Author Visits

I've fallen off the blogging wagon for a bit for lots of good reasons (two of which are writing and summer).

But I'm trying to ease back into the swing of things. (Emphasis on the word "ease.")

I refuse to say the F word on this family-friendly blog.

Oh, what the heck....

....I'll say it:

FALL

Sorry.

Somebody had to say it.

It will be here in a blink.

So I know many authors and schools are thinking about author visits again.

I thought I'd resurrect some blog posts I wrote a while back (um, five years ago? Yikes) with advice for authors and schools.

The first four are aimed at authors but schools might find something useful in them, too.

The last one is for schools.

Advice from the Trenches - Part 1  

Advice from the Trenches - Part 2  

Advice from the Trenches - Part 3

Advice from the Trenches - Part 4

Advice from the Trenches for Schools

Advice from the trenches, again

Dear School-That-is-Planning-an-Author-Visit:

So, you've decided to invite an author to your school. Good for you!

Now, I know you want to get the biggest bang for your buck, right? I mean, money is tight. The PTO had a great fundraiser and you want to use it to best advantage.

I've done a lot of school visits.

Some were great. Some were not so great.

At School A, the kids could hardly wait to meet me. They had been preparing for my visit for weeks. They had read some of my books and couldn't get to the library fast enough to read the others. There was an air of excitement throughout the whole school. The kids had decorated the school with signs and banners to welcome me. They came to the presentation armed with questions and treated me respectfully. The teachers knew my work and had been discussing and reading my books in the classroom for days and sometimes weeks prior to my visit. The school had sent home flyers about book sales and the kids were thrilled to have their books signed. Those kids will always remember my visit and I will be eager to return there.

At School B, no one at the school seemed to know who I was or why I was there. There was no one to meet me or help me with my equipment. The kids had no idea who I was and had never seen one of my books. They had me present in the cafeteria, with the children sitting on the sticky linoleum floor and pots and pans clanging in the background. The teachers sat in the back of the room and chatted with one another while I disciplined the children. Those kids had a very ho-hum day. I will not be in a hurry to return.

Trust me, School A got the biggest bang for their buck.

So what did the Great-School-Visits School do that the So-So-School-Visits School didn't?

1. They had a good team of volunteers ready and willing to research and, if possible, preview visiting authors in their area.

2. That team of volunteers communicated with school faculty to learn what was most important about the author visit: appeal to the children; curriculum tie-ins; writing workshops; a body of work; an author who can present to the whole school or to just one or two grades, etc.

In addition, are you looking for an author to simply entertain and be interesting (and there's nothing wrong with that!) - or do you also want an author who can give the students something they can take back to their classrooms (i.e., writing tips; curriculum tie-ins, etc.).

3. Delegate. Delegate. Delegate. Bring enough volunteers on board (if possible) so that one person can handle book sales, one person can liaison with teachers and handle scheduling, one person can take care of technical equipment, one person can be in charge of greeting and escorting the author, one person can bring in a small sack lunch and a bottle of water, etc.

4. They planned ahead. Some authors book a year or more in advance. It also takes time to carry out all the other stages of the author visit, like book-ordering (discussed below).

5. They prepared the students.

Let me repeat that:

5. They prepared the students. This is the single most important ingredient for a successful author visit. Hands down.

What is involved in preparing the students, you ask?

Make sure they are familiar with the author's work.

Let me repeat that.

Make sure they are familiar with the author's work.

They should have the author's books in the classrooms.
They should read the books - or...
They should have the books read to them.
They should see the books displayed in the library.

Nothing generates excitement and enthusiasm for an author's visit more than this. Nothing.

And when the students are excited and enthusiastic, they get 400% more out of the author visit.

