Cat Michaels, Writer
  • Welcome!
  • Cat's Books
    • Just Between Sam and Me
    • Sweet T and the Turtle Team
    • Finding Fuzzy: A You-Decide Tale of a Lost Friend
    • Sweet T and the North Wind
    • The Magical Aquarium
  • Cat's Corner: Blogging About Books, Writing, and More
  • Author 101: Tips & Tricks for a Writer's Journey
  • Meet Cat
  • Author Visits
  • FREE STUFF in the Kids' Zone
  • Book Review Guidelines
  • KidLit Book Reviews
  • Contact Cat

author 101

 Tips and Tricks for the Writerly Road

KidLit PROS share school visit secrets to move You to the head of class

9/7/2016

20 Comments

 
Part 2 of a two-part School Visit Series
One of the most rewarding parts of a Kid Lit writing career is visiting children in schools and libraries to get them excited about reading.  However, tackling such events can be daunting at first.
​
In this second of a two-part series about author visits, you'll meet educators and children’s authors who share their top tips to help you create THE perfect author event.  F
rom Skype-ing to book signing, these pros have you covered.
Kid Lit Pros Share School Visit Tips - catmichaelswrwiter.com
In case you missed it, here's Part 1: 
​
Follow These 6 Steps to Ace Your Next Kid Lit Author School Visit 
This is an updated version of my school visit series that first ran in 2014

lise chase

Author, Illustrator
Facebook
  • Customize accessories:
Lise commissioned a tote with screen-printed illustrations on both sides from her Wally and Warren book series. The bag looks professional and has lots of pockets to keep everything she needs at her fingertips when she steps into the classroom. 
  • ​Develop kid-friendly toys:
To make her books come alive, Lise found plush toy animals that match characters from The Adventures of Wally and Warren Series.  Her stuffies are huge kid magnets.
Kid Lit Pros Share School Visit Tips - catmichaelswrwiter.com
Lise Chase: Create customize materials; host coloring contests
  • Run grade-wide coloring contests with printables based on your book: 
​Vetted by teachers, Lise selects one lucky student to win a gift basket containing her books and plush character animals.

nancy kunhardt lodge

Artist, Author 
Website 
  • Search for author visits on YouTube to watch and learn from established writers, like Kate Dicamillo and Emily Gravett, as they interact with children.
  • Engage kids using technology.  Nancy passes around a tablet for kids to add comments or ask questions real-time.  She also posts student letters on social media.
Kid Lit Pros Share School Visit Tips - catmichaelswrwiter.com
Nancy Kunhardt Lodge: Encourage students to connect after the visit

Kentrell Martin

Author
Website 
  • Contact the media specialist or librarian because they are typically the ones that make the visits happen
  • Send pre-order forms with book information and prices to the school in advance (at least a week early).  In addition to seeking his books on site, Kentrell donates free books to schools, especially those serving low-income areas.
  • Engage kids with interactive activities that reflect your book theme and  characters.  Kentrell's character, Shelly, uses sign language to communicate with her brother, so Kentrell teaches kids to sign.
Kid Lit Pros Share School Visit Tips - catmichaelswrwiter.com
Kentrell Martin: Teaches sign language like his book characters use

carmela dutra

Photographer, Author, Illustrator
Website
  • Meet with teachers to customize your visit program and learn what works best for each class.
  • Use activities to encourage creativity, like coloring pages with a partly completed story to encourage students to use their imagination and creativity to complete the story.  Ask children to brainstorm ideas for your next book.
  • Take lots of pictures, but first check school policy for photographing children.  And check out tips from professional photographer Carmela for taking great photos of kids in schools HERE
Kid Lit Pros Share School Visit Tips - catmichaelswrwiter.com
Carmela Dutra: Meet with teachers to customize programs

​Tracey M. Cox

Author, Illustrator
Website
  • Be yourself:  Children can see straight through someone being fake.  Be honest and sincere with them and you will both walk away a winner
  • Have something to offer:  Be it with presentations or freebies, have something for everyone, like coloring pages, bookmarks, flyers with author pictures and information. Plus, be flexible with your presentation.  It doesn’t always go as planned. So have a back up even for your back up.
  • SMILE!
Kid Lit Pros Share School Visit Tips - catmichaelswrwiter.com
Tracey M. Cox: Be yourself and smile

​Rhonda Paglia

Former teacher, Author/Illustrator
Website
Tips for KidLit Author Visits - catmichaelswriter.comRhonda Paglia (L): engage kids, staff (R)
Hold a book signing: Meeting a REAL LIVE author is a big deal in the life of a kid!  You have an opportunity to create a  favorite school memory that children will cherish.

Have plenty of books on hand and schedule one-on-one time with your readers to sign and personalize your books. 

