My SCBWI 2023 Winter Conference Experience

The call came in early fall. Laurie Miller, The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrator’s (SCBWI) Manager of Events and Special Projects, invited me to lead a marketing intensive at their 2023 Winter Conference. I would teach two, two-and-half hour marketing classes for authors.

“Sign me up!” I said, doing a happy dance as I clicked off the Zoom meeting.

Things got even better when I learned that Jane Friedman, a publishing industry guru I’ve followed for years, would be teaching a segment on author websites as part of the marketing intensive.

Five months later, I was on a plane headed to New York City for the organization’s first in-person conference in three years. I give most of my talks to children at school visits, so I felt a little nervous, but I was excited to share marketing tips I’ve learned through my experiences in self-publishing and studies as an MBA graduate.

At the registration desk I was excited to run into author friends, who I’d only interacted with virtually.

The evening before the conference officially started, my literary agent, Sara Megibow of KT Literary, treated me and some of her other clients to a delicious dinner at a nearby Asian restaurant. It was great to socialize with other creatives.

The next morning, the conference kicked off with a bang with an incredible keynote by Marlee Frazee, award-winning author of the movie-adapted picture book, The Boss Baby. Most of us were in tears as Frazee poignantly touched on how she weaves her personal experiences into her stories to make them more impactful.

“It’s what’s personal and specific to us that resonates with other people,” she said.

Once Frazee wrapped up, we were released to begin the intensives, and I headed to the breakout room for my class. Every chair was filled in the medium-sized room, and the students were eager to get information on marketing their books. It was fun sharing my knowledge and learning from the class as they participated in the discussions.

In the afternoon, Jane Friedman gave a great talk on web design that reminded me of updates and enhancements I need to make on my own website. That evening there were fun socials where were offered drinks and light bites as we networked.

Awards were announced on Sunday, and a panel of agents gave their take on the state of publishing. Afterwards, I hosted my final session, focused on social media marketing.

My group was very engaged and added plenty of thoughtful insights during the presentation. At the end, we created a Google docs form so that we could follow each other and stay in touch.

I skipped the afternoon session and keynote to eat and rest a bit before the closing book signing activity, where I chatted with other featured authors and attendees who’d bought my book.

SCBWI’s 2023 Winter Conference was an exhilarating whirlwind that ended all too soon. I would definitely return to a national SCBWI event, even if I’m not a featured speaker. The learnings and connections made are invaluable, and it was a great experience I’ll never forget!