6. Give the author's schedule of presentations careful consideration.

• Have you checked with the author about the timing of her presentation? Don't plan on an hour-long program if the author has a 50-minute program. It doesn't sound like much, but it makes a difference when there are 3 or 4 presentations in a day.
• Have you allowed for small breaks between sessions?
• Have you taken into consideration the amount of time it will take the students to arrive and get settled? (For instance, large groups coming into an auditorium require more time than smaller groups sitting on the floor in the library.)
• Have you avoided large chunks of "down" time for the author? (Most authors would rather keep up their momentum with the programs and then be able to leave, rather than having an hour or more between sessions or an especially long lunch break.)

7. Give the students the opportunity to buy the author's books in advance of the visit. Assign a volunteer to be in charge of this. Most authors have information about ordering on their web site or can give it to you in advance. You should allow six weeks for this! Many publishers can get you books right away, but some need lead time.

8. Sometimes students aren't motivated to buy a book until after he has seen the author. If possible, order extra books to meet demands of late orders. Most publishers allow unsold books to be returned, so you won't be out the money if you order too many.

9. Choose the location of the presentation carefully. Libraries are ideal - they have that "book atmosphere" and usually have nice acoustics and lighting. Cafeterias are deadly - lousy sound, uncomfortable floors for students to sit on, pots and pans clanging, terrible lighting for projector presentations, disruptions and scheduling issues. (Trust me, I understand there aren't always a lot of options.)

10. Be very clear what the equipment needs of the author are. Make sure all the necessary equipment is ready - that means set up and ready to go when the author arrives.

11. Have someone on hand to help the author with technical equipment set-up. It's unfair to expect the author to know how to use unfamiliar projectors or to hustle around looking for extensions cords, outlets, etc.

12. Arrange for someone to greet the author. This is just common courtesy and will be appreciated. Show the author where the restrooms are, where the teachers' lounge is, etc.

13. Make sure the folks working in the front office know the author is coming and who is expected to escort her to her presentation spot.

14. Have the students prepare signs, banners, or other displays for the author. This adds an air of excitement to the school and makes the author feel welcome. This also helps involve the students in the author visit.

15. Assign someone to introduce the author to the students. While the author is certainly capable of doing this, having an "official introducer" sends a signal to the students that this is a special presentation and someone worth listening to - and oh, how lucky they are!

16. Make sure teachers stay with the students throughout the entire presentation. The author should not have to deal with discipline issues.

17. Ask that the teachers not work on computers or talk to one another during the program. This sends a bad signal to the students - a signal that says, "I don't really value this program." A teacher who sits attentively and listens respectfully to the program sends a good signal, a signal that says, "I value this program."

18. Don't change the pre-arranged schedule without letting the author know prior to the day of the visit. The author has planned accordingly and shouldn't have to make adjustments after arrival.

19. Let the author know ahead of time if lunch will be provided. Authors will appreciate choosing something from a take-out menu or a simple lunch prepared by a volunteer. At the very least, let the author know what is available to her in the cafeteria or from a nearby deli (if time allows). Most authors come prepared with something for lunch, but would just as soon not bring it if it's not necessary.

20. Show the author some appropriate places for her to eat, such as the teachers' lounge. Some authors will appreciate some quiet time during lunch. You might ask if she would prefer to eat alone in a quiet corner of the library or some other quiet spot.

21. If you've arranged for the author to have lunch with a group of students, be sure to factor in some time for the author to eat. While it's wonderful for kids to have a chance to chat with the author, such events add "talking time" to the author's day and makes it difficult, if not impossible, to actually eat.

22. For book signing times, have the students write their names on a post-it note so that the author won't have to ask about spelling. This makes things go more smoothly and quickly.

23. Don't allow students to rush up in hoards, thrusting small scraps of paper at the author for her to sign. It's hard for authors to say no to these requests, but signing one usually turns into signing 50. There's just no time for this. (And the author will feel terrible having to say "no.")

One remedy for students who did not buy books but would like an autograph is to prepare simple bookmarks for the author to sign and then copy and/or laminate them for all the students. (Some authors have their own bookmarks or bookmark templates. Ask ahead of time.)

24. Have the author's check ready on the day of the visit.

25. Have one of the volunteers write down each process involved in arranging the visit. Then next year, when those volunteers are gone, you won't be reinventing the wheel. You'll have an "owner's manual" for your future school visits.

