Author Archives: Alexis

Choosing Volunteers

 

So, you’re facing 250 kids in an assembly.  You’ve asked a question.  Or you’ve invited volunteers to join you on-stage.  What’s the best way to choose respondents or participants?

 Kids are all about fairness.  They want you to be equitable in your choices. So I try to make sure that I choose kids from a variety of grade levels and classes.

 Here’s how I do it.

 LARGE GROUPS:  When I’m warming kids up at the start. I say, “Raise your hand if you’re a kindergartener,” and they raise their hands.  I go all the way up the grade levels, noting where each group is sitting. Later, when I call on volunteers, I do my best to choose kids from each grade level and a variety of classes within that level. I’ve found that one kid becomes the hero for that grade, making everyone feel as if they had participated themselves because they know the person who was chosen.

 SMALL GROUPS: When I’m in a small group, I say, “I have only one rule.  When I say , ‘Any questions?’ you can raise your hand.  When I call on a kid, all the other hands must go down so that you can listen to the question and the answer.  When I’m done answering, I’ll say, ‘Next Question?’ so you’ll know when to raise your hand again.”  It’s important to choose kids from all sides of the room.  Most speakers favor right or left, front or back, so be aware of where you tend to look to make your choices and be more equitable. 

 AUDITIONNING: For my book THE RECESS QUEEN, I “audition” kids for the main role.  As I stand in front of the assembly of kids, I make a mean face, stamp my feet and say, “I need a girl who can do this.”  Kids immediately mock my facial expressions, and I quickly choose the first girl who mirrors this energetically.

 READERS’ THEATER: When my assembly focused on my book, LOUD EMILY, I had kids volunteer to do Readers’ Theater.  This made teachers nervous because not all of the kids I chose were great readers. But this worked out fine because, as the narrator, I stood behind each actor when it was his or her turn to speak, and helped them with words they weren’t sure of.  I can’t tell you how many times I chose kids with really limited language abilities (by accident!), but they really shone in front of the whole assembly. For my picture books, I prefer this to having teachers choosing the “best” readers. But, I do think that texts for middle grade or YA Readers’ Theater might benefit from readers with a good command of language.

 Kids love to be on stage.  They love to ask questions.  And if they feel that you are being fair in the way that you choose volunteers, they’ll relax and enjoy the experience.

 

 

6 Mistakes Authors Make in Assemblies

Mistake #1. Opening weakly

Solution: Get attention! Invite the audience in immediately with a startling statement or image, a communal action (singing, chanting, clapping in rhythm) – anything that commands attention and shows the kids that the program is in your capable hands.

 

Mistake #2. Being unaware of audience reaction

Solution: Learn to “read” the room.  Are kids getting restless? Beginning to chat? Turning away from your presentation?  Time to switch up the content or pace and get them refocused.

 

 

 

Mistake #3. Speaking too softly, quickly or monotonously

Solution: Practice breathing, projecting, slowing the pace and speaking with lots of expression. Even if you think you have a voice like a foghorn, it will sound strained to those in the back of the multipurpose room.  Be sure to use a microphone. And don’t talk to the screen or easel – face your audience.

 

Mistake #4. Using visuals or props that are hard to see

Solution: Aim for the kids in the back of the room.  Make props oversize. Be sure everyone has a clear view of your props and the screen

 

Mistake #5: Going overtime

Solution: Appoint a timekeeper to give you warnings at 10 minutes, 5 minutes and the end. Keep your eye on the clock so that you can adjust your pacing.

 

Mistake #6. Failing to create an ending with impact or with a call to action

Solution: If you like to incorporate a Q & A into your assembly, don’t end with it – place it just before the ending. Wrap up by sending the group out with one last anecdote, a summary of the points you made in your presentation or an appeal for them to do something (Be sure to read! Write! Start a book club!)

Answering Fan Mail

There’s no doubt that getting both snail mail and email mail is a thrill (to quote Sally Fields, “You like me! You really, really like me!”), but the time it takes to respond can take a huge chunk of time out of a writing schedule. Some of the letters are clearly class assignments and have a monotonous sameness. Yet many are truly original, with the students’ clear voices and passion shining through. Here’s how some authors handle the fan mail issue.

