the digital space. We’re planning to hold monthly events, and all industry professionals and students, including publishers, booksellers, and service providers, are welcome to attend. Our first event, co-sponsored by the Book Industry Study Group, will be a brown bag lunch on May 6 at the Random House offices in New York.  Debbie Stier, SVP and Associate Publisher of HarperStudio and Director of Digital Marketing at HarperCollins, will be speaking about “what’s next” for the publishing industry. There are a few seats still available for this free event; if you’d like to attend, please contact me (Maggie Hilliard) at DailyLit: mhilliard [at] dailylit [dot] com. You can also hear the latest about the group by tracking the #digpub tag on Twitter.