26. Have the students write thank-you notes or make drawings to send to the author. That is just one more extension of the program; gives the students a chance to reflect on the visit and what they got out of it; reinforces common manners; and will be enjoyed and appreciated by the author.

27. Pat yourself on the back. You've enriched the curriculum, nudged the students a step farther toward better reading and writing, and made an author feel great about her day.


Thanks to Kerry Madden for suggesting this post!

Advice from the trenches - Part 4

In addition to doing one-day-get-in-and-get-out presentations, I also do writing workshops of two or more days.

Here, then, is some advice on conducting writing workshops (learned from my time in the trenches):

• Send a written information sheet to the contact person prior to the workshop. On the sheet, clearly outline what you will be doing and if there will be any homework assignments. This gives teachers a chance to prepare for the day, especially the homework load.

• Let the kids know very clearly what they can expect from the workshop. (Today we will be talking about blah blah. ...You will have some homework tonight....Tomorrow when I come, you should have finished blah blah, etc.)

• I always announce from the get-go: "I don't expect that everyone in this class loves to write. Maybe you do, but I bet there's someone in here who doesn't love to write. But that's okay. For this workshop, I'll be with you every step of the way. I won't leave anyone in the dust...and hopefully, you will enjoy it. But no matter what, you can say goodbye to your worries about writing." You'd be surprised how many kids have a look of utter relief on their faces at this permission to not like writing. (And I'm proud to say I've had kids tell me that they thought they didn't like to write - but they really had fun in the workshop. The ultimate!)

• Most teachers will beat you to this, but if not, have the kids clear everything off their desks except what they will need for the workshop. This alleviates distractions.

• Before asking a student to help hand out any worksheets, paper, etc., check with the teacher. Often the class has designated helpers for the day and there may already be an official paper-giver-outer. Kids take those things seriously, you know.

• Before you say the word "highlighter" - tell the kids to sit on their hands. Trust me, the mere mention of the word sends 25 kids diving into their desks immediately.

• When orally brainstorming examples of writing exercises, be prepared to hear dirty underwear and dog poop. In fact, be mentally prepared to hear anything.

• When it's time to orally share student writing, ask the teacher to help you call on students to share. This gets the teacher involved in the workshop. But the best reason for doing this is that the teacher knows the students and knows which ones may need to be drawn out.

• When sharing work out loud, make sure the students know you probably won't have time for everyone to share, but you will do your best.

• Announce, "This is the last one" when you are calling on the last student. This saves 25 kids from continuing to wave their hands wildly.

That's it, folks!

Advice from the trenches - Part 3

More advice on school visits:

• Announce at the beginning of your presentation that you will save the last ten minutes or so for questions and instruct the kids to save their questions until the then.

• During Q&A time, be sure to repeat the question that is asked so that everyone can hear. (I HATE it when people forget to do that....) If kids didn't hear the question, they won't care as much about the answer. If they don't care as much about the answer, they are more likely to squirm, fidget, poke the kid next to them, or fake a great burp.

• When you are asked "How much money do you make?" - turn it into a math problem (e.g., What is 10% of $16?) Trust me, that kid will never ask that question again and the next author to visit that school will thank you.

• The same goes for the "How old are you?" question. Give them the year and make them do the math.

• Let the kids know when you are approaching your last slide and nearing the Q&A period. This perks up the antsy kids and they will sit up and pay attention in anticipation of asking a question (or finally getting to go to recess).

• Include a few examples of your revised manuscripts with your visuals. Teachers will appreciate it and the kids will feel sorry for you.

• When you are finished with your presentation, tell the kids to please stay seated until they are dismissed by their teachers. Otherwise, you might have a chaotic stampede of sorts.

Part 4 of this post tomorrow....

