Table of Contents

Introduction 3Author Event Planning Guide 4 - 8 Budget 9Memo of Understanding 10 Letter of Confirmation 11Travel Form – Author 12 Car Service Invoice 13Promoting the Author Visit 14 PTA Flyer 15 Author Visit/Autograph Party Invitation Flyer 17 Student Reminder Flyer 18 Author Guide Flyer/Poster 20 Lesson Plan 21 – 24 Autographed Book Sale Form 25 Checklist One Week Prior To Visit 26Checklist For The Day Of Visit 27 - 28Timeline For Day of Visit 29 Thanking The Author 30 Presentation of Gift 31 Scrapbook Coversheet 32 Thank You Letters 33 Author Visit Evaluation 34 - 35Conclusion 36

An author visit is exciting for a school, and should be planned properly and promoted uniquely to the school community to ensure a successful visit. Inviting an author to your school not only gives students and teachers a break from the routine of the classroom, but also ignites a love of reading and writing as well as expressing creativity.

The following is a planning guide that involves an author visit to two elementary schools that I hope you enjoy and use in your career as a librarian.

Author Event Planning Guide

**This list was modified in the style of the Children’s Author Network Author Visit Guide.Elements from the Children’s Author Network and the Association for Library Service to Children were combined to create this guide.

Six to Twelve Months Prior…• Determine your audience. Once you’ve done this, you can select authors. It is

a good idea to select more than one author in the event that one is

unavailable. Start early; some authors schedule their visits one year out.• Select your author(s). You can achieve this by visiting a bookstore, asking

library colleagues, contacting publishers, or visiting the Society of Children’s

Book Writers and Illustrators Website at http://www.scbwi.org/.• Contact the author, the author’s publisher, and request a press kit and book

order forms. Give details about the audience, the type of event, as well as

your name and contact information.• Determine the date for the visit. Your building calendar should be consulted

as well as administration to determine the best date for the visit.• Plan the budget, and request funding from available sources. The budget

should contain, travel expenses, meals, and author’s fees.• Once the author is selected, contact them or their agent how they would like

to discuss their fees. If they prefer to discuss it by phone, fax, or mail. Usually

the fee is due the day of the event, so early planning on this is favorable.• Ask the author how long each presentation is, as well as how many

presentations they are comfortable doing, and how big of an audience they

are used to. Don’t forget to ask if they need special equipment for their

presentation.

Four to Two Months Prior…• Prepare a schedule for the event, and confer with colleagues and the

author. Be sure to allow for enough break time between presentations, group similar grades together for each presentation, and don’t forget to plan for an autograph party after the event.

• Order the necessary number of books for the school library, for the class, and for the teachers and administrators.

• Enlist help to spread the word, and to keep the event orderly. Recruit members from the PTA, as well as teachers, and students. You will need a media coordinator to get the word out, an event manager to organize and make sure the event runs smoothly throughout the day, and an author escort(s) to accompany the author from place to place while they are here for their visit.

One Month Prior…• Start finalizing plans for the Autograph Party after the event. The event

manager can enlist the help of other parents, and create a theme-centered party in the library.

• Have the media coordinator mail information to parents about the event,and ask the teacher disseminate information to students to take home with them (bulletins). The media coordinator should also post announcements in the school newspaper and on the school Website.

• The media coordinator can issue author information to teachers. The teachers can then share this information with their students, and assign the book for reading.

• Send order forms for autographed books home with every student. Ask thebookseller, or the author, if they have their own form. If not, you will have tocopy and distribute these forms yourself.

• Establish a “due by” date so you will have enough time to collect the forms for autographed books.

• Make travel arrangements for the author. Select local businesses that arenear the speaking location. Confirm everything in writing. Check with the author if they need special audio-visual equipment for their visit.

Two Weeks Prior…• Contact the bookstore to determine if the first shipment of books has

arrived.• If using a distributor and the items have not arrived within a certain date,

contact the distributor and check the status of the order. If necessary, order extra books.

• Collect book forms for autographed books.• Confirm travel arrangements, and send an itinerary to the author. Distribute

an itinerary to the event manager, and the author escort.

One Week Prior…• Send home a reminder with students, and publicize the event during the• Morning announcements.• Check audio-visual equipment to ensure it is working before the author’s

visit.If possible, have additional equipment available in case one of the itemsdoesn’t work.

• Remind students to return their book forms if they haven’t already.• Contact the author to determine if there are last minute details that need

addressing.• Have a keepsake of the visit to give to the author. This can be a purchased

gift, or something created by the students (“thank you” banner, cards, poster, etc.).

One Day Prior…• Publicize the author’s appearance on the school marquee if the school has

one.• Review the itinerary and duties with the author escort, and the event

coordinator. Answer any last minute questions they have about their duties.

