Category Archives: getting gigs

This refers to setting fees and promoting availability

TIP: Revisit Schools Every 5 Years!

Even though I had visited this school before, books sales were amazing, thanks to an enthusiastic librarian and principal!

Even though I had visited this school before, books sales were amazing, thanks to an enthusiastic librarian and principal!

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 head.  Of course!  Kids graduate. The new kids hadn’t heard me yet, and I had had a new book published in the meantime.

 So here’s my TIP: be sure to keep addresses for all your school visit contacts.  Every five years, send a postcard or letter reminding the school of what a great time you had when you visited, and name the year.  Tell them what’s new with you, and that you’d love to come back to meet their newest learners.

When Do Schools Look for Authors?

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,” were in the following months: September, October, November, March and April.