Advice from the trenches - Part 2

More advice on school visits:

• School visits are hard work. Make it easier on yourself by staying in your comfort zone when you need to. For instance, I prefer not to eat lunch in the teachers' lounge. I'm tired of talking all morning and hate the thought of feeling pressure to make small talk. I need quiet down time. My solution is go outside for a walk.  The walk really helps my energy level and the quiet time recharges me. But then, that's just me.

• If you go outside the building at lunch time, you will probably find yourself locked out. Most schools nowadays lock their buildings after the morning arrivals and require that you be buzzed back in. Don't panic. Ring the buzzer, which is usually located within plain site of the door. Someone from the office will do a quick fingerprint scan, run an FBI check, and buzz you back in (unless your morning presentation was particularly crappy or you failed the FBI check).

• Most schools are stretched for money, so they want to get as much out of an author visit as possible. "How I Became a Writer" isn't always enough. Try to add something to your presentation that teachers can use in the classroom - preferably some concrete writing tips for the kids.

• Since I do so many school visits, it would be too costly to take bookmark give-aways for each student. Instead, I take a template of a bookmark, personalized for each school and with my autograph. Teachers or volunteers can then make copies for the students. Many schools copy them on colored cardstock and even laminate them. The kids love them.

• The signed bookmarks also help ease your guilt when you turn down a request for an autograph. Trust me, if you say yes even once, you'll find yourself with a mad mass of kids shoving teeny weeny scraps of paper under your nose when you only have five minutes before your next presentation. And if you sign a few but say no to the others, you will feel like a schmuck.

• I also take templates of worksheets that reinforce one of the writing techniques I brainstorm with the kids. I know, I know...some folks shudder at the word "worksheet." But I personally like them (I'm anal like that). They give teachers something useful for their classrooms and adds another layer to a program that might otherwise be your usual "how-I-became-a-writer-and-how-I-get-my-ideas" kind of presentation.

Part 3 tomorrow....

Advice from the trenches - Part 1

I've done a lot of school visits over the years. Like anything else, I've learned some things the hard way. For anyone new to school visits - or anticipating doing them - I thought I'd pass along some of the more nitty-gritty advice from the voice of experience:

• Always follow up with your contact person one last time just prior to the day of the visit to remind her of arrival time and equipment needs.

• Ask about any parking problems you might anticipate. (Some schools have funky parking lots with sections reserved just for teachers or with gates that lock after a certain hour. Urban schools sometimes have limited parking and nightmarish street parking.)

• When you see the sign that says Buses Only 2:30 to 3:00 - do not park there if you are doing an all-day visit - unless you want to be waiting for thirty minutes while 25 school buses load 1248 kids before you can leave.

• Keep an energy bar, trail mix, Snickers, apple, Twinkies - whatever - in your bag. You never know what you can expect for lunch. I've had everything from potluck lunches prepared by parents to a pear and brie panini to nothing.

• Bring your own water - but don't store it with your laptop unless you have really good insurance.

• Always check in at the office first. Sign the visitor book. If there is a visitor's badge or sticker, be sure to wear one.

• Don't be surprised if the receptionist in the office doesn't know who you are or why you are there. That information isn't always related to others. Make sure you have your school contact name with you so you can tell the receptionist who is in charge.

• Leave plenty of time to set up any technical equipment in case something goes wrong - but make sure your contact person knows you will be arriving early so someone will be there to meet you. (Trust me on this one. It's a bummer to arrive 30 minutes early and there is no one there to help you get started setting up.) It's also a good idea to request that your contact person alert the office receptionist that you are coming early.

• Bring your own extension cords and power strips (with your name on them), batteries, adaptors, etc.

• Have Backup Plans A, B, C, and D in case something goes wrong with technical equipment. I bring my own laptop and projector, but I also have the presentation on flashdrives and on "the cloud" or Dropbox.

• Bring duct tape or gaffer's tape to tape down cords. Trust me on this one - you will have 200 kids walking over your cords and the odds are one of them is going send your computer or projector crashing to the floor (and you'll need that really good insurance that you wish you had).

• Some schools prefer that you not use the students' restrooms and that you use one designated specifically for adults. Ask.

Part 2 of this post tomorrow....