The NAIBA Joe Drabyak Spirit Award
Susie Sonneborn,
Handseller of the Year
Becoming a bookseller is often the last thing a person expects to do while building a career in another profession. Such was the case with this year’s NAIBA Handseller of the Year, Susie Sonneborn, Book Fair Director and Children’s Bookseller at Watchung Booksellers: The Kids' Room in Montclair, NJ.
“After over 25 years of promoting literacy and the love of reading through teaching, I feel lucky to have found the perfect way to merge all of my passions, skills, and hobbies at Watchung Booksellers. Handselling truly brings me joy. I love connecting with customers and helping to build a deeper sense of community at our store and through our school book fairs. I relish the challenge and rewards of helping adults and children find their just-right books. The matchmaking, the curating, and the infinite possibilities for classes and events is all endlessly creative!” said Sonneborn.
Her bookstore colleagues sing Susie’s praises. “In addition to being a long-time light in our community, when Susie joined our team at The Kids' Room location, we were finally complete. She has an ability to instantly connect with anyone who comes through our doors, and brings her love and laughter to every interaction,” wrote Evelyn Moulton, Children’s Bookseller and Social Media Manager. “When Susie loves a book, she shares it in a way that makes people fall in love with it, too. I've seen her hand sell dense non-fiction to kids with such enthusiasm, it gets them excited to learn. She's built connections with so many customers; they keep coming back asking what Susie has been reading lately. We love Susie!!!”
Sonneborn, a native Chicagoan, holds a master's degree in education and social policy from Northwestern University and has decades of experience as a teacher and curriculum development specialist, integrating the arts into the core curriculum. She finds particular joy helping children develop their expressive voices and tap into their creative flow through improvisation and the arts.
“Susie connects deeply with customers, making handselling a personal experience. She understands the root of what customers are searching for in their next read, always understanding that gift-giving is nuanced. She congratulates children in their thoughtfulness in asking for books for their friend's birthdays, and is very attentive to their requests,” says Caroline Shurtleff, Children’s Bookseller and School Event Manger. “People seek her advice and trust her expertise. She champions quirky, heartfelt stories that are great read alouds. She makes sure each customer has a memorable experience shopping at our store.”
When Susie is not coordinating school book fairs or helping customers find their "just right" books, you can find her baking a tiny bit obsessively, enjoying nature with a big hat on, checking out cool art and performances or just hanging out with her husband and three remarkable and delightful sons. It's rumored that Marcel Marceau and Second City's Tim Kazarinsky shaped most of Susie's hopes and dreams.
NAIBA is proud to present the 2025 Joe Drabyak Spirit Award to Susie Sonneborn at the NAIBA Awards Dinner on Tuesday, August 5 at the Marriott Marquis in Atlanta during New Voices New Rooms.
Previous winners of the NAIBA Joe Drabyak Spirit Award are:
2024 Oscar Almonte-Espinal, Uncle Bobbie’s, Philadelphia, PA
2023 Nicole Brinkley, Oblong Books, Rhinebeck, NY
2021: Anna Weber, White Whale Bookstore, Pittsburgh, PA
2020 & 2022: Award was on hiaitus because of Covid.
2019: Jarrod Annis, Greenlight Bookstores, Brooklyn, NY
2018: Allissa duBois, Otto Bookstore, Williamsport, PA
Jean Aiello, University Store (Univ of Pittsburgh) (Lifetime Achievement Award)
2017: Alex Brubaker of Midtown Scholar Bookstore in Harrisburg, PA
2016: Kathy Rodgers of Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach, DE
2015: Sean Curran of Doylestown Bookshop in Doylestown, PA
2014: Michael Fortney of Chester County Book Company in West Chester, PA
2013: Alicia Michielli of Talking Leaves... Books in Buffalo, NY
2012: Rob Dougherty of Clinton Book Shop in Clinton, NJ
2011: Ellen Mager of Booktenders Secret Garden Children's Bookstore in Doylestown, PA
About Joe Drabyak
In honor of NAIBA President and friend, the late Joe Drabyak, NAIBA has created the Joe Drabyak Spirit Award to recognize booksellers who put their passion for books into practice with marketing and promotions.
Joe Drabyak was renowned in the industry for his creative promotional efforts. He could build excitement around any title with unusual events (have you heard about Joe's Nuts?), clever pairings, and handselling talent.
For Joe, a good book was a wonder to treasure. His wife, Reggie Painter, remembers: "He would often say to me while I was reading a good book, "Isn't it wonderful to have a good book to read?" Not only did Joe revel in the having a good book to read but got such a thrill out of putting it in the hands of someone else to enjoy as much as he did. He would sit at his lunch table at the store reading up to the very last second of his break. He could advise a customer on which new authors were not to be missed. He relished the advanced reader copies from publisher reps and most of all those precious manuscripts that authors would send him for his opinion. After reading one such manuscript, Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden, Joe told Mark that it would be nominated for a National Book Award. When it was nominated, Mark invited Joe to attend the National Book Awards Dinner at Atlantic Grove's table with Mark's wife, mother, Buzz Bizzinger, and Morgan Entreken," Reggie said. "It was the only time I would ever see him in a tux."
Joe captured the essence of a book with his witty quotes, which often appeared in a book's promotional campaigns. His skill creating non-author store events captured the unwary customer with enough intrigue to sell the book. He had a loyal following and even those who didn't know him would always pick up a Joe's pick, because they could confidently rely on Joe's solid recommendation alone.
There is a Joe inside many booksellers, and we want that spirit to stay alive and flourish. Nominate the bookseller in your life who shares their passion for books with customers in creative, fun, and unusual ways. Tell us a little bit about them and how they enhance the handselling experience. The winner will be recognized by their NAIBA colleagues at the annual conference, and receive a complimentary packet of all the Fall Conference event tickets, along with a $500 travel stipend.