Insights from Sibert honor author Patricia Newman
As children’s book authors, we often focus on connecting directly with young readers. But there’s a crucial group of gatekeepers who are an important part of the nonfiction universe: teachers and librarians. Professional conferences offer an important opportunity to build meaningful relationships with them.
Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with Patricia Newman, Sibert honor author of environmental books like Sharks Unhooked, illustrated by Becca Hall, and Plastic Ahoy!, about her extensive experience presenting at education conferences. With more than 26 books under her belt and years of conference presentations, Patricia has mastered the art of connecting with educators. Here are her top five tips for making the most of these professional gatherings.
1. Collaborate, Don’t Just Present Solo
The secret to successful conference proposals? Collaboration.
“I think probably one of the biggest pluses you could add to any conference proposal is collaboration,” Patricia explains. “So it’s not just you standing up there talking. It’s you in concert with an educator, a librarian.”
When Patricia proposed “Kids Love Nonfiction” for the American Library Association conference, she partnered with a Sibert committee judge and a university lecturer who was formerly a school librarian. The librarians and lecturer were able to bring their expertise on reading and how nonfiction benefits young readers.
Action step: Start building relationships with educators and librarians in your network now. Look for teachers who might be interested in co-presenting, or reach out to librarians whose interest aligns with your books’ themes.
2. Focus on Adding Value, Not Selling Books
Remember: these conferences are continuing education, not book fairs.
Patricia emphasizes that successful conference presentations aren’t commercials for your books. “You are adding value,” she says. Instead, you must give clear takeaways that educators can implement in their classrooms or libraries. And these often must appear in the proposal.
When Patricia presents, she creates comprehensive resource folders that attendees can access via QR codes. These include educators guides, activities, and resource lists that directly support teachers’ and librarians’ work.
To do: Develop educator guides and classroom activities that complement your books. Think about how your writing or research process or subject matter expertise can help educators achieve their goals.
3. Make Your Presentations Interactive and Memorable
“They are dying for something new at these conferences.”
Patricia learned this lesson when she demonstrated a hands-on science lesson on ocean acidification at a conference. “The librarians leapt out of their chairs and surrounded me like little kids at a birthday party,” she recalls. “It was such a good feeling.”
Don’t rely solely on PowerPoint slides with text that mirrors what you’re saying. Instead, bring hands-on activities, stunning visuals, and interactive elements that will energize your audience. Patricia uses her access to amazing underwater and wildlife photos for her PowerPoints.
To do: Develop a demonstration or hands-on activity that educators can use in their classrooms. As a bonus, these showcase how captivating you could be for kids during a school or library visit.
4. Think Beyond the Big Three: Explore Targeted Conferences
Sometimes being a big fish in a smaller pond is more valuable than getting lost in the crowd.
While major conferences like ALA (American Library Association), NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English), and TLA (Texas Library Association) offer incredible reach, they can also be overwhelming and expensive. Patricia recommends considering specialized conferences that align with what you write about, as well as regional conferences.
“I am attending a conference in Lafayette, Louisiana… called the National Marine Educators Association. These are marine educators. I have six water books, people. These are my peeps.”
State-level reading associations, subject-specific educator groups, and regional library associations are smaller settings where you can make deeper connections without competing against hundreds of other authors.
To do: Research conferences related to the topics you write about and consider state or regional education conferences in your area. The California Reading Association and similar state organizations offer excellent opportunities with lower travel costs.
5. Build Long-Term Relationships Through Strategic Follow-Up
The conference is just the beginning of the relationship.
Patricia treats her newsletter as a relationship-building tool, using Mailchimp to tag attendees by where she met them and sending newsletters a couple of times a month. Her “Earth Day Everyday Newsletter” includes environmental headlines with classroom lessons using her books, plus personal touches like photos of her dog and granddaughter.
“These people are busy. They are overloaded with standards and tests and parent meetings… They want help, and they will look for help in lots of different ways. So be the help.”
To do: Create a simple sign up for collecting contact information at conferences or sharing your newsletter sign up(QR codes work great), and develop a newsletter strategy that provides ongoing value rather than just promotional content.
The Bottom Line
Conferences represent a significant investment of time and money, but Patricia views them as an essential part of her marketing budget. “Every business has a marketing budget, and this is my marketing budget. This is where I can feel like I can do the most good.”
The key is approaching conferences with the right mindset: you’re not there to sell books directly, but to build relationships and provide genuine value to the educators who serve children every day. When you focus on being helpful rather than promotional, those relationships naturally lead to book sales, school visits, and most importantly, books getting into the hands of young readers.
As Patricia says, “Usually what wows you will wow someone else, too. You just have to figure out how to tweak it, how to spin it, how to market it, to put it in the language that educators and librarians can grab hold of, and will be useful to them in their jobs.”
Want to learn more about Patricia Newman’s work? Visit her at patriciamnewman.com or find her on social media @PatriciaNewman. Her latest book, “Sharks Unhooked: The Adventures of Cristina Zenato Underwater Ranger,” illustrated by Becca Hall, is available from Millbrook Press.
🎙️ And don’t miss our full conversation on the Nonfiction Kidlit Craft Conversations podcast, airing July 4!
We’ll talk about:
- Crafting successful proposals
- Supporting your publisher’s marketing efforts
- Turning presentations into school visit leads
- And the power of long-term relationship building
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts or follow the link here.
