Back from KidLit Blogger’s Conference and rarin’ to go
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Just returned from The 2nd Annual Kidlit Bloggers’ Conference in Portland, OR and my head is swimming with great ideas and plenty of inspiration. What a joy is was to spend a day with people who love children’s 
books so, and to meet some folks I’ve admired from afar. People like Phillip Lee, the founder of Lee & Low Books and now a podcasting wizard, Alice Pope, the unstoppable force behind the essential 2009 Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market , Mark Blevis, half of the team that brings the world the delightful Just One More Book podcasts, the our old friend Anastasia Suen, one of the best and most prolific authors in all of children’s lit and… well, the list could go on and on.
I’ve barely begun to internalize all the juicy info, but a few things stand out:
* The future belongs to those who band together. Group blogs and strategic alliances between writers, librarians, booksellers, educators, parents and publishers are the way to cut through the clutter and get the word out.
* Podcasting and video blogging will become as important as text-only blogs. And soon. And I intend to be all over it.
* The days of experts sitting on the mountaintop and proclaiming how things will be are over. Everyone has a voice in what will come next.
I’ll have more to say as I settle back in. For now, head over to http://kidlit08.blogspot.com/2008/09/posts-about-conference.html and see what other attendees are saying….
September 29th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Hi Jon! Thanks so much for coming! I like what you say about “strategic alliances” — it sounds very “Survivor”! Look forward to seeing you at future events.
(And big congrats on the black belt!!)
September 30th, 2008 at 9:34 am
Hi, Jon! I’m sorry we didn’t get to meet at the conference. I agree with you about the future belonging to those who band together…the internet has not only made it easy, but necessary. One thing the conference made clear to me is that finding one’s community and becoming an active part of it is essential. That lone voice howling in the wilderness is going to be increasingly harder to hear over the chatter of communities!
October 15th, 2008 at 9:38 am
Hi Jon, I am making my way through all the great posts. Thank you for attending the conference. I am sorry I did not get to chat more with you. I will be stopping in on your blog in a regular way.