Pete Hautman:   “I respond to all emails, but I’ve given up responding to snail mail, unless it is a truly exceptional letter. For one thing, the cost of mailing a postcard exceeds the probable royalty I received on the book sale. Also, the letters my publishers forward to me are usually three or four months old, so the kids have already forgotten they wrote it, or more likely they’ve already written me off as an unresponsive jerk.” Pete gives specific advice to correspondents at his website.  

Roland Smith:  “Up until a couple of years ago I answered every email I received, but that got to be way too time consuming. Now everyone gets an auto-reply with some basic information about me and the books and refers them to my website.” Roland also posts current information through his blog, Facebook, and Twitter. “The point is that anyone who is interested can easily get their questions answered, or post a comment about me or my books, with a couple of keystrokes.. The only [snail mail] letters I answer are those that include a SASE. I felt guilty about setting this up [but] I have 3 or 4 more hours a day to write, which is what I think my readers really want.”

Alan Katz::  “Frankly, I DO answer every email. In my book, OOPS!, I challenged kids to figure out ‘which poem I wrote in the bathroom’…and when they write with a guess, I always send a ‘you’re right’ or ‘you’re wrong’. . .often with a new poem. Then, of course, they write back to say they can’t believe I answered them. It usually stops there. 

Alex Flinn:  “I would never not take e-mail, and this is because I occasionally get something wonderful. I think this is because I write, or have written, issue books. . . I do remember that, as a teen, I wrote a letter to, of all people, Erma Bombeck and got a nice-looking letter, probably from her assistant, but signed by her, and I actually still have it.” 

Dan Gutman:  “[Teachers and kids may not realize that] I have no secretary or assistant. There’s nobody at the publishing company who responds to reader mail for me. I do everything myself. I reply to every single reader email I get, and I spend hours every day doing it. But responding to paper mail is even more time consuming. So to save my sanity, I send those people a signed postcard with a printed message thanking them and saying ‘Due to the volume of mail I receive, it’s impossible for me to reply to letters individually. . .’ ”

Lisa Yee:  “There’s a clear difference between getting letters that are school assignments and letters from true fans. I spend more time on the ones from kids who write from the heart, and not for a grade.”

If you find yourself overwhelmed with the project of responding to fan letters and emails, here are some ways to streamline your time:

 • Write one class letter addressing each child’s questions. If more than one child asks the same question, say, “José, George and Devon asked: “What is your favorite book of the ones you have written?” and then post one answer. Group all questions into one letter. The teacher can run copies of your response so that each question is acknowledged and each child can have a copy.

• When you receive a packet of letters from a school or class, send a signed thank-you postcard to the class in response.

• Have a pre-slugged response to email inquires, which might include referring them to a Q&A section on your website.

• Add this note to your website regarding snail mail: “If you would like a reply, please include a self-addressed stamped envelope.”

What are your solutions to the fan mail issue?

10 Must-Haves in Your School Visit Contract

Whether you have a formal school visit contract, a letter of agreement or terms worked out through email, when booking an appearance, here are some main items you should address, in writing, with your host:

  1. Date(s) of event
  2. Honorarium: Specify how much you will be paid and when the payment is due.
  3. Expenses: When traveling afar, expenses that the host reimburses are typically travel (mile, airfare, train), food and lodging.
  4. Number of Sessions: This might include any combination of assemblies, workshops, classroom visits and autographing.  I highly recommend that you require approval of the schedule in advance of the visit.
  5. Grades and Size of Audiences
  6. Equipment & Physical Set-up: Specify what equipment the host needs to provide, what you will provide and how you need to have the room set-up for your program.
  7. Selling Books: If you require a book sale, identify who is responsible for ordering books, collecting money and returning unsold stock.
  8. Cancellation clause: This clause is for any cancellation of your visit by the school that is not due to that is not due to an act of God.
  9. Inability to perform: This is basically a “reschedule” clause in case something happens to you (illness, death in the family, etc.) where you cannot appear on the scheduled date.
  10. Recordings: You might want to require signed permission from you which also specifies that you retain all rights to any recording in any format made during your visit.

