There’s nothing—NOTHING!—that makes a children’s book author feel more like a rock star than visiting schools. Kids literally scream and clap, throwing their hands in the air to ask the crucial questions (“Mrs. Tubb: Team Edward or Team Jacob?”) (Yes, I still get asked that question regularly.) But these high-energy school visits work for one reason: because of the preparation and care that went into organizing and promoting the event.
Because it IS an event! This is an opportunity for children to get excited – not just about reading, but about WRITING! Let’s face it – schools offer many opportunities to encourage reading (as they should!), but is the twin brother of reading given the same attention, Write? This is that chance!
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I’ve visited hundreds of schools in my 20 years in publishing. What follows is a list of tips and tricks for conducting excellent school visits! (And if you have any other tips, feel free to share them in the comments section!)
Please investigate! Who would you like to invite and why? Who fits your school? Your budget? Who would cheer your kids on? Who is local and can show the kids that “hometown” artists are important and successful too? (SCBWI maintains a list of speakers by region if you want to invite a local author or illustrator to your school; for example, here is the list for my chapter, the Midsouth region.)
DO NOT invite an author or illustrator only to “uninvite” them later if, for example, a parent has doubts about the book. Phew – these are strange times and librarians are under a lot of pressure. We all understand that and we’re with you. But please read an author’s books before extending an invitation. Please? (I’m asking for a friend. Really – this is exactly what happened to a good friend of mine.)
Request or expect a written agreement detailing the terms of the visit: date, time, school address, number of students, grades in each session, setting (auditorium/gym/library/classroom), technology needs. Knowing these things in advance is VERY helpful in knowing how to structure the event.
Please DO NOT improvise, even if the event is funded by a donation or a third-party grant. I would often come on school visits and the librarian touring the school would say, “Oh, is that today?” While that is discouraging, more importantly, if there has been no preparation at all for the big day, that is a missed opportunity for your students.
Find out about your options when it comes to paying a guest author or illustrator. Ask your PTO for support. Check with your state humanities office or state/local arts commission for funding opportunities. Reduce your share of travel costs by partnering with other schools in your school system, your public library, or a local university. And perhaps most overlooked, if you can sell the author’s books before and after the event, many can be flexible with their fee. The goal is always to connect stories with readers.
DO NOT assume you can’t afford a guest author or illustrator – many local artists are very inexpensive! Plus, there are many ways to fund an event like this, like those mentioned above. And of course, there are virtual visits, which are usually much less expensive than in-person events that require travel.
Advertise the event. Include the event in newsletters and weekly class summaries. Share on any social media you maintain. List the event on your school calendar/website/any programs your school produces. Put up posters! Involve special classes like art, music, and theater to create welcome signs/songs/reading theater clips. Invite ELA teachers to read one of the author’s books. Make it a schoolwide effort!
Don’t forget to invite parents, administration and all teachers! When children see their entire school community getting involved, they know it matters. Everyone is invited to celebrate stories!
Encourage teachers to use the tips and techniques mentioned in the program whenever possible after the event.
DO NOT forget to place copies of the author’s books on your library/classroom shelves, especially if there are no books for sale at/before the event. Children will be eager to read books by authors they know – satisfy that hunger!
Get in touch a few days before the event and exchange cell phone numbers and final information.
And a few special tips for virtual visits:
Keep it short. I recommend no more than 45 minutes. Screen burnout is real.
Remember that interaction and questions and answers look different in a virtual environment. I can often only see a third of the classroom through the camera. Support in managing questions and answers is not only helpful, but truly necessary to ensure everyone is included.
Try doing this in a classroom. I love interactivity, so I usually need writing materials and a table/desk for my virtual visits.
Don’t be afraid to ask for a “test run” if the technology is new to you or your school. To make sure everything runs smoothly, I often schedule a 10-minute practice Zoom meeting the afternoon before a virtual visit.
Have fun! Author visits are incredibly fun when the whole school community celebrates stories together!
Why is school visits and supporting young authors so important to me? I like to call myself a “school visit success story.” When I was 6th In 1st grade, my amazing school librarian, Shelia Rollins, organized a program where I was able to interview my favorite author by phone: MADELEINE L’ENGLE. When I told Mrs. L’Engle that I wanted to be a writer too, she said, “Good for you! Keep reading and you can do it.” That phone call literally changed my life. I try my hardest to find the kids in the schools I visit who need the same message: You can do it!
Meet the author
Kristin O’Donnell Tubb is the award-winning author of eleven middle-grade novels, including Fowl Play, Jack’s Decay, Luna Howls at the Moon, Zeus’ Hound of Chaos, The Story Collector series, And A dog like DaisyKristin lives with her lively family near Nashville, Tennessee. Just like her two dogs, she can be bribed with cheese.
Kristin is far too often on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/kristin.tubb), Twitter (https://twitter.com/#!/ktubb)and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/kristintubb/). Oh, and she also has a website: www.kristintubb.com.
Around Foul play
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Knives out meets The way to Orion in this funny and heartwarming middle grade mystery from award-winning author Kristin O’Donnell Tubb about a girl who investigates the recent death of her uncle and discovers the healing power of family.
Chloe Alvarez has never been to a will reading before, but she hopes it will be like the movies. Lies! Intrigue! The reading of her Uncle Will’s will is completely normal until he announces his gift for Chloe: his African grey parrot, Charlie.
Uncle Will was Chloe’s best friend. Without him, all she has left are the memories of the time they spent together – which she experiences in snapshots – and her new friend Charlie. The parrot has an enormous vocabulary and soon Chloe hears him say something strange: It was murderfollowed by killing And cyanide. Chloe is convinced that her Uncle Will’s death was a crime. Why else would he not have told anyone in the family?particularly Chloe – that he was sick?
With the help of her family, Chloe begins an investigation to unmask Uncle Will’s killer. The suspects: His nosy neighbor. An ex-girlfriend. A rude landlord. A loan shark. But it all raises more questions than answers. Did someone really kill Uncle Will? Or could this trip help reunite Chloe’s grieving family?
ISBN-13: 9780063274037
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release date: 30.07.2024
Age group: 8 – 12 years
Filed under: Guest post