Day of the Event…• Make sure the event space and the audio-visual equipment are set up.

Ensure that the audio-visual equipment, and the additional equipment, is in working order.

• Set up the autograph party in the library. Two tables with two chairs each areneeded (one for the author and the author escort, one for two assisting with book sales). Make certain that you have a change box with money in the event there are cash sales of books.

• Ensure the author has a reserved parking space.• Meet the author approximately 30 minutes to an hour before the

beginningof the first presentation. This will give you time for introductions to the librarian, the principal, and the author escort, as well as showing the author how the audio-visual equipment works.

Afterward…• Return unsold books to book distributor.• Ensure that the author was paid.• Send a “thank-you” letter to the author using school letterhead. You can

include student artwork, letters, photos, etc.• Evaluate your program, and pay any residual expenses.

Courtesies…• Ask the author when is the best time, and way, to contact them.• Ask the author if they want to eat lunch with the students or teachers.• Ask the author if they have special needs or requirements during their

visit.

References

American Library Association (2010). Publicity, programming and promotion: Arrange an author visit. Association for library service to children. Retrieved June 15, 2010 from http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/initiatives/kidscampaign/authorvisits.cfm.

Children’s Author Network. (N.D.). Author visit guide. Children’s author network. Retrieved June 14, 2010 from http://www.childrensauthorsnetwork.com/author/dl/CANHow% 20to%20Host%20an%20Author%20Visit.pdf.

Promoting The Author Visit

When promoting the author visit, thelibrarian must first find volunteers, i.e. PTA,to bring snacks and drinks for the autographparty and also the staff the event. This canbe done by attending the PTA meeting andasking parents and teachers for assistance.

Please see the following flyer that wasdesigned to seek assistance from the PTAat Gatelot and Wing Elementary Schools.

Promoting The Author Visit

Next, the librarian will need to promote theevent to the school community. Flyersshould be designed and distributed tostudents to take home. The Author Visitinformation can also be announced in theschool newsletter and on the school website.The librarian should also promote the eventon the school’s closed circuit TV during themorning news broadcast.

Please see the following flyers that weredesigned for Gatelot and Wing ElementarySchools:1) Author Visit/Autograph Party Invitation2) Student Reminder Flyer

Promoting The Author Visit

The librarian should also ensure that he or she promotes theevent by posting flyer around the school and ensuring thatthe students know who the author is before she visits theschool. The librarian should familiarize students with theupcoming author visit by Jane Smith by giving a book talk on“Seymour the Reindeer’s North Pole Time Travels”. Involvingthe students with the book prior to the visit will stimulateinterest and interaction with the book and the author. Usuallythe author requires the sale of his or her books prior to thevisit. Distributing a book sale form to student will alsopromote the book as well as the visit.

Please see the following documents that weredesigned for Gatelot and Wing ElementarySchools: 1) Author Guide Poster/Flyer2) Lesson Plan

3) Autograph Book Sale Form

Language ArtsTopic: Seymour the Reindeer’s North Pole Time TravelsTime: 1 hourGrade: 2 The purpose of this lesson plan is to familiarize students with the upcoming author visit by Jane Smith. Involving the students with the book prior to the visit will stimulate interest and interaction with the book and the author. Objective: After completing this lesson the students will be able to: Brainstorm ideas for a new Seymour Travel

Develop a word web to produce a new travelIllustrate the new travelBe more involved in the upcoming author visit

ESOL Modifications for Objectives:Students will be able to:

1) Brainstorm ideas for a Seymour travel2) Develop illustration using a word web in the

home language3) Illustrate the new travel

Linguistic Objectives: This lesson will introduce the students to the writing process by brainstorming ideas. The students will be introduced to illustrating a new idea from the book they have just explored. This can later be expanded on in a short narrative story in a future lesson. Cultural Objectives: The students will be taught that everyone takes an individual appreciation for the details of a book. Each student will present his or her idea about what they consider a fun new adventure for Seymour. Some cultural differences will be revealed in the sharing of these stories such as; where a student may choose to have Seymour visit. Sunshine State Standards:DraftingThe student will pre-write by organizing ideas using simple webs, maps, or lists. (LA.1.3.1.3)The student will write narratives that include a main idea based on real or imagined events, characters, and a sequence of events. (VA.B.1.1.4)Predicts what a passage is about based on its title and illustrations. (LA.A.1.1.1)

Activities:•Set the classroom book center up with items related to the Seymour story.•When the children arrive, have them take a moment to look at the center.•Once the students are seated have them raise there hand to identify individual items that specify the center as things related to the story they are about to explore.•Write these items on the board for visual•Read Seymour the Reindeer’s North Pole Time Travel by Jane Smith to the class•Have students point out things from the book that were listed previously on the board•Ask the students what new things they learned about Seymour’s time travel•Hand out a five bubble word web – center bubble has “you and Seymour travel”•Ask the students to write one favorite place or time they would like to go with Seymour.•Hand out word web paper for writing activity•Direct the students to use their word web to help later illustrate all four of their activities. The story should start out with “On my travel with Seymour, I…” and continue writing the story using that introductory sentence.•Once the webs are written, have the students volunteer to read their own•Have the students illustrate their ideas from the word web.•Hang student illustrations up at art center in classroom.

