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.
School Visit Experts
Creating Programs That Kids, Teachers & Librarians Love
Wonderful advice, Alexis. Your entire new blog promises to be enormously helpful to those of us doing school visits, and to those schools looking for us. I learn something new from you every time we speak, and now it’s all in one convenient location! Thank you!
Jeri – Thanks for stopping by. I’ve learned tons from you from the showcases we’ve done together.
Wonderfully helpful blog, Alexis. I hope Anastasia Suen will list it on her blogroll.
-wendie old
Thanks for sharing this information. I’m up to my eyeballs in other stuff right now but I will be a frequent visitor here. Great idea! Great resource! And a lot of work on your part. Thanks!
First off, thank you so much for putting together this website and blog! My debut middle grade novel came out last December and I have been constantly trying to gather information on just how to do school visits. This website has already answered a lot of my questions within the past 10 minutes!
I have a question, now that you have showed WHEN people are looking for authors. How do we let them know we are out here and available…especially for a debut author who isn’t well known? Do we send a flyer out to schools (and if so, to whom do we send it?), an email letting them know we are out in the world, etc. I am a part of a few “School Visit” lists online, but I wasn’t sure how many people actually look at those lists and if I should do something more direct.
Thanks again for this site! I already have it bookmarked!
Best,
Lindsay
Hi Lindsay – Two of my articles can help with your question. For starters, go to the Resources page and download the pdfs for “Nice Business Basics for School VIsits” and “How to Get Gigs.” I don’t know what state you’re in or if you live near a city, but do seek out other SCBWI P.A.L. members and network with them. Be visible together. Make friends with booksellers, librarians and teachers. Personal contacts are worth their weight in gold.
Thank you so much, Alexis!!
Alexis, thanks for this great resource! I’m an author with my first YA novel coming out in Fall 2011. Would you be wiling to do a post on the kinds of presentations that work well with middle/high school students?