School Visits 101 by Caroline Starr Rose

Having only published my first book in January 2012, I'm still a very new at this author thing. This is especially true in terms of establishing myself as a speaker available for school and library events. I have, though, had a number of opportunities locally and several out of state (thanks to my sister, who arranged two visits for me while I visited her in Atlanta last year).

Here are some things I've learned from my experience:

If You Build It, They Will Come
It's not exactly like Field of Dreams, but kind of. Teachers and librarians first need to know you exist. The most helpful, easiest way for them to learn about you is through some sort of permanent web presence online -- that's your field. It doesn't matter if it's a blog or official website, but you do need to include some key things:

• contact information
• an overview of presentations 
• (optional): speaking fees*

How do you determine presentation topics? Start with your own writing process. Teachers are especially interested in having their students hear from a real, live author that writing is not a one-time event but a slow unfolding that requires multiple drafts, feedback, revision and editing, and lots of hard work.

There will also be topics that naturally grow from what you write. Do you focus on fairy tale retellings, like Liesl Shurtliff? Magical realism, like Kimberley Griffiths Little? Historical fiction, like me? Use your knowledge as a spring board for topics.

Reach Out to Your Community
Beyond establishing a web presence, it's wise to actively seek out opportunities in the connections you've already formed.

• Get to know your local independent bookseller(s), who often have connections with local schools
• Introduce yourself to the children's librarian at your local library branch
• Tell friends, family members, and those you know in your general community that you're interested in setting up visits, and ask them to spread the word (contacts from your church, your daughter's soccer team, your son's scout troop, your husband's office -- anywhere)

Be Willing to Offer Free Visits...

...but not forever. I know authors who've offered free visits for a month. Others who've offered for a year. For me, I offered free visits for about six months (though I am happy to continue to offer once-a-year free visits to my boys' schools, if they're interested). While it's a great way to spread the word, hone your skills, and build contacts, I strongly recommend you begin to charge speaking fees at some time. Why? You're a professional. SCBWI says you should. You will be taken more seriously. Schools will prepare for something they've invested in.

Other Ways to Spread the Word

Several months before MAY B. released, I sent postcards to all elementary and middle schools in my city. For a handful of schools I sent packets which included bookmarks and a listing of presentation topics (places I'd attended as a child, schools where my children attended, the middle school were I did my student teaching and taught my first year).

Because MAY B. has been selected as a 2013-2014 New Mexico Battle of the Book title (yay!), I've decided to do a selected mailing for next year, too. This time, I'll include this wonderful Author and Illustrators on Tour booklet. SCBWI's Inter-Mountain Regions (Arizona, Colorado/Wyoming, Eastern Washington/Northern Idaho Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Southern Idaho/Utah) recently asked members if they'd like to buy space in this publication, a resource book for schools and libraries looking for speakers. Choosing to be included -- and adding it to my mailing packet -- was an easy way  for me to spread the word.

 Resources for School Visits

• The ABC's of a Successful School Visit (available to SCBWI members only)
• Children's Authors Network Hosting An Author page
• Finding School Funding for Author Visits
• Grants for School Visits

And don't forget Skype!

Skype is a wonderful, quick, convenient way for authors and schools to connect. I suggest setting up a free account with the Skype an Author Network. Here's my page there.

Any questions, comments, or things that have worked for you? Share below!

*Though some authors choose not to do this, I'm most comfortable with having this information available upfront. After studying what other authors charge for visits I settled on my rates (which are on the mid-to-low end, in comparison).

Keeping the Gate: How One School Librarian Buys Books

Photo from Flickr Creative Commons by Scalespeeder

So…if you are a middle grade author (or any kind of author, probably, but I mostly know the middle grade variety), I’ll bet that you’ve had at least one sleepless night worrying about how to get your book “noticed.” Maybe you are trying to get your book noticed by an agent. Or an editor. Or maybe you’ve made that sale (congratulations!) and have moved on to fretting about getting your book noticed by readers themselves. It never ends!

If you look online to figure out what works, it’s an overwhelming mess of responsibilities. Blog tours! Twitter! Events! Giveaways! Swag! Interviews! Contests! Where to begin?

In a recent discussion with my agent, I can’t tell you how relieved I was when she said that she’s not all that convinced that any of that stuff—blogs, Facebook, events, swag—actually makes a difference in numbers of books sold. Maybe it does for YA—teens are online more and have their own money—but not for middle grade. My agent, bless her heart, thinks it comes down to word of mouth. And word of mouth for middle grade generally starts with…The Gatekeepers.

(You know the gatekeepers. The parents, teachers, and librarians who tell the kids about the books, who buy them for them, who place them in the kids’ hands?)

Well, as a middle grade author with a book coming out in 4(!) months, this conversation was both terribly relieving and terribly terrifying.

YAY! It’s okay if I can’t get off of work to handcraft one-of-a-kind bookmarks that I’ll hand-deliver in my own independent tour of bookstores!

YIKES! What if no one talks about my book!?

My agent, being the great agent (and kind person) she is, assured me that they WILL hear about my book. She also said that I already know what those gatekeepers are looking for—after all, I am one.

Hmmm, she’s right. (She's a smart agent, too.) I AM an elementary school librarian. I choose books and put them in kids’ hands every single day. So…what makes a gatekeeper “notice” a book?

Well, in my little corner of the world, there are generally three different ways a book finds its way into my library:

1) It is part of my school’s curriculum. This is the main mission of my library, so if I come across a new book on insects—and I know second grade does a huge insect unit, or I read about a novel with themes on individuality—and that is something that the fifth graders work on, I will buy it for my library.

2) It is a book I know my students will elbow each other out of the way to get it. To me this is really an addendum on #1 because part of my school’s curriculum is teaching kids to read. Well, you only become a reader if you actually spend time reading. So if there’s a Lego Ninjago book or a Taylor Swift biography or a cheesy movie tie-in novel, I will buy it for my students. Because it’s not true that if you only have great literature in front of kids, then they will read it. The truth is, kids are very willing to sit there and NOT read. So sometimes you need the junk to get them started.

3) Professional reviews. This is a tricky one because it’s really overarching. If a book meets the criteria for #1 or #2 but has terrible reviews, I won’t buy it. But there are books that find their way into my library through reviews only. These are books that don’t feature Star Wars characters or fit perfectly with the third grade unit on simple machine. They’re books that simply tell really good stories. I buy those, too. A lot of them.

So how does this help you, the author who is freaking out about how their little book will be noticed? I don’t know, maybe it doesn’t. So much of it is out of our control. But I’m looking back at my list now with my author hat on and it’s got me thinking. Not so much about how I can shout louder about my book, but how I can make it more appealing to the gatekeepers. Some things I can’t change. At this point, my premise is set. My book’s about a talking rat, not Selena Gomez or farting dogs. But maybe I can make it more curriculum-friendly with a book discussion guide that pulls in some of the topics that fourth and fifth graders cover...hmmm.

As for the reviews? Well, I suspect there still may be sleepless nights ahead of me.