Members of the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) and the Publishers Association of the West (PubWest) have voted unanimously to combine into a single entity this week. PubWest held its vote on November 13, and IBPA voted on November 19, to approve the new arrangement, which goes into effect July 1, 2025.

With 3,000 members, IBPA is the largest publishing association in the U.S. PubWest has about 150 members, and some 25–30 organizations presently belong to both associations. As the consolidation date nears, “PubWest members will be migrated into IBPA’s database, and a new category of membership will be created to serve the unique needs of established independent publishers,” PubWest executive director Michele Cobb said.

PubWest was founded in 1977 and IBPA in 1983, so “these are two organizations that have been advocating on behalf of independent publishing for 40-plus years,” IBPA CEO Andrea Fleck-Nisbet told PW. By combining, the two associations expect to be in a better position to share resources and benefits.

IBPA and PubWest recognized an opportunity “to bring everyone together who operates in the independent publishing space, especially in this moment in time,” Fleck-Nisbet said. “Considering what happened with NBN and the fact that the world is changing rapidly, we want to create one unified voice for independent publishers, without them having to go to multiple places. And the same is true for our sponsors, our advertisers, our publishing partners. Everybody wants to consolidate and focus, because that’s what’s going to make us stronger.”

Previously scheduled meetings and events will continue as planned. PubWest 2025 will take place in New Orleans, February 11–13, and IBPA’s Publishing University, known as PubU, will meet in St. Paul, Minn., May 15–17. IBPA and PubWest affirmed that member benefits will remain available, and association relationships across the industry—including PubWest’s partnership with the Book Manufacturers Institute—would stay in effect. “Even though there might be one less association, we’re still going to be partnering,” Cobb said.

In addition, because both associations have separate boards of directors, leadership, and staff, plans are under way for a smooth transition. “Michele and I have very different but compatible skill sets,” said Fleck-Nisbet. “Michele brings association expertise to her role, and I’ve spent over 20 years in the publishing space. By combining the two of us, especially when we’re onboarding and making sure that our boards of directors and programs are in line, I think we’re set up for success.”

Cobb added that “there’s a guarantee that several members of the PubWest board have the opportunity to become members of the IBPA board,” ensuring that institutional history is preserved. “There are already people who are intimately familiar with both organizations on the IBPA board, so continuity is going to be there regardless, but we’ve set in place that two members of our board will move into IBPA,” and others may apply. At present, Tieshena Davis serves as IBPA board chair, and Amy Barrett-Daffin is PubWest board president.

According to Fleck-Nisbet, this consolidation is an opportune time to develop “specific lanes” for the many types of IBPA members. IBPA has three classes of membership—publishers, publisher partners or service providers, and associates—and a variety of publisher business models and distribution abilities in every class.

“IBPA's membership is as large as it is because we have author-publishers, we have tiny indie publishers who are only accessing the market through IngramSpark or other places, and we have established publishers,” Fleck-Nisbet said. IBPA plans to review its “services and networking and peer-to-peer opportunities based on business types,” and will add student members, which PubWest already has, to its associate class.

Cobb also looked forward to the changes ahead for PubWest. The organization had been in conversation about how, despite PubWest’s name, “we’re not just the West,” with members hailing from across North America. Ultimately, PubWest voted “to widen our circle” with IBPA, Cobb said, and the combined associations can provide “that real value of being in the room with people who are in the same boat as you and having the same challenges. Can we do that together? The answer’s been a resounding yes.”