Category Archives: tips

This refers to short bits of school visit advice.

Authors on Stage: Picking Up Performance Tips

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LOGO - WNY ChBookExpo - MonkeySeeAre you working on a new presentation? Or perhaps trying to beef up an old one? One of the best ways to get fresh ideas is to see authors and illustrators in action. And festival showcases are a perfect way to see many all in one spot in a single day.

Case in point: on Saturday, November 14, 2015 from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., over 30 authors and illustrators are appearing at the first-ever Western New York Children’s Book Expo at Kleinhans Music Hall in Buffalo, New York. (And, full disclosure, I will be among them, doing a presentation from 12:30 – 12:45 p.m. at the Buffalo News Literacy Corner, and signing books all day, so stop by!)

Because a festival crowd is fluid and multi-age, the showcases are only 15 minutes long. By observing authors, you’ll pick up tips on how they open, what they focus on, how they engage the audience, and how they wrap up in such a short amount of time.

This extravaganza is being organized by Kim Krug and Kathleen Skoog and their team at Monkey See, Monkey Do…Children’s Bookstore of Clarence, NY. In 2012, the store received the Women’s National Book Association (WNBA) Pannell Award, given out to recognize and publicly applaud the work of booksellers who stimulate, promote and encourage children’s and young people’s interest in books. Then in December 2014, author and philanthropist James Patterson gifted Monkey See, Monkey Do…Children’s Bookstore with seed money that started things rolling, and local businesses are helping to bring this to the public for FREE.

For more information on the WNY Children’s Book Expo (location, schedule, book pre-order discounts) click here.

For a downloadable flier, click here. Pass it along to your friends in Western New York!

Tense About School Visits? You Don’t Have to Do Them

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Get out of Jail Free3Are you the kind of author or illustrator who finds doing school visits to be excruciatingly painful? You don’t enjoy being on-stage during assemblies. You’re exhausted thinking of the energy it takes to be social off-stage with school personnel. You need lots of quiet time. But when you published your first book, someone told you that to be a children’s book author, you have to do school visits.

Well, I’m about to give you your “Get out of Jail Free” card:

• It is perfectly okay to never, ever do a public appearance.
• It is perfectly okay to take a break from doing appearances.
• And it is perfectly okay to focus all your energies on creating your next book.

It’s true that there are lots of benefits of doing school visits – connecting with readers, selling books, earning extra income. But if this causes more pain than pleasure, don’t do them.

So let’s back up a bit. Why are you a reluctant presenter? It’s possible that you are a true introvert. However, it could be that other circumstances are making you hesitant to do appearances. Here are five major challenges and solutions to think about:

Challenge: Family Obligations
Situation: Your kids may still in school, or your aging parents need attention. Schedules are crazy, and it’s difficult to justify time away from home. You want to squeeze out every moment of togetherness with you family while you can, and still write more books.
Solution: Limit appearances to within driving distance of your home. Do half-days (mornings only) so you can still pick up your kids at school. For appearances further away, consider doing virtual school visits via Skype, teleconferences or e-mail interviews. Map out days within a month that you will be available to do schools, and schedule all within that time frame

Challenge: Job Juggle
Situation: You are employed at another job to pay the bills consistently. Your time-off is limited.
Solution: Give your new books a big push at launch time, then ease off.  If your family doesn’t mind, use vacation days for big events. Check with your employer about flex-time and trade evening or weekend hours for a day when schools are in session.

Challenge: Fear
Situation: You hate to ____ (fill in the blank with your own travel nightmare i.e. fly, drive, pack, etc.) and will do anything to avoid it.
Solution: If you fear flying but want to travel, either plan enough time for taking a train or bus, hire a driver, or enroll in a program such as www.gogetterjetsetter.com. For fear of packing (the thing I not so much fear as hate to do), check out www.onebag.com.

