We have a few tips to make booking and hosting an author visit easier…
You may be eligible for Canadian grants and subsidies for your author visit. And we can help you learn more! Click here for GRANTS AND SUBSIDIES INFORMATION
We invite you to search our PRESENTER INDEX for finding your favourite author or illustrator. Our roster offers a diverse experience of authors: English, French, Indigenous, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Picture Book, MG, YA and more. If you have trouble deciding upon a presenter, do not hesitate to contact us for help with a recommendation which suits your date, budget, and venue.
PREPARING FOR AN AUTHOR VISIT CHECKLIST
- Have you confirmed date, time, location of the author visit?
- Are there accessibility details to share: i.e. specific parking spots, a particular door to enter?
- If the author is arriving by public transit, will transportation be provided to and from the station?
- If the sessions are all day, is lunch provided and are there any dietary restrictions for this author? