Whence all the ski imagery...?

Gearing up for a holiday in the mountains.  Here I am (center, in blue) with some of the family on the slopes at Thanksgiving.  My ski name is "Ace" (to be clear, I am a terrible skier, but I talk tall!).  My sister's ski name is "Lightning Panda" because you know that pandas are known for their swiftness and agility--she's on the far right, in red.  Despite this tag, she is actually the better skier.  The best thing about skiing is that it is so difficult for me that I can think of nothing else but fall line of the slope and getting to the bottom.  It is incredibly liberating to have to focus that hard--to be truly in the now. I return to my computer refreshed and thrilled to be writing. (I've been looking for a few good reads that offer a teen's perspective on what's special about being on a mountain.  Try Justina Chen Headley's Girl Overboard.)

THE BUSINESS OF CHILDREN’S BOOKS #3

SCHOOL & LIBRARIES APPEARANCES, PART II: HOW KNOWING YOUR HOST HELPS SET THE STAGE FOR A SUCCESSFUL APPEARANCE

As writers, we learn to wait--for responses to our queries, for publication opportunities, for the evolution of a sold manuscript into a bound book, for royalty checks. Like a fine wine, publishing is often a process that takes time. And we've made our peace with that. So, it can be a bit jarring when the book comes out and suddenly people want to schedule things for yesterday, including events where you find yourself talking to tots about your story then switching gears and talking to their parents and educators about literature and learning with only a ten-minute break in between. Keeping calm in the rushing waters of book promotion requires a whole new kind of Zen.


Within this chaos, school and library appearances have a special place. They differ from bookstore and other publicity stops in one primary way: The coordinator of your appearance (your host), is likely to be someone for whom arranging an author or illustrator visit is not a typical part of his or her job description. This does not diminish (and maybe even enhances) the host's energy and enthusiasm for arranging your appearance. And I am not trying to scare you. But it is important when you are considering hitting the school appearance circuit that you understand what you are getting into and, if you’ve been lucky enough to do a book tour, how very different a beast this is.

Here are a few things to note about school and library event hosts:

1. This may be the first time your host has arranged an author appearance. PTA's, for example, which fund many author visits, often pass down the role of book fair coordinator, etc., to a new parent volunteer every year. Tight school and library budgets may mean that author appearances are not annual events, so even experienced coordinators may be rusty.

2. Your honorarium and fees are likely to be a big chunk of your host's annual budget. Thus your appearance, though possibly somewhat routine from your viewpoint, is a very significant event (and investment) for them.

3. Your host may or may not have chosen the right author or illustrator for their learning community. Face it, you may have been invited in part because you are local, reasonably priced, available or a favorite of a particular educator or parent. This does not make you the best fit for the entire group you will address.

How can this understanding of your host translate into more successful appearances?

ACCEPT THE BACK-AND-FORTH. Be willing to discuss the details of your itinerary, from scheduling the date to determining how many presentations you will make (I'd suggest limiting it to three/day) and to what grade level combinations. Share your experience regarding optimal grade-level breakdowns, realistic expectations for a classroom visit, assembly presentation, 15-minute book signing time. If the school would like you to share a breakfast or lunch with faculty members or select students, confirm whether this will be a formal or informal event. This conversation will help you know what the day will look like and thus be able to prepare effectively and for the right grade levels.  It will also help the host clarify his or her expectations, setting the stage for satisfaction on all sides.

RESPECT THEIR FINANCIAL CONCERNS. If costs are a concern, consider offering a discount if the host can find a nearby school to book you as well, noting that this will enable them to share travel and hotel expenses.  This may make long-distance appearances more worthwhile for you but also shows that you understand the host's need for value, especially these days.  If you want to do the visit, be willing to roll up your sleeves and appreciate the financial situation in which the host is working.  Whatever the budget, remember, they reached out to you because want to connect their young readers with a real author!  A very cool objective.