Find the Literacy Coach and engage the kids: The most important part of Rhonda's day was the excitement over her books, their characters, and the imaginary world in which the characters lived. She created custom printables and arrived dressed in costume on the school's pajama day.  She brought her characters to life with activities and engaged students as part of the adventure.  The school's literacy coach, Rhonda's contact person, helped Rhonda create the magic.

K. Lamb

Author
​Website 
  • Take questions. Kids come up with the best questions that can  keep you on your toes!  Use this valuable time to answer their questions and encourage them.
  • Be a mentor. Ask students what interests them. What are they reading? Are they working on any writing projects? You can make a difference!
  • Use Skype to reach virtual classrooms anywhere. 
    Kristen shows you how to use Skype in the classroom HERE
​
Picture
K. Lamb: Offer Skype visits, Q&As to encourage literacy

Jill cofksy

Educator, Professional Voice Actor
Website 
Put your books into the hands of as many classroom teachers, literacy teachers, and/or librarians as you can before your visit.  Get  school staff excited, so they can talk up your visit.  

Have printable teacher resources on your website, or send them to the school. 

If allowed, send book order forms in advance, so you can sign ahead of time and distribute autographed copies  during your visit.  Have additional forms to send home after your visit for others who realized how much they would love a copy of your book, too! 
Consider the age of your audience and plan interactive activities to keep students involved and excited. 
  • Choose students to act out parts of your story.
  • Hand out paper and pencils and (with the help of your illustrator) give them a step-by-step tutorial on how to draw your main character. 
  • ​Teach students that catchy, repetitive phrase from your story they can chant every time it appears in your book as you read it. They’ll keep chanting for weeks! 
Picture
Jill Cofsky: Ask teachers to read book aloud before you visit

Rosie Russell

Author/Illustrator, Former Educator
Website 
  • Avoid last-minute scrambling that can take a toll on nerves: determine the number of handouts and identify equipment you need ahead of time (table, flip chart, white board, etc.).
  • Leave extra sets of material and giveaways for kids who were absent.  Drop off another set, plus your business card, in the teachers’ lounge.
  • Wear comfortable clothes, shoes, and take water! 
Kid Lit Pros Share School Visit Tips - catmichaelswrwiter.com
Rosie Russell: Avoid last-minute scrambling with front-end planning

Rebecca Lyndsey

Author, Artist, Educator
​Website
  • Start small and focus on one grade or small group. 
  • Practice narrating your book before your visit.  Use different voices to bring your characters to life. Make sure your voice is strong and projects well.  
  • As you read aloud, make sure students can see your book and illustrations.  Consider projecting your book onto a big screen as you move to a larger group or assembly.
Kid Lit Pros Share School Visit Tips - catmichaelswrwiter.com
Rebecca Lyndsey: Start small; project big

Lots to consider, but YOU​ CAN DO IT!  Most important: enjoy your time with young readers.  You'll be engaging young minds and getting kids excited about reading.  And you will be amazing!

In case you missed it, check out Part 1 of this author visit series where I share my success tips:
Follow These 6 Steps to Ace Your Next Kid Lit Author School Visit 

Your turn: 
What author visit strategies help you succeed?  Which tips will you add to your writerly tool kit?  As a teacher, parent or librarian, what do YOU want to see in a school visit?  Please share your thoughts in the comment section, so we can all learn and grow together.

 Thanks a ton for visiting.  Don’t miss a post!
Send this blog to your RSS feed or email.
Subscribe
Join the Tribe!
Get updates, special offers AND enjoy
 my
free downloadable mini-tale for the young at heart:
Driving Down to Dillon: 
A Tale of Love and New Beginnings.


P.S.  I HATE spam; your email address is confidential and safe.

join cat's tribe of readers

   Twitter   Facebook   Pinterest   Goodreads   Amazon   Instagram

20 Comments
K. Lamb link
9/9/2016 10:41:28 am

Thanks for including me in Part II of your series. I truly enjoyed looking at everyone's tips. I think there is always an opportunity for us to learn something new from our fellow author friends, educators, illustrators, parents...the list goes on! It is all about building a community to help foster early literacy.

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to the project!

Reply
Cat Michaels
9/9/2016 05:10:01 pm

K., one of the best parts of this journey is learning and sharing ideas in our community. Thanks for showing the way with your Skype visits and for all you do to get kids excited about reading.

Reply
Lise Chase
9/12/2016 09:23:36 am

Great article Cat Michaels. So much information. Thanks😊

Reply
Rosie Russell link
9/12/2016 12:58:01 pm

Hi Cat! I loved your article today! Such great advice on school visits! I learned a lot from our fellow authors and will keep these suggestions in mind for my upcoming visits!
Thanks for sharing! :)
Rosie

Reply
Cat Michaels
9/13/2016 12:09:41 am

Rosie, there is always much to learn! It makes the load easier when we pool our learnings and resources. Thanks for sharing your tips for school visits.

