Tips for Participating on an Author Panel

On April 3-5, I participated in my first author panel at the State of Maryland Literary Association 2024 Conference in Baltimore, Maryland. The theme of the conference was Bridging Young Readers to Forever Readers. It was a wonderful time of networking and learning with fellow authors and educators. I had quite a few takeaways that I’ll use in my next panel experience.

Featured Panelist 101

Being featured on an author panel is a great way to introduce yourself and your work to a new audience. Since you’re not the main focus of attention, being a member of a panel may seem easier than doing a solo presentation, but it’s still important to prepare ahead of time to show yourself in the best light and bring value to the audience. Check out some of my learnings from my first author panel experience below:

Know the Panel Questions Beforehand – I was grateful that the moderator provided a list of questions he planned to ask beforehand. I typed out answers to all of them as a personal cheat sheet and planned out talking points, sound bites, and statistics that I wanted to mention. Had I not gotten the questions beforehand I would not have felt as prepared.

Familiarize Yourself With Other Panelists – Research the backgrounds of your co-panelists and familiarize yourself with their work, so that you can discern topics that you will agree on and those where you may have differing views. This will make for more engaging discourse. And you may make some new professional contacts and friends.

Check Your Bio – Since I’m a children’s author, the About the Author page on my website is written in a child-friendly manner, while I include another Media page with a bio geared towards adults. I was miffed when the moderator mentioned my love of peanut M&Ms during my introduction, while highlighting one of my fellow panelist’s Coretta Scott King Book Award.

I submitted my more professional bio to the conference representatives but wasn’t aware that the moderator might pull something else from my website. Next time I’m on a panel I will definitely ask about this! Also, make sure that the moderator can pronounce your name properly if you can do so before the panel begins.

Focus on the Audience – Think about issues that might be of concern to the audience and how you will address them ahead of time. Focus on topics that can help the audience members expand their knowledge, or give them takeaways they can use after the conference, rather than just trying to toot your own horn and business offerings.

Don’t be a Blowhard – I have strong feelings about the subject that was discussed on my panel, and I had to rein myself in a couple of times to ensure I gave other panelists a chance to speak. Be courteous to the other panelists so that they can get their points across and the audience can hear varied viewpoints on the featured topic.

Bring Your Book – I dropped the ball on this one. My debut picture book, THEY BUILT ME FOR FREEDOM: THE STORY OF JUNETEENTH AND HOUSTON’S EMANCIPATION PARK, released a month after my panel. I had an author copy I could have brought, but I left it at home for fear of losing it during my travels, since I needed it for a reading the next week. The other authors had copies of their books to display on the panel table, and I regretted not bringing mine. I did make sure to announce my book title, web address and social media handles, and several people in the audience looked me up and followed my pages from that, but not bringing my book was a missed opportunity. If your book is not yet released during the time of your panel, you can also make a printout copy of the cover to display on the table.

Don’t Rush Off After the Panel – If you have the time, hang around for a few minutes after the panel to answer additional audience questions. I made a few new connections this way.