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When I dreamed of publishing my first children’s book, I imagined my books selling wildly at bookstores. But from watching other children’s authors, I learned that the most successful way to market my book and myself meant spending time doing school visits. I also learned that it was a great way to not only sell more books and get my name in front of my readers, but it was a way to bring in more income.

I watched my friends in my children’s writers group and made notes of how they began, the things they learned from doing school visits, and the problems to be aware of.

Get Your Name Out
The most difficult part of doing school visits is getting invited to a school because not every school has a budget for such visits.

The first thing I did was send out a press release to my local newspaper about my book’s release. A reporter for the local human interest section interviewed me about my book and my writing experience. During the interview, I mentioned that I enjoyed doing school visits. After the article came out, I received three calls from teachers and librarians who had read the article and wanted to talk with me about visiting their schools.

The second thing I did was set up bookstore signings. My most successful signing was at an independent children’s bookstore. Although the signing didn’t attract a huge crowd, getting to know the bookseller was important. Several school visits resulted from her promoting me to teachers and parents who came into the store.

The third thing I did was send flyers to local librarians through both snail mail and email. I told them about my book, my school visit information, and my website. (My website included further details such as what I do on school visits, fees and contact information.)

Preparation

* Before doing school visits, come up with a plan.

How long do you want to speak? What will you talk about? What kind of visuals can you bring (slides, overheads, props)? How can you make sure your program is entertaining and informative? How can you involve the children?

I listened to what other writers said about their school visits and found the most successful ones are active, fun, and always include the children. Because my book is about a kid who wants to be president someday and is crowned king of fifth grade for a school project, I created a program with crowns and essays. Because the children in our state’s schools must take state writing tests, my program is helpful to the teachers and students because I ask them to have the students write an essay on "What I Would Do If I Were King or Queen of My School." At the end of my program, several children are invited to read their essays in front of everyone and one child is crowned king or queen for the day.

I searched party stores and yard sales for crowns, a robe, a jester’s hat and shoes, etc. I found a crown that I could make copies of for the children to color and cut out so they'd have their own crowns. And I made certificates for each of the children who read their essays and did not win. (They'd become honorary kings or queens.)

“I believe tactile objects engage the children more,” author Kim Norman (www.kimnormanbooks.com) says. “If I’m able to move around with a wireless mic, they can see the object or even touch it.”

* Get information to the teacher, librarian, or parent who has set up your visit.

Do you want the children to prepare something ahead? Do you have book order forms? Do you need a microphone, overhead or side projector? Make sure you know what to expect. How many programs will you conduct that day and what age groups? How long will you need for each program? Will it be a small or large group?

* Know what you will charge beforehand.

Will you do free visits at first or will you start charging right away? After checking with other authors and watching my friends speaking careers, I found that although they began doing some free or low-cost visits, most children’s authors began charging a nominal fee. Some even teamed up with another author to do 2-for-1 school visits. Solo and team visits both have their advantages and disadvantages. You'll need to weigh them carefully to determine which program is right for you.

If you decide on a 2-for-1 school visit, make sure you pick a team author you can work with, that you understand it is a team program, and that you must share the time, the work, and the money.

* Get a signed contract.

Once I determined my fee, I worked on a school visit contract to send to interested schools. My contract has changed over the years, as I’ve found things I wanted or needed to add, including getting paid at a later date because school policy didn't allow me to get paid the date of the event.

The contents of your contract will vary depending on your program needs. Ask yourself questions like: Do I need a slide or overhead projector? Do I have a maximum amount of students I’d prefer in each program? Does the school need to provide any materials?

* Always provide a book order form.

I always include a book order form that the teacher, librarian, or parent can send home with the students to pre-order books. At this point, you need to decide if you will bring and sell your own books (some publisher contracts do not allow this) or expect the school to contact your publisher to order books. Book sales are an important part of being a visiting author, but they can be hectic and disruptive if not planned out ahead.

* Arrive early to set up for your program.

Sometimes schools use the cafeteria, auditorium, or cafetorium. Sometimes they use the library. And sometimes they use the school’s gymnasium.

* Smile and talk with the children as they enter the room.

I wear a golden crown with colored jewels in it. The children are immediately excited and want to talk about the crown.

* Remember to relax and enjoy your time at the school.

“If you are relaxed and can make fun of yourself if you make a mistake, they’ll laugh and like you better,” says Author Wendie Old (www.wendieold.com).

Author Charline Profiri (www.cprofiri.com) suggests that authors “over prepare and hook your audience in the first minute.”

Make sure your program is age appropriate, but don’t forget that all ages enjoy having fun. “If you can make them laugh while teaching them something useful, then you make everyone happy,” author Rick Walton (http://www.rickwalton.com) adds.

* Be flexible.

An audience of children can be unpredictable. Author Ann Harth (www.annharth.com) says “The single most valuable lesson I’ve learned when doing school visits is to expect the unexpected and come prepared with a few different variations of your talk.”

Depending on the age, size, and mood of my audience I’ve suddenly changed my visit to be less talkative and more involement, sometimes I've changed my program to offer more discussion about the writing process and less drama, and other times I've left more time for answering questions.

If you prepare variations of your program, you can suddenly switch gears if you find the children getting restless or see that they are really interested in what you are discussing and wanting more.