Reply
Cat Michaels
9/13/2016 12:14:54 am

Lise, thanks for contributing your school visit tips to my blog. I love my custom tote and its screen-printed book characters that you inspired me to design. Kids love i!

Reply
Lise Chase
9/15/2016 12:11:01 am

I'm happy to hear it works for you!

Reply
Rosie Russell link
9/8/2017 11:01:56 am

Thanks for sharing these again Cat. So much to learn from our fellow authors.

Enjoy those school visits!
Rosie

Reply
Cat Michaels link
9/12/2017 12:17:29 pm

Always more to learn, Rosie! It makes the road lighter when we share the load and learnings -:D.

Reply
Jessica Adams link
9/10/2017 11:51:27 am

I still have not gotten up enough courage to even attempt author visits. I would love to visit a school because an author visiting my elementary school is the reason I wanted to become an author. Thanks for the tips for when I finally get enough courage to try a visit!

Reply
Cat Michaels link
9/12/2017 12:16:16 pm

I was really nervous about my first author visit, too, Jessica, even though I worked in classrooms for years. I started small and slow in a space where my nephew was a teaching assistant. After building my confidence, I expanded to places where I didn't know anyone. It takes time, and you will get there, too! Let me know how it goes?

Reply
Jessica Adams link
9/12/2017 12:59:52 pm

Thanks Cat, I will!

Sandra Bennett link
9/12/2017 10:28:49 pm

Wow, you just about covered everything here. I also use my puppets to help read my stories and engage younger students with songs, as well as fun and unusual facts.

Reply
Cat Michaels link
9/14/2017 05:47:23 pm

Sandra, I *love* that you use puppets with kids!!! When I update my post, I'll be sure to add that tip, if that's ok.

Reply
Rhonda L. Paglia link
9/13/2017 11:01:55 am

Hi Cat!
Thanks so much for including me in your author school visit blog. So many great tips and ideas shared. Thank you!
<3 Rhonda / Grammy Pags

Reply
Cat Michaels link
9/14/2017 05:48:37 pm

Thanks for stopping by AND adding your tips as an author and a former educator who knows her way around the classroom, Rhonda.

Reply
Carol Baldwin link
9/14/2017 03:19:23 pm

Saving this one for when it's my turn, Cat. Thanks for all the good ideas. BTW, I've spent the day in a middle school looking through their archived school newspapers. 4 students came in and were so excited to meet an author! Making connections with media specialist and head of LA dept. For future visits, I hope! PS. One of the girls told me to come back here to have a book signing!

Reply
Cat Michaels link
9/14/2017 05:52:03 pm

Many thanks, Carol. Delighted to know you are making contacts in middle school. I've not visited that age group, but I find most students are excited to meet an author, as you mention. I love meeting kids, educators and media specialist in schools and libraries - best part of my work!

Reply
Nancy Kunhardt Lodge link
3/5/2019 04:39:23 pm

Thanks, Cat, I just saw this.
Nancy

Reply
Cat Michaels link
3/6/2019 10:50:38 am

Good information lasts a long time, Nancy. Thanks for stopping by and continued success on your writing journey and school visits -:D

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    CAT MICHAELS

    The writing journey is a long one.  And with all that social media and technology in the mix, it's easy to feel  overloaded. To make it easier, I share angst-saving tips found along my way. I'm still learning, so please join me. Let's travel this writing journey and learn together.


    Join Cat's Readers's Room Team
    ... Receive a FREE downloadable e-fantasy for
    grades 1-4

    Sweet T and the North Wind.
    Picture
    Join Cat's Readers' Room Today!
    P.S. We HATE spam.  Your email is safe & never shared.  

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Archives

    October 2017
    October 2016
    September 2016
    April 2016
    January 2016
    July 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014

    Don't miss an Author 101 post.
    ​Receive this blog by RSS feed or email by clicking the box below.
    Subscribe
    View my profile on LinkedIn
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Welcome!
  • Cat's Books
    • Just Between Sam and Me
    • Sweet T and the Turtle Team
    • Finding Fuzzy: A You-Decide Tale of a Lost Friend
    • Sweet T and the North Wind
    • The Magical Aquarium
  • Cat's Corner: Blogging About Books, Writing, and More
  • Author 101: Tips & Tricks for a Writer's Journey
  • Meet Cat
  • Author Visits
  • FREE STUFF in the Kids' Zone
  • Book Review Guidelines
  • KidLit Book Reviews
  • Contact Cat