Poco keeps my home office running while I'm visiting schools. Here he is, hard at work.
Dian has visited many schools in the U.S. and Venezuela. Please refer to the information below for details. If you'd like to invite Dian to your school, please contact Tracy: tm (at) cbltd.com.
Materials needed:
*a table for visual aids *projector for Power Point *a microphone (in large areas) *a podium with a light for the script
Gracie tries to help me write, but ends up taking over my computer chair.
Fees:
Schools: $1000 per day, plus expenses (for three full sessions, plus a brief session with the lower grades)
Libraries: $300 for a one hour author presentation (in Wichita) Outside of Wichita: $600 plus expenses
Expenses include airfare or mileage (if driving), meals on the day of the visit, and hotel accommodations.
Here is a sample schedule for an author visit:
Group 1: 9:00 to 9:45 Group 2: 10:00 to 10:45 Autographing: 11:00 to 12:00 (Autographing separate from the sessions allows one on one time with students) Lunch: 12:00 to 12:45 Group 3: 1:00 to 1:45 Autographing and visiting the lower grades: 2:00 until finished
Ten Tips for a Successful Author Visit
1. The most important tip: Prepare students by having them read (or be familiar with) the author's books. This seems obvious, but doesn't always happen. When students do not know anything about the "guest speaker," it's a lost opportunity to encourage writing and reading.
2. Encourage students to write down questions ahead of time. Some feel more comfortable reading their questions than asking them spontaneously in front of a group.
3. In addition to reading the books or hearing them read, younger students can illustrate a favorite scene or create book marks. Older students can write and share book reviews, write a commercial for the book, act out a scene, or make a class collage. One school built life-size dioramas of a few of the books--truly a "hands-on" projects.
4. Let parents know about the author visit. Some parents are aspiring--or published-- writers and enjoy sitting in on the sessions.
5. Have the author's books available for sale before, during, and after the visit. This is important, not because it's an opportunity for book sales, but because students have made a connection with an author, which makes a big difference in motivating them to read and write. (With a royalty of only two cents per paperback for book clubs and book fairs, money is not the reason authors want their books available to the students!)
Many poor readers will give the books a chance if they've met the author in person. For others, it generates (or re-charges) enthusiasm for their own writing. As a former elementary school teacher, I've seen the "magic" of this happen many times and it's priceless.
Local bookstores will handle book sales as a "book-fair" so the school receives a percentage of sales. The school provides the author's name and list of available books and the store does the rest, even sending someone to handle books and money the day of the visit.
Books need to be ordered EARLY (as soon as you know the author is coming) so students have time to read them. (I always receive last minute panic calls about books that haven't arrived yet, so please be aware that this process takes time.)
Pre-selling books is a good idea, but there will also be those who decide on the day of the visit that they want a book, and those who decide after the author has departed. (Can you tell I'm a former teacher?)
6. In the sample schedule above, a separate time is set aside for the author to autograph and visit one-on-one with students. One system that works well is to have each class, one at a time, send students with books to the autographing area so they can visit with the author while having their books signed.
If there are too many students to allow for individual signings, students can leave their books with a slip of paper inside, noting their name, class, and the name of the person to whom the book is to be autographed.
Note: Please let students know I will not sign slips of paper, body parts, etc. I'm at the school to promote reading and writing - - not my own name. I will provide a master sheet for bookmarks so that all the students can have something to take home.
Finally, please don't schedule autographing during the author's 15-minute break between sessions!
7. Consider having a drawing during each session for several books. The winners may have their picture taken with the author while their books are being signed. Other schools draw for "lunch with the author."
8. Have students make name tags for the session. It's helpful to the visiting author while he/she is answering questions, and greatly helps while autographing.
9. If the visiting author is driving to your school, please send a detailed map!
10. For further information about author visits, see: Terrific Connections With Authors, Illustrators, and Storytellers: Real Space and Virtual Links written by Toni Buzzeo and Jane Kurtz, published by Libraries Unlimited.
I
hope this information is helpful to you. And I wish you many successful
author visits at your school!