PUT IT IN WRITING. Whether you yourself, your publisher, or a freelance booking agency confirms your appearances, make sure there's a document that notes the date, fees and payment schedule, cancellation requirements, address and contact information for both yourself and the host, and some itinerary details or limits. (I've recently found that many authors have been very positive about my addition of an end-of-confirmation note asking that a school representative or volunteer be available to assist the author and to please be sure to have teachers remain with their students during assembly presentations and classroom visits.) The process of writing up this document can help both you and the host to get a very clear sense of your appearance.

WHEN YOU CONFIRM, SEND ALONG SOME EXTRAS. Once a school is on your calendar, help them prepare by getting in touch 6-8 weeks before your visit. This enables you to politely ensure that your host is still in place and expecting you. At this time, send along a little more information, such as a list of discussion questions for your book, a quick note about your presentation, or a list of web links where students can learn more about you. This will increase the likelihood that your host will prepare their students (your audience) well, which always makes for a better visit.

As I'm writing this, I realize I've put the cart a little bit before the horse. I've explained how knowing your host can help set the stage for a successful school or library appearance, but I still haven't explained exactly how you can "get the gigs" as one rock-star author I know puts it. While it's not an exact science, there are some tricks. So I'll take a cue from Margaret Peterson Haddix and leave you with a bit of a cliffhanger here. More on how to help potential hosts find you next week.  Though, I really do apologize for making you wait!

THIS WEEK WE ARE READING...books about honesty and inclusion

I was about to post my thoughts on the differences between vampires and zombies (coming next week!) when my mom sent me a link to an amazing movie, INCLUDING SAMUEL http://www.includingsamuel.com/, made by her friend, journalist Dan Habib. Dan's younger son has cerebral palsy. The film depicts a family--mother, father, brother--whose eyes have been opened to an unexplored part of our world through their handicapped family member. Samuel is wheelchair-bound and struggles to speak. He is also a happy, enthusiastic, engaged, regular child. Through the film, we journey with the Habib family, and many others, to more fully understand what it means to include people. We learn to open our minds and hearts, to listen and experience first and save judgment for later, and to recognize how our own lives are enriched when all people, whether their diversity is in ability, race, gender, age, income, or even dreams, are included.

This piece of work is compelling on so many levels but most of all for its honesty. By giving words and pictures to the wonders and the fears, the prejudices and the honest concerns individuals have about including diverse individuals in their schools and communities, it enables us all to have truthful and productive discussion. This film brought to mind books I have read that use the written word to bring us diverse characters so honestly depicted, so compelling that, like the story of Samuel, we feel driven to include--even jealous not to have met such unique individuals.  Cynthia Lord's RULES and  James Howe's THE MISFITS come immediately to mind, along with the latter title's wonderful legacy: http://www.nonamecallingweek.org/.

If you have a minute, watch the movie trailer at the website. Does it bring to mind a book, or books, that share this powerful honesty in its characterizations? Did it change your day?

THE BUSINESS OF CHILDREN’S BOOKS #2

SCHOOL & LIBRARY APPEARANCES, Part I—KNOWING YOURSELF AS AUTHOR AND PRESENTER

As a children’s book writer or a MG or YA novelist, you have probably offered to visit your child’s school or told your local librarian you’d be happy to stop by and read your story. Visiting schools and libraries is a logical way to reach out to your readership. Such appearances often translate into book sales. Many authors report that, after a school visit, local bookstores sell out of their titles. Most authors and illustrators charge honoraria making appearances financially feasible and worth the missed writing or work hours. Connecting with audiences in person can help authors better understand their readership, and also improve their speaking resumes (book publishers truly appreciate authors who get out into the world to represent their books), possibly generating opportunities for conference and larger platform appearances. (Also look below for a note to not-yet-published writers.)

What’s the catch? Unless you are a NYT-bestselling author or have thousands of Facebook friends and blog/twitter (blitter?) followers, moving from a few local stops to making school and library visits a functional part of your marketing and maybe even an income-generating element of your career as an author can take some thought and hard work. You must understand that, just as you struggle to position your book alongside thousands of others shelved at B&N, you must figure out how you fit in (and stand out) as a speaker about books and writing. To quote the very-long Broadway musical, GYPSY, “you gotta have a gimmick.”