Materials:Seymour the Reindeer’s North Pole Time Travel by Jane SmithWord web copies for studentsDrawing paper for illustrationsOther materials pertinent to drawing activity

Evaluation:1) Student can list activities2) Student can illustrate favorite travels with Seymour3) Student can brainstorm on a word web

ESOL Modifications for Evaluation:Pre-Production:Student can illustrate favorite travels with SeymourStudent can brainstorm a word web in the home language Speech Emergence:Student can illustrate favorite travels with SeymourStudent can brainstorm in second language (English) using a word web

Checklist One Week Prior To Visit

•Call to confirm visit.•Confirm any special equipment that may be needed. (i.e., audio-visual, microphones, drawing easel, paper, pens, paints, etc.)•Confirm any special requests. (i.e., water, soda, snacks, etc.)•Confirm hotel accommodations.•Confirm limo services.•Confirm with publisher any free giveaways they were sending. (i.e., bookmarks, pens, etc.)•Post flyers.•Confirm scrapbook is in order.•Confirm with the two schools that the rooms are still available for the event.•Confirm any rentals. ( i.e., tables, chairs)•Distribute the final itinerary to all those involved. 

Checklist For The Day Of The Visit

•Set up table or have author chair and semi-circle cordoned off•LCD projector, microphone, TV, DVD Player and screen with chair next to it for helper.•Bottle of water or requested liquid for author.•Check to have fees prepared as per contract.•Display of materials sent to host, such as books, pictures or poster (optional).•Books ready for autographing.•If doing activities, have supplies ready for children entering the event room. 

Checklist For The Day Of The Visit

Give students a task to help with the visit and peak interest in the event•Unlock room, get water, help set up tables, adjust lights as needed, help with clean up•Set up and focus overhead, flip overheads during presentation, set up TV/VCR•Distribute supplies/handouts & helps with activity•Collect questions from class, get answers from author before/during after visit, and report back to class•Get author and students in and out on time and give event minute warnings to author•Give one student the honor of introducing the author•Help author with books for signing session  

Timeline For Day Of Visit7:00 am – Car service transports author to Wing7:30 am – Author meet and greet with Principal, Assistant Principal, and those assisting with presentation8:00 am – Breakfast with Librarian at Wing8:30 am – Check event room for staging, lighting, sound, and other equipment that author requested. Also, check tables/chairs set up for visit and autograph party. AV equipment should be set up prior to author arrival (day before). Brief the author on its usage. Teachers should begin lining up students to walk to the library.8:45 am – Students gather in event room9:00 am – 10:00 am – Author Visit at Wing 10:00 am – 11:00 am – Autograph Party11:15 am – Car service transport author from Wing Elementary to Gatelot Elementary11:30 am – Author meet and greet with Principal, Assistant Principal, and those assisting with presentation12:00 pm – 12:30 pm – Lunch with Librarian at Gatelot12:30 pm - Check event room for staging, lighting, sound, and other equipment that author requested. Also, check tables/chairs set up for visit and autograph party. AV equipment should be set up prior to author arrival (day before). Brief the author on its usage. Teachers should begin lining up students to walk to the library.12:45 am – Students gather in event room1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – Author Visit at Gatelot2:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Autograph Party3:15 pm – Car service transport author to airport

Thanking The Author

The librarian should send thank you letters to the author for agreeing to visit his or her school. It is also a nice gesture to present the author with a gift for the students.

The following are documents that were designed for the Wing and Gatelot Elementary Schools:1)Presentation Letter2)Scrapbook Coversheet3)Thank you letter

Evaluation of the Author Visit

It is necessary for the librarian to complete an evaluation of the author visit.He or she will take surveys of teachers, students, parents, etc. He or she will also conduct interviews of the same participants. This data will be compiled, reviewed and prepared into a report.

The following is a document that was designed for the Wing and Gatelot Elementary Schools:1) Program Evaluation Plan

Conclusion

As you can see, planning an author visit can be a complex task, but the end result will be very rewarding. The more promotion, the more excited the students will become. The more excitement, the more the students will look forward to the next time an author is invited to the school. The Internet is a great resource for finding authors, from Skypeanauthor to Scholastic’s Invite an Author web page, it is virtually easy to find an author and how much it will cost for the visit. Just a little bit of research and contacting the author or publisher will start the journey to a fantastic voyage of excitement for your school.