Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - The printed page may be going the way of the silent movie so writers keen to learn about the latest innovations in digital publishing are being offered a look into the future at the 7th annual Puerto Vallarta Writers' Conference this month at Biblioteca Los Mangos.

Joe Staszak, Mexican director of ExLibris, a self-publishing group, and a senior consultant for the Printing Industry of America in both traditional and digital production workflow, promises to provide "a basic ABC of digital publishing" with a checklist of "must dos" before publishing a book digitally. In particular, Staszak will be introducing Puerto Vallarta writers to Apple's iBOOK2 which was launched on Jan. 12.

"What iTunes did for music, iBook2 will duplicate in spades for the publishing industry" Staszk predicts. He describes the device as a publishing system that includes interactive text, video, 3D, and almost any other visual-image trick the writer may care to add to his or her book.

"The world of publishing will be changed dramatically, along with our entire educational system," he says. "You won't believe how much power has been unleashed for small-and-large publishers (plus authors who want to publish digital editions on the iPAD or iPOD Touch.) Now, we can all use iBOOK2 for publishing powerful new editions and republish new augmented versions of existing books."

Staszak comes to Puerto Vallarta with 40-year career in publishing in nine languages. He was formerly director of the Regional Book Program for Latin America and was cultural attaché at the American embassy in Mexico City.

The conference will also include a keynote address by acclaimed novelist Jacquelyn Mitchard, workshops and seminars on Using Social Media, Writing Dialogue, Short Stories/Flash Fiction, Short Essays/ Journal Writing and Writing for Children, and a free book fair on the Sunday afternoon. All book fair profits go to support the biblioteca.

The 7th annual Puerto Vallarta Writers' Conference will be at Biblioteca Los Mangos on February 24-26. Registration is $125 US or $1,800 pesos and seating is limited so early registration is recommended. To register, go to the web page puerto-vallarta-writers-group.com. For more information email langton64a(at)aol.com. Those living in Puerto Vallarta can make payments at the Saturday writers' group meetings at the biblioteca. Others can pay by direct deposit or PayPal but be aware that using PayPal will cost an additional $5 USD.