Questions You May Have About Planning an Author Visit

by Verla Kay

Children get excited when an author comes to visit them. They want to read more and write more. They discover that they don't have to necessarily work a nine to five job when they grow up. Ordinary people can grow up and do what they love to do and even get paid to do it.

Northern California is one of the best places to look. Use this website to find someone who lives near you. Go to the SCBWI NorCa Speakers' page and find the names of authors and illustrators who do school visits.

You can expect your author to be professional and to give your students a stimulating, exciting visit. The author should present you with a choice of programs, of varying lengths and content. Ask if their programs can be adapted to fit the needs of your curriculum. Some authors will have more programs to offer and will be more flexible in what they can do for your school than others. Much depends on how long the author has been actively giving presentations and what kinds of books the author writes.

When you find some likely candidates for your school, ask for references. All authors are not created equal and some give presentations that are better suited for younger age groups, some for older. Many can do equally well with all ages. Some authors work best in classrooms, others with large assemblies; some do a great job with both. It's up to you to make sure the author you bring in will give a presentation that will make you happy -- one that will satisfy your needs

An average pay range for authors for one half-day visit is from $100 for a brand new, inexperienced author's first visits up to $1500 or even more for a big-name author. If your budget seems likely to be stretched beyond hope, get creative with your planning.

Talk to other schools in the area and see if you can book more than one visit for your author. Some authors will give you a break on the price of your visit if you line up one or more other schools for adjoining days. Ask if the author offers a discount for this or anything else.

Host a booksigning event for your author and encourage all the parents to buy books for their children. Send order forms home with the children and let the parents buy the books ahead of time in the convenience of their own homes. Some authors offer a discounted price if you pre-sell a set number of their books.

Check with your local PTA or other parent-teacher organization to see if they will fund the event. Talk to your library, local organizations, and bookstores to see of any of them would be willing to fund this event.

Just ask! Author visits can include many things, including talking about what it's like to be an author and how a book is written or illustrated. Some authors also offer hands-on experiences for the kids, such as learning to write or draw, watching a gold-panning demonstration, or tasting old-fashioned johnnycakes made right in front of them.

Ask the author what kind of presentation they recommend for your age and size group. Ask how many presentations are included in their price, what they charge for extra sessions, and if they are even willing to do extra sessions! NEVER add on another session or extra children in a session without informing/checking with the author first. Some authors pre-prepare signed bookmarks and/or handouts for the children and they need to know the maximum number that will be in attendance.

Think about planning an event for the children, such as a writing contest for the children, with your author as the judge. The manuscripts are delivered or mailed to the author ahead of time, and award certificates are given out the day of the author's visit. One school that does this every year has included their local independent bookstore in the contest. The bookstore gives every winner of each grade a gift certificate to the bookstore!

Having a written contract between your school and the author is highly recommended. It can avoid hard feelings from misunderstandings and enables both you and the author to be assured that what the school is paying for is what the author is delivering. If your contract says, "payable at the time of visit," make sure you request funds far enough in advance to have the check waiting upon the author's arrival. If you know that the funds will be late, get written permission for the delay from the author BEFORE the visit. This is very important, as your author may be depending on the funds in order to pay for the trip and get back home again. For the most part, children's authors do not make a lot of money!

Tell the children ahead of time that the author is coming. Have them read at least one of the author's works so they are familiar with what the author writes. Get the children excited about meeting a real author or illustrator. Encourage the children to write down questions that they would like to ask the author and remind them to bring their questions to the author's presentation.

Plan to keep your sessions on schedule. If you have contracted for an 8:30 AM to Noon session, be sure your classes are ready to attend during those hours so you don't go over the allotted time. Some authors schedule more than one school visit in one day and don't have the flexibility to extend your hours.

If your author has requested any special equipment or tables, have them set up and ready before it is time for the event to begin. Be sure to remember extension cords, screens, projectors, or microphones if these are needed. A glass of water is often greatly appreciated. Be prepared to show the author where the nearest restroom is located, too. Tell the author before the session begins if the children will be bringing prepared questions to the session. The author will need to know if time is needed at the end of the session for questions.

Get the most out of your author visit by planning author or book-related activities as follow-ups. For example, if the author has written history or nature books, plan some sessions about that period in history or that nature subject for the week following the author's visit. The children will be excited and stimulated and will be more interested if you act quickly. Art projects, field trips, special writing projects, and hands-on exercises are all great ways to expand the author's visit and get the maximum benefit from it.

Author visits are wonderful! They trigger inspiration in the children, making them want to write better and more. They show the children that there are careers available to them that aren't necessarily 9 to 5 jobs. A successful author visit will leave your school and your children much richer for the experience.

03/19/01

Verla Kay