Challenge: Lack of Skill or Experience
Situation: You like the idea of doing school visits, but don’t know what to do for a program. Or you’re worried that the kids will get out of control
Solution: You’re in luck. Go to past blog posts on SchoolVisitExperts.com for advice. (You’re reading one now!) Read my columns, “The Truth About School Visits” (past and present) in the SCBWI Bulletin. Also, observe authors and illustrators in action at schools, libraries and bookstores. Join in supportive discussions about appearances on your local SCBWI listservs. Start with small events and work up to bigger ones.

Challenge: Shyness
Situation: Okay — so some of you would rather chew rats than stand in front of an audience.
Solution: There’s really no “solution” for being shy.  It’s just who you are. But you’ve managed to cope all these years in social situations.  And what you’re calling “shyness” may be just a lack of confidence.  Introverts will find comfort in the posts at http://shrinkingvioletpromotions.blogspot.com/ . But if you would like to bolster your confidence, consider joining a local chapter of Toastmasters, the organization of choice for many shy authors, and you will amaze yourself with the strategies you’ll learn to become an engaging speaker.

Remember — if you’re invited to speak, it’s because a school admires your books as well as you, the creator. While you can politely decline invitations, you might give some thought about what’s standing in the way of your accepting their offer. And if you can find a way to meet your fans, it will extend the life of the books you’re creating.

Tips for Hotel Stays

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Whether staying in a hotel for one night or a week of nights, here are some tips for making the experience a more pleasant one.

BOOKING

• Reward Points: I make my own hotel reservation rather than leaving it up to my host. This offers me reward points as well as a bit of control over my digs.
• Proximity & Price: I do a quick search of hotels closest to where I’ll be presenting, call to check on best-price offers (i.e. AAA discount), then run the price and location by my host for approval.
• Breakfast: I need fuel for the day, so I require a hotel that includes breakfast.

EQUIPMENT

• Fan: I like arctic temperatures while sleeping, so I bring along small clip-on fan.
• Lighting: Hotels seem to have switched to LED lighting that is so dim, you have to turn on every single light in the room to actually see anything. I bring along a bright clip-on reading light.  If I’m in one location for a week and expect to write on off-hours, have been known to pack a foldable desk lamp.
• Power strip: Because many hotel room outlets are placed behind beds and heavy equipment, a power strip is a big help.
• Snacks: Trail mix. Anything chocolate. A must for those collapse-on-your-bed-before-dinner moments.
• Vase: To beautify the room on long stays, a few flowers in a collapsible, reusable plastic vase can lift spirits. They pack flat and can be found for anywhere between $1 – $10.

MAPS

• Map Between Hotel and the Presentation Site:  I’ve had my GPS be incorrect enough times that I now crosscheck multiple sources for my presentation locations before I leave home. If I’m driving, what’s most important to me are the directions and estimated travel time between the hotel and my presentation site. And since that time I was stuck in the middle of the Mojave Desert thanks to Google maps (true!), this has worked really well for me.

Do you have any hotel tips to share? I’d love to hear them! Leave a comment below.

5 Things to Do While Schools Are Sleeping

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20150509_191953Here’s what you can do now while kids out of school and teachers are recharging their creative batteries this summer:

1. Business cards & bookmarks: Is it time for a redesign? A reorder? You can get some great deals through online printers such as GotPrint.com, Overnightprint.com and Vistaprint.com, to name a few.

2. Brochures & Websites: Is the information updated? Complete? Ask your critique group members to review your school visit page or print brochure. Better still, find a principal, teacher or parent give you feedback on it to see if you’ve made it clear how your presentation will benefit their students and tie into the curriculum.

3. Rates: Review your school visit rates. Do you need to change them for the coming year? If you’re unsure or you’re just starting out, compare with other published authors in your geographic region. A good place to start is with local PAL members of SCBWI.

4. Email updates: Enter your contacts from the past year into a database. This may include hosts of schools you visited or conference and workshop attendees. Be sure to note where you met them so that when you send them an announcement,  they know you’ve already established a relationship with them.

5. Reminders: Compose a note now to send in August reminding contacts of your availability to do school visits in 2015-2016. For schools you’ve just visited, ask them to refer you to another school. For contacts you made at events, plant the seed that you’re available in the coming year to inspire their students.

BONUS TIP
If you haven’t visited a school in 5 years, it’s time reestablish a relationship with them. Tell them what’s new. Suggest you return to meet their new batch of students.

If you do these five simple tasks (six, if you count the Bonus task!), you’ll be in great shape when the school year revs up again in August!

A Simple Card

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Card - Holiday Cheer Reindeer with border2I don’t know about you, but I get a thrill when my mailbox includes “real” mail with hand-addressed envelopes and pretty stamps, not just catalogues and advertising (which go immediately in my recycle bin.)

Teachers, librarians and booksellers are no different.  A simple card that says “thanks” for what they do gives their day a boost.  And it shows you’ve gone the extra step to acknowledge their efforts to connect kids with good books.

I know that the holidays are fast approaching and you have much to do for your personal circle of friends and family. But before schools dismiss for winter vacation around December 19, why not take a moment and thank school visit hosts and booksellers from this past year for inviting you to their schools and stores. Send a holiday card. And if you miss them in December, a “Happy New Year” card when they return to school would be a nice surprise.  Your simple “gift” of thanks in your own handwriting will mean a lot to them.

4 Ways to Make Librarians Love Your School Visit: Advice from Toni Buzzeo

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BUZZEO_TerrificConnectionsCoverToni Buzzeo, award-winning author, librarian and educator, has been giving great advice to authors and illustrators even long before the publication of her book, Terrific Connections with Authors, Illustrators and Storytellers: Real Space and Virtual Links, co-authored with Jane Kurtz, in 1999. Read on to find out her expert suggestions for making terrific school visit connections with librarians.

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I come to the topic of school visits wearing two stylish, but completely different, hats. As a children’s author, I have visited hundreds of schools across this country and around the world. And as a school librarian, I played host at Longfellow Elementary School in Portland, Maine to at least two authors every year for eleven years. As a result, I’ve gained a deep understanding of what it takes, as an author, to wow a librarian host. And I’d like to share my ideas with you.

1. Be clear, be prompt, be honest, and be gracious in your communications. Every school visit begins with a conversation, either in person, by phone, or through e-mail or snail mail. Whether the librarian is the one to reach out to you, or you are the first to establish contact, the impression you make in your first and ongoing communications will set the tone of the visit. Be clear about your needs. Hedging in order to land a visit and then suffering under unsuitable arrangements or honoraria will not serve your interests well and may ultimately alienate your host. Always respond promptly and honestly about arrangements as you plan. And above all, be gracious even when you feel put off by something that is suggested. It well may be that what appears to be a verbal or written mis-step was unintended. Leave room to discover this and smooth the waters.

2. Know and understand developmental ages and stages. Librarians, and all educatorsBUZZEO-JustLikeMyPapacover in the schools you visit, will appreciate your thorough understanding of the variety of developmental ages and stages within the groups of students that you meet. While some hosts may ask you to address a combined group of kindergarteners and fourth graders, or eighth graders and seniors, this is the perfect time to be clear and gracious. Explain that each of your presentations is designed with specific developmental learning stages in mind, making it necessary to avoid the combination of such disparate grades. It is essential that you do create presentations that are suitable for each age/grade range in the school, changing not only your content but also your method of delivery to suit the developmental needs and understanding of each group.

3. Understand and design presentations to respond to local curriculum. Your first reaction to this advice may be, “But I’m not a teacher!” Actually, that isn’t true. When you are in a school, you are temporarily in the position of an educator. Because every school hour is BUZZEO-StayCloseToMamaCover-Largeprecious in this age of standards-driven education, and because in all but five states (see map),  those standards are national (entitled the Common Core State Standards), it is easier now, than ever before, to become comfortable with the standards that govern educational goals and incorporate them into your presentations. Start here  and then solicit help from teachers you know to refine your presentations.

4. Learn and practice appropriate “behavior management” techniques. If you have taught school or led Scouts or other youth groups, you already have experience in guiding children or teens to appropriate behaviors. If not, however, learning intervention techniques will benefit you by making you comfortable in dealing with students and make you a valuable visitor, readily handling disruptive students and situations yourself and moving quickly back to your presentation. Seek out avenues for learning successful interventions such as observing veteran teachers and librarians, discussing options with educator friends, and reading articles online or in educational journals.

 BUZZEO-ToniHeadShotTrimmedAbout Toni Buzzeo: Working both from her colonial farmhouse in Buxton, Maine and her sunny winter nest in Sarasota, Florida, New York Times bestselling children’s author Toni Buzzeo has published 19 picture books so far, including the 2013 Caldecott Honor winning One Cool Friend. She also wears the hat of a seasoned educator. A former college and high school English teacher, Toni then became a practicing Library Media Specialist and was named the 1999 Maine Library Media Specialist of the Year. In that hat, she writes many professional books and articles, Common Core curriculum based on children’s literature, as well as teaching and promotional guides for children’s books. Learn more at www.tonibuzzeo.com

5 Things I’ve Learned About School Visits: Advice from Laura Purdie Salas

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In this series, expert school visit presenters share what they’ve learned from experiences in the trenches. Thanks to Laura Purdie Salas for the following contribution.  

Salas_leaf_thumbnail1.      The school owns you for the day. Do all your negotiating ahead of time. Make sure the schedule is do-able, that you have your necessary bathroom breaks, etc. Then, once you show up, just go with it. If the school asks whether you want to eat lunch on your own or with teachers, offer to eat with teachers (or students)—whatever they will get the most out of. If the numbers/venue aren’t quite as described, oh well. They have brought you there, and all you can do is give them everything you’ve got for the day(s). The kids deserve that.

2.      Keep your sense of humor. Things will go wrong. Wildly wrong. I’ve had principals change the schedule, fire drills send me into the ladies’ room with a bunch of 4th-grade girls, slides that all appeared green because of a cable mishap, a first grader throw up, a blizzard close down a school, and much more. I learned a great lesson at a Rob Thomas concert when his tech stuff failed. He just laughed, talked with the audience, and tried to give us his best, even in less-than-best circumstances. Laughing beats crying. Save that for the car ride home.

3.      If a third party arranges the visit, make sure you get a contact name, email address and phone number for someone actually at the school. And touch base before your visit. I recently appeared for a visit several hours from home, arranged by the local library through a state grant. The school had no idea I was coming. Let me repeat that. No. Idea. If I had contacted the school directly, even though the library wanted to handle all the details, this could have been avoided. (The principal was flexible, the kids and teachers were surprised, and the day went surprisingly well!)

Salas_bookspeak_thumbnail4.      Send posters and free books once the contract is signed. I had some mini-posters printed with a bunch of my book covers and an announcement that “Laura Purdie Salas is coming to school on ________!” On the back of the posters are tips to help the adults prepare for my visit. I send 3-4 posters plus 2-3 of my trade hardcover books in advance. The cost to me is well worth the extra excitement the materials generate.

5.      Kids want to connect with you. That’s the most important part of your visit. Yes, design your presentation to support teachers, to correlate to standards, to share content. But then, focus on talking and sharing with kids and listening to them. Make eye contact. Be vulnerable. Be real. That’s how you reach those kids and give them a visit that they will always remember.

Salas_vert_200_2013 Laura Purdie Salas is the author of more than 100 books for kids and teens, including BOOKSPEAK! POEMS ABOUT BOOKS, STAMPEDE! POEMS TO CELEBRATE THE WILD SIDE OF SCHOOL, and A LEAF CAN BE…. She loves to introduce kids to poetry and help them find poems they can relate to, no matter what their age, mood, and personality. She has also written numerous nonfiction books. See more about Laura and her work at www.laurasalas.com.

7 Ways to Make Indie Booksellers Love You

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by Catherine Linka

Title&CandyHearts

As the children’s and YA book buyer for Flintridge Bookstore and Coffeehouse in La Ca?ada, California, Catherine Linka as had countless experiences with authors and school visits. But many authors are clueless about etiquette. Take a look at the tips she shares and ee how you might improve your approach.

1. Be absolutely clear from the first conversation with a bookseller if you need to charge for a school visit. It is fine with us if this is how you make your living, but do not expect us to get the business for you. We will, however, be happy to supply books after you have made the deal. If you can afford to do free school visits, it will be a treat for us to call our customers and set those up.

2. Tell us what size of group you prefer to work with well in advance. It’s OK if you like to meet with 20-40 kids. You don’t need to see a huge group to please the bookseller.

3. Help us sell you into the school. Send us jpegs of you and your book. Forward us a short bio, and ask your publicist to send us a couple ARCs to give to teachers. Give us a summary of what you will do during your visit or suggest pre-visit activities for the teachers. Booksellers are busy, and we appreciate authors who make our lives easier. 

4. If you need audio-visual equipment–give us 3-4 days notice to contact the school and get those arrangements in place. And tell us what type of hardware or software you’re bringing.

5. Be professional. Avoid off color language or controversial statements that can embarrass the school and endanger the relationship that the bookseller has with it. Booksellers work very hard to build relationships with schools and libraries, and we need authors to understand that if we take them to a school–  their behavior reflects on us.

6. Give us a cell phone number so if you are late, we can reach you.

7. Do a good deed. There are some small schools in my area that are dear to my heart, because they serve kids who have emotional or learning differences or who are in the foster care system. Visiting these schools won’t sell a lot of books, but I will be a Heather Brewer fan until the day I die after watching her speak about growing up as an outcast to a group of kids who I know struggle with social relationships.

CatherineLinkaCatherine Linka is the children’s and YA book buyer for the Flintridge Bookstore and Coffeehouse in La Ca?ada, California. An MFA grad of the Vermont College of Fine Arts, Catherine’s debut novel, A GIRL CALLED FEARLESS will be published by St. Martin’s  in spring 2014.

 

2 Economical Bookplate Solutions

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 The other day, my friend Barbara Elizabeth Walsh wrote to me for advice: 

This is a classic bookplate design, originally developed for Antioch Bookplates, but now owned by Bookplate Ink

This is a classic bookplate design, originally developed for Antioch Bookplates, but now owned by Bookplate Ink

“I’m on the road looking for author bookplates. One school didn’t get their book delivery and I promised I would send inscribed bookplates to them as soon as I retuned home. Do you have any suggestions?”

 

It’s disappointing – to you and to readers — when schools or bookstores run out of your books during your appearance. Being able to autograph and personalize a book can mean the difference between a sale and no sale. So here’s a solution. Tell the host that for any book sold after your visit, you will mail autographed, personalized bookplates. After the event, have the host email the names she / he wants written on the bookplates.

 Also known as ex libris (“from the library of”), bookplates are decorative stickers that are placed in the inside cover of books to identify ownership. But classic commercial bookplates are expensive (about $.50 and up per plate) and usually don’t have enough room for an author to sign, let alone inscribe a student’s name.

I tried to find commercial designs like these with enough room for me to write a message. They were sold in packages of 10 – 12, and the costs added up quickly.

I tried to find commercial designs like these with enough room for me to write a message. They were sold in packages of 10 – 12, and the costs added up quickly.


There are other products that you can use for bookplates —

Commercial name tags: School supply stores usually have decorative name tags with enough surface area for writing. You can choose a design that complements the theme of your book.

In a school supply store, I found name badges with fun colors. The writing space was a bit cramped – 2.5” x 2.25”, but they worked – and were economical at 100 for $5.00.

In a school supply store, I found name badges with fun colors. The writing space was a bit cramped – 2.5” x 2.25”, but they worked – and were economical at 100 for $5.00.

 

Shipping labels: Office supply stores have an abundance of blank white shipping labels to choose from. Select a size (from 2” x 4” to 4 up to 3 1/3” x 4” is best) and make your own design. These can be printed up at home at your convenience. They have room enough for an inscription, autograph and date. 

Bookplate - My designs

I made my own “themed” template for Loud Emily (top) and The Recess Queen (4” x 3.25”). I use a smaller label (2” x 4”) when I donate a book to a school.

I made my own “themed” template for Loud Emily (top) and The Recess Queen (4” x 3.25”). I use a smaller label (2” x 4”) when I donate a book to a school.

Barbara Walsh decided to buy white labels and personalize them.

Bookplate - BWalsh1 Here’s what Barbara Elizabeth Walsh’s bookplate design for The Poppy Lady: Moina Belle Michael and Her Tribute to Veterans (Calkins Creek)

 Here are two of Barbara Elizabeth Walsh’s bookplate designs for The Poppy Lady: Moina Belle Michael and Her Tribute to Veterans (Calkins Creek). I think the results look great.

Happy bookplate designing – and autographing!

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For more about Barbara’s book, explore this blog post the David C. Barrow Elementary Media Center in Athens, Georgia.

 For more about Antioch Bookplate Company.

For more about Bookplate Ink.

5 Things I’ve Learned About Doing School Visits: Advice from Kelly Milner Halls

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by Kelly Milner Halls

5 Things - Title SlideFor several years, I didn’t dare do school visits. I was afraid I had nothing of value to offer. So I observed other speakers. I borrowed this thing from one author, that thing from another and prepared. Then I did school visits for free, until I found out if those things worked for me.  In time, I had the courage to charge a fee, confident I was now an author visitor worthy of a paycheck.  What changed?  I learned these five things – and more!

1. Don’t Just Talk —  School visit audiences vary from school to school, and class to class. But if you’re meeting with more than ten kids, be sure to offer them large visual aids along with your intellectual concepts. That keeps the kids at the back of the room engaged and helps visual learners to move with you, from speech point to speech point without disruptions.

2. Don’t Depend  On Visual Aids ALONE – It’s just as important that you useTalesoftheCryptidsKMH an engaging speaking style as it is to provide visual stimulus. Never forget – YOU are the rock star of your show. Your visual aids are like your back-up band. Join them together, and anything is possible.

3. Remind the Kids YOU Were a Kid Once, Too – When I walk out for my presentations, I get the biggest kick out of the kids’ reactions. Little kids say it out loud.
“You’re old.” 
“I know!” I reply with a great big smile. “Who knew a writer could be an old lady?” 
That part is obvious. And to a kid, anyone over 16 is OLD, so don’t take it personally.  What is not obvious is the fact that you were once a kid, very much like they are. So give them a bridge to the child you once were. Use those over –sized visuals to prove you were little once. Use your personality to prove you’re STILL little, deep inside. That relationship is crucial.  BTW, to “old” writers, anyone under 18 is LITTLE, too.

4. Have Fun!  Get Sad!  Have Fun! –That sounds simplistic, but it’s not. If youAlienInvestigationSMALL don’t have fun, neither will the kids. If you don’t show the sad side, you’re being dishonest. When they pay you to speak, fun better consider sharing pieces drawn from the whole human spectrum.  Tell a joke related to the topics your write about. Spell out the danger that made someone a hero. Admit to something crazy you did to get the story. Tell your truth, whatever it turns out to be.  Use age appropriate humor and tragedy the same way a novelist does to hold your audience’s attention and loyalty.

5. NEVER Forget How SMART Kids Are!   Kids may not know as much about the planet as you do, but knowledge and intelligence are not the same things. Kids are not stupid, even when they are in kindergarten. They are inexperienced, true. But they can spot fear and falsehood from a mile away. So leave them in your car. Go out there and celebrate that potential by sharing smart, again, age appropriate information. Never talk down to a kid. Don’t patronize or be dismissive. Make a real connection through mutual respect.

Headshot - Kelly Milner HallsFor the past 20 years, Kelly Milner Halls has been writing carefully researched weird nonfiction for young readers across the country — first in magazine and newspaper articles, then in full-fledged books. From monsters to Sasquatch, from aliens to ghosts, Halls is drawn to all things odd, and is proud of it. She makes her home in Spokane, Washington with two daughters, two dogs, too many cats and a five foot rock iguana named Gigantor. She visits schools on a regular basis and will soon star in her own video series for MSN called, “Kelly’s Curiosities.”