Okay, so maybe that quote was a little cheap. And I am certainly not suggesting that you give a book talk while doing…ahem…unusual things with a trumpet. But you do need to consider the following questions with care: What are you going to say? What is this appearance going to look like? To what age levels are you going to speak? For how long? To how big a crowd? In other words, how do you define yourself as an author and presenter?

Like your manuscripts, your presentation should be drafted and revised, polished and honed. Word-of-mouth is as important in this niche area as in bookselling itself. And teachers who’ve had successful author visits will spread the word. So it is important to craft an appearance that sells both your book and you as a speaker. Here are some thoughts to help you develop your presentation into an appealing, marketable event:

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO SAY? Beyond discussing your book and, perhaps, your journey from past life/career to published author, consider how you will frame your conversation. Will you read passages and, if so, how will they be selected? Can you create a context for your reading, such as how the book connects to your own life story or how you employ certain writing skills in the chosen passages and how your audience might also try these techniques? Does your book speak to certain themes, topics, locations (e.g. teens’ uncertainty about their post-high-school futures, vampires, New Orleans, cats) that you might want to explore? Will there be Q&A and how will you handle this?

WHAT IS THIS APPEARANCE GOING TO LOOK LIKE? One terrific picture book author-illustrator, an ex-dancer, provides a polished and hilarious “script” of her presentation to hosts (including the costume she will wear and questions she will ask the audience). With this document, hosts have a clear sense of the event for which they should prepare their students. I know authors who bring along everything from puppets to PowerPoints. Some send hosts suggested discussion questions and itinerary details, including duration of presentation and Q&A sessions, so that educators can prepare their groups. In sum, it doesn’t matter whether you come wearing Lederhosen or just bring your PowerPoint plug-in as long as your presentation is well-considered and supports the story you are going to tell. Most of all, YOU need to feel comfortable with your material. Sometimes props, hand-outs, etc., help you set a desired tone or speak with confidence. Know what you need and plan for it.

TO WHAT AGE LEVELS ARE YOU GOING TO SPEAK? Many new authors are willing to speak about books, writing or education, to crowds of any size, kids of any grade level. While versatility is great, sometimes extreme flexibility is read as desperation or dilettantism. I find that educators are more drawn to presenters who feel they have something to say specifically to the students who will read their books (e.g., K-2 or high school) and dismiss ranges that are much broader. It is my experience that refining your presentation and target audience yields more appearance opportunities, not less. Of course if you have actually written books for many levels, this is a different story. But, if you are a YA author, consider targeting only high schools and possibly adults and educators. If you’ve authored an ABC book, preschools, primary grades and parent groups are your best marks, even if you’re a great writing teacher for teens and have taught in your own kids’ high school. Presentation length and crowd size follow naturally. Teens can sit longer than toddlers. If you’re going to talk about the writing process, a smaller group is a better bet, while a reading/book talk can be done before an assembly-sized group. And you probably have your own comfort limits in terms of group size and duration.  Just be honest and limit your audience to what you feel will be truly successful.

YOUR PRESENTATION IS COMING TOGETHER BUT any good stand-up comic will tell you that you shouldn’t try out new material on the Tonight Show. Test your presentation before friends and family and then, for free or next-to-nothing, at local schools. Try checking in with smaller, private schools who might be more willing not only to have you visit informally (and quickly) but may also be comfortable with your asking students for feedback on the presentation itself and what they’d like more or less of. After a few test runs, go back to your “script” and revise, revise, revise.

Now you’re ready. You know who you are as an author as a presenter. The next step is to get the gigs. Best way to do this? KNOW YOUR HOST (School & Library Appearances Part II, coming next week).

NOT-YET-PUBLISHED WRITERS:  You can see that developing a strong school/library presentation takes work.  You can begin preparing by volunteering to support reading programs at your school or library, working with age groups similar to those for whom you are writing.  Parts of your platform can be developed before the book contract is signed.  Get a jump start!

TO ALL: Thanks for reading. After 3 installments on School & Library appearances, I'll be addressing educational support materials (reading guides, web content, etc.).  Meanwhile, all feedback is much appreciated!