Other resources:

Get It In Writing 

Sample Lecture Contract

Packing

Really – is there anyone out there who loves packing? I have suitcase envy. I keep searching for the perfect carry-on that can contain my clothes, school visit props, handouts, hostess gift, and computer (and, sometimes, data projector) and still be light enough to lift into the overhead compartment. I haven’t been successful yet.

As you’ll see in the photos below, none of my exquisite luggage matches.

From left to right: Carry-On, Backpack, Suitcase

I go for the lightest items possible. I do know some authors travel only with one carry-on and a toothbrush (I’m so jealous!). Usually these are folks who carry only a flash drive with their PowerPoint show on it and trust the school to have the right equipment. (I’m not that brave yet.) One female friend dresses only in black. (An East Coast thing.) A male friend wears the same sports jacket and trousers for traveling & assemblies and takes along one or two shirts for variety. (If only!)

But here’s how I’ve managed to condense my gear, so far.

Carry-on: This contains All That I Need to Do My Assemblies — in other words, the one suitcase I need to keep close tabs on: 4 of my books to display, props, data projector, hostess gift, handouts and my PowerPoint on a Flash drive for backup. I can live without P.J.s. but not my show!

Data projector & powerstrip go in my carry-on. Netbook usually goes inside my backpack.

Props for two books go inside this small backpacck inside the carry-on. (Cat is not included.)

These props are tucked inside the hat, which goes into the little backpack inside the carry-on.

These props go inside the paper bag, inside the carry-on.

Backpack: I stuff my purse, netbook computer, Kindle, snacks and data sheets for host, hotel & flights in here.

Suitcase: My assembly outfit is a “costume.” Translate to mean something “artsy” from Chico’s or Coldwater Creek that is impervious to wrinkles. If I’m doing more than one school visit on a trip, I’ll take an additional top. I throw in sweats, P.J.s, requisite undergarments, cosmetic case and a flashlight in case of emergencies.

Do you have any packing tips to share? Can you tell I need advice?!

Latest Buzz Phrase for “Educational Standards”

Author and teacher Darcy Pattison has an interesting post on her “Fiction Notes” blog: “What Do New Education Standards Mean for Writers?”  The new buzz phrase and acronym for curriculum or educational standards is Common Core Standards (CCSS).  While Darcy’s post focuses on how to use CCSS to inspire story ideas, you can use them in two very powerful ways as a school visit presenter:

  1.  To help you write a promotional school visit brochure or web page copy that uses “EducationSpeak” to connect better with teachers and librarians (see my blog post o July 14, 2011)
  2. To help you create program objectives that connect your books and activities directly with core content standards at various grade levels.

 Here are links to each grade level’s curriculum maps that will give you an idea of expectations at grade levels k-12 in English/Language Arts

Brochure Overhaul for School Visit Promotion

This summer, suggest to your writers’ group that you devote one session to critiquing each others’ school visit brochures. If you’re like me, you keep cranking them out (or, if you’ve had them done at a printer, using them up) without giving them a second glance.  But is your brochure really doing the trick?  Is it outdated?  Is it convincing a potential host that the benefits of bringing you in will justify the cost?

Here are some elements that you should consider when you do brochure revisions.

Purpose: Your brochure is a school visit sales tool.  It should give potential hosts a taste of your personality, your program format and your presentation objectives as they relate to the curriculum. It should also clearly identify you as the author of your most recent or most popular books.

Bio:  Make the text fun. Use a family photo.

Program: Describe your program including what you will do, how you will do it, and how your content links with the curriculum.  Tell how much time you need for school assemblies. Mention if they can select any add-ons such as workshops, and send them to your website for details. 

Fees: I don’t suggest putting your fees in the brochure as this will date it quickly.  Have readers contact you or go to your website for details. 

Books: Include images of one or more of your most recent – or most popular – books.

Testimonials: Won any awards? Have a terrific quotable quote about a dynamite school visit? Include them. (Warning: be selective!)

