Supporting the hands-on workshops are lecture and teaching sessions that give students exposure to diverse types of publishing. Leading executives, acknowledged as industry experts, explore a broad range of publishing issues.

• Overview of Publishing (keynote address): Dominique Raccah, Publisher and CEO, Sourcebooks
• The Role of the Editor/Acquisition of the Manuscript/Making the Publishing Decision: Ben Loehnen, Vice President and Editor-in-Chief, Avid Reader Press, Simon & Schuster
• The Role of the Literary Agent: Sandra Bond, Owner, Bond Literary Agency, discusses how agents work with authors to represent their books to editors
• Birth of the Book: A discussion between Tiffany Quay Tyson, Author of The Past is Never, Skyhorse Publishing, 2018, and Karl Weber, President, Karl Weber Literary, former Editor and Publisher with McGraw-Hill, John Wiley & Sons, Times Business/Random House, Inc.
• The Business of Publishing - Making the Numbers Work: Nikko Odiseos, President, Shambhala Publications
• University Press/Scholarly Publishing, a Micro-workshop: Christie Henry,  Director, Princeton University Press
• College Textbooks/Role of the College Sales Representative: Priscilla McGeehon, College Publisher, Thames & Hudson; Reid Hester, Executive Editor, Psychology, SAGE Publications, 1995 graduate of the Publishing Institute
• Copyediting and Proofreading: Carolyn Sobczak, Editor, Kempe Center, 2005 Publishing Institute graduate.
• A Day with the Independent Publisher. A panel of experts from several houses across the country. Jack Jensen, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA; Sanj Kharbanda, Beacon Press, Boston, MA; Kirsty Melville, Kansas City, MO; Meg Reid, Hub City Press, Spartanburg, SC; Marina Tristan, Arte Publico Press, Houston, TX.
• Book Packaging/ Book Producing: Mike Oprins, Chief Executive Officer, Be Amazing Toys, and former Vice President, Group Publisher, Quarto Publishing Group
• Religious Publishing: Joel Fotinos, Vice President and Editorial Director, St. Martin's Press
• Children's Book Publishing: Virginia Duncan, Vice President, Publisher, Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins
• Production: Stacy Schuck, Production Manager, Hachette Book Group
• Book Design: Laura Drew, Creative Director, Quarto Publishing Group
• Digital Marketing: Anna Jarzab, Digital Marketing Strategist, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2005 graduate of the Publishing Institute
• Publicity: Todd Doughty, Vice President, Executive Director of Publicity, Doubleday/Penguin Random House
• Press Releases
• How to Get a Job -- a Discussion on Resumes, Interviews, and Making the Connections: Susan Gordon, President, Lynne Palmer Executive Recruitment Agency, and Katy Craig, Founder/Owner, Pavo Leadership, LLC., and 2003 Publishing Institute graduate
• Diversity in Publishing: Jalissa Corrie, Marketing Associate, LEE & LOW BOOKS, Inc.
• Digital Innovations in Publishing: Todd Stocke, Senior Vice President, Editorial Director of Sourcebooks
• Legal Aspects of Publishing: Jon Tandler, Attorney, Sherman & Howard L.L.C.
• International Publishing and Subsidiary Rights: Kristin Kliemann, Kliemann & Company Consulting, former Vice President, Subsidiary Rights, John Wiley and Sons, Inc
• The Role of the Wholesaler: Shawn Everson, Chief Commercial Officer, Ingram Content Group
• The Book Store
• Publishing Sales - National Accounts: Deirdre Dolan, former Vice President, Associate Sales Director, W. W. Norton & Company
• Publishing Sales - Partnering with the Independent Book Store: Arsen Kashkashian, Head Buyer, Boulder Book Store, and Meg Sherman, Sales Representative, W.W. Norton & Company
• Panel Discussion with Denver Publishing Institute Graduates. How they got their first jobs, what they are doing now
• A morning with Carl Lennertz, Executive Director, Children's Book Council and Every Child a Reader, Publishing Consultant, former Vice President, Marketing at Random House, HarperCollins and Little,Brown; followed by awarding of certificates and a graduation brunch reception