Recently, author Elizabeth Van Steenwyk, who usually talks to intermediate audiences, asked me for advice:
“I’ve got a school visit scheduled in October . . . I’ll be speaking to fifth graders, but that’s not what has me worried. The principal wants me to talk to first and second graders as well . . . What [...]
I appreciated the specific questions about my data projector that Jennifer and Mara asked in my last post. Because my response became a bit long, I decided to put it in its own post. Thanks for the great questions! (And Jennifer, I’m a techno-toddler, so if I can do this, you can, too!)
What model do [...]
I’m in transition from using transparencies on an overhead projector to using PowerPoint on a data projector. I’ve always loved the flexibility of using transparencies. With them, I can change sequencing in a blink of an eye to suit the needs of any audience without scrolling through endless screens. So, my author visit hosts smile [...]
In the past couple of years, many schools’ traditional sources of funding (parent organizations, booster clubs, etc.) have been called upon to support basic needs – copier machines, supplies, and sometimes even staffing. Finding funds for author visits, field trips, and assemblies can be challenging. Yet even when resources seem all tapped-out, there are pockets [...]
Whenever anyone contacts me for an appearance, I capture as much information as possible up front, whether they book me or not. I keep records on computer and ancillary materials (booking form, contract, program, maps, etc.) in a 3-ring binder set up with tabs for each month. (I’m sure that tech savvy folks could find [...]
I do my best to send a handwritten thank you note to my school visit, bookstore, library or festival host after an appearance. Why? The hosts have expended time and other resources to have me appear. My gratitude has always been appreciated, forging a closer connection between us. And there’s nothing more personal (and surprising) [...]
If you’re at the summer SCBWI Conference at the Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, CA on Sunday, August 1, come on over to my workshop from 10:45 – 11:45 a.m. (room TBA). Our topic is School Visits; Setting Fees, Getting Gigs and Delivering the Goods. I’ll be sharing lots of resources and looking forward [...]
To “make” more time for academics, many school districts across the country have chopped recess and axed assemblies. To make sure that you don’t fall victim to the “Dulling of American Students,” make your author visit program irresistible to administrators. When you describe your assemblies, show administrators how your presentation links directly to the curriculum [...]
Four principals surprised me this year by inviting me back to do assemblies for all their kids. “But I’ve already visited your school,” I said, thinking they might be having a memory lapse. “Yes,” they said, “but we have a whole new crop of kids here now.”
And that’s when the lightbulb went off over my [...]
Most schools’ parent groups (PTA, PTO, PTSO, etc.) change officers in late spring. Many work on assembly schedules in the summer. But also consider this: when I was cruising around Google AdWords recently, I discovered that greatest number of hits on the keywords “school visit,” “author visit,” “school author visits” and “author visits to schools,” [...]
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