Layout. Brochures are usually on 8.5” x 11” paper, printed on both sides and folded in thirds. This makes them easy to display or mail. White space is inviting to the eye. When designing the layout, leave lots of white space. I do all my layouts using Microsoft Publisher, a very simple and flexible program to learn.

Current headshot: People want to know what you look like today.

Contact information: Be sure to include your website and/or email address

 Remember – whatever you can’t fit in your brochure can be described at your website.

Do you have a school visit brochure that really works for you?  Send me a pdf at info2@schoolvisitexperts.com so I can see it, too!

Freshen Your Images and Props

 If you’ve been using the same props and PowerPoint show for over a year, it may be time for an overhaul.

Are your props large enough to be seen at the far end of the multipurpose room?  If not, you’re leaving out a significant portion of your audience. Consider taking time this summer to exaggerate the props you have or find new ones.

In terms of images, kids love to see family photos.  Do you have some to add to the mix?  Or perhaps ones you haven’t used before? They can be of you as a kid – or you with your family today.  If you have a special pastime, throw in some images of that, too – knitting, pet shows, gardening, Thai Chi classes, beach volleyball, doll collecting, gaming  — anything you do for fun that rounds you out as a person.  And these images are great conversation starters. You never know which audience members, kids and adults alike, will share the same interests.  Don’t think, ‘Well, they can find that on my website.”  Bring it to them.

My dad built this rink in our backyard in Wakefield, Massachusetts where Kathy & I practiced moves in our new Carol Heiss ice skates.

Fresh images can also spark a new angle on your presentation, new insights as to what informs your writing or illustrating life.  So, take time to review what you have, what you do, and how you can shake things up a bit to make more connections at school visits next season.

Getting Referrals

 Piggyback on your existing contacts in your school visit database to help generate invitations for the coming year.

 If you followed my advice in a previous post, you’ve entered the names and addresses of your past school visit hosts into a database. 

 The next step is to print labels for all the schools you visited last year.  Send a note (preferably handwritten as these are more impressive!) to your hosts, thanking them again for inviting you to visit their schools.  Ask if they would be willing to pass along your name to a colleague at another school or organization in their district or another district.  You might consider enclosing a stamped postcard so that all they have to do is address it, write a quick note and pop it in the mail.  Time this to arrive after school reconvenes in the fall– and after the big crush of post-summer mail is delivered – so that your notes don’t get lost in the shuffle.

 You can write these notes at the beach, pool or park throughout the summer.  You’ll be amazed at how painless this task is when its spread out over time.  They’ll be all ready to pop in the mail in September.

 

Creating a Contact Database

If you’re like me, you look forward to the summer months to catch up on your writing, free from the time drain of school visit travel. But you’ll find yourself in better shape when the school visit season cranks up again this fall if you spend just a couple of hours a week getting organized in July and August.

Organizing your school visit contact information is a great place to start.

If you haven’t done so already, transfer your contact information to a database that you can sort and resort in a variety of ways. The simplest way is to create a table in Word, or other word processing program, with the paper in landscape format. Eight simple columns might include:

 • Date of contact (i.e. the day you met or the day you visited the school)

• State

 • City 

 • Email of host or contact

• Host/contact Name, Address (e.g. Jean Jones, Village Elementary School, 1050 Main Street, Appleton, NY 13421)

 • Position (e.g. teacher, librarian, principal, PTA Programs VP, etc.)

• Source (e.g. school visit, conference, workshop, service group, etc.)

• Notes on the experience

By having the columns “state” and “city,” you can quickly sort and see where the bulk of your contacts are and where you might need to make more.

The “date” column shows you when it might be time to approach them to suggest a new visit (usually 5 years following the initial visit, after the kids have cycled through the school)

And from your “Address” column,” you can create mailing labels for future marketing endeavors.

For those of you who are more adept database creators, you can design a similar form using an Excel spreadsheet program or Access database program. For example, if you learn how to use Excel after you’ve already begun your table in Word, you can easily transfer the data from the Word table to Excel. But I’m still at Square One with these programs, so a Word table is the simplest answer for me.

Do you have a different database program that you’ve found useful? Have any tips on keeping track of contacts? I’d love to hear about them!