Getting the Most Out of An Author's Visit to Your School or Library

Bringing a children's author or illustrator into a school or library can be a great way to help children develop a love of reading, and encourage them to develop their own creative writing skills. The following ideas have been developed through my own experience as both a professional writer who presents workshops in the schools, and as a parent volunteer who has organized author visits to my own children's schools throughout the years.

Once you have made the commitment with an author to come to your school or library, send out a letter of confirmation. This brief letter re-caps the date of your upcoming author visit, how many presentations will be given, how long each presentation will be, age level of audience(s), the fee agreed upon, etc. Some authors or illustrators have standard contract forms with these details; many do not. Getting all the details in writing at the very beginning helps to avoid misunderstandings.

If your author or illustrator is doing more than one visit in a day, consult teachers and administrators to find out when is the best times to schedule the classroom visits. Even if there is only one visit to schedule, there may be a time of day that is better than another--- due to the age level of the group or a daily classroom schedule of activities. In general, mornings are better than afternoons, because that is when the children--and the presenter---are more likely to be alert! Make sure you've left enough time between presentations for movement from classroom to classroom, too.

As soon as your schedule is done, distribute copies to everyone involved: the teachers, the principal, the author. If the PTA or other organization is sponsoring your author visit, send them a schedule and invite a key officer to observe a presentation. Help your author or illustrator find their way with up-to-date directions to your school or library, along with a map. Ask them what AV equipment he or she will need on the day of the author visit, such as slide projector, easel, or overhead projector. Make sure these will be available for use by your author or illustrator on that day.

Many libraries and schools sponsor a sale of an author's or illustrator's work on the day of the visit. The decision depends on such factors as the number of volunteers or staff members available to organize such a sale, the feelings of parents and administrators regarding such sales, the availability of a physical space in which to hold such a sale, etc. If you decide to buy your books directly from the publisher, order them well in advance. Many schools send home book order forms several weeks before a scheduled author visit. The books are distributed for signing the day the author arrives. Others estimate the number of books needed and sell them right at the book signing. Another option is to ask a local bookseller to handle the book sale for you.

If your author or illustrator will be with you throughout the day, make some plans for the lunch hour. Sometimes an author will ask about having lunch with teaching staff members, or in the cafeteria with the kids. Others might need a quiet place for a quick sandwich and time to collect themselves before an afternoon of workshops. Other lunch options include: a private "lunch with the author" event for a small group of students who are recommended by their classroom teachers, or win a creative writing competition; a luncheon with PTA officers and Board of Education members; and a lunchtime book-sale-and-signing.

Contact publishers for any free promotional materials available about your author's or illustrator's book(s). You can also get useful information from reference books such as "Something About the Author" (Gale Research) and directly from the author or illustrator. You can have full color Xerox? copies made of the book covers, too. Then get creative! A bulletin board in the library or a major hallway is a good way to generate enthusiasm for an upcoming author visit.

Being familiar with an author's or illustrator's work before they arrive makes the visit much more meaningful for children. Read the books during story time. Sometimes, if a PTA sponsors an author visit, the organization will also sponsor the purchase of a small number of books so that each teacher will have a copy to read to her class, or to be put in a special shelf display in the library for students to check out. Sometimes a special arrangement can be made with local public libraries to make extra copies of a book or books available to teaching staff for use prior to an author visit.

Using your author's or illustrator's work as a springboard, get students thinking about the upcoming visit with a special project. Just a sampling of ideas: ask students to create their own version of cover art for one of the author's books; ask students to write an alternate ending for one of the author's books; ask students to write a new adventure for one of your author's book characters; ask students to write a story or poem about the theme or topic of your author's book. Find places in the hallways, library and cafeteria for all the entries to be displayed. This will get students excited about the upcoming author visit...and will provide a wonderful welcome for your author or illustrator, too.

A few weeks before your author visit, send out a press release to local newspapers, radio stations and television stations. Ask a volunteer or staff person to serve as ?media contact', in order to answer any follow-up questions. If the school administration, teachers and the author are agreeable, try to get media coverage on the day of the visit. Send a letter home to the parents a few days before the visit, particularly if you plan to sell books on the day itself. Ask a staff member or volunteer to take photographs of the author presentations. You can always submit photos and a press release to local media after the event has taken place. If you are successful in getting a notice printed in the newspaper, it's always nice to send a copy of it to the author and to the sponsoring organization. An author visit is a good opportunity to publicize the many positive programs available in our schools.

Author visits are exciting for everyone involved, and they involve a lot of details. It's always nice to have a staff member or volunteer available to greet your author or illustrator, and to steer them in the right direction throughout the day. Have extra copies of your master schedule available in the school or library office, should there be any last-minute questions or confusion. Have bottled water available for your author. Have a place in mind for safe storage of coats, purses and other materials brought by your special guest. Find a quiet table or desk for book signing, if this won't be done at the time of the visits themselves. Now relax, and enjoy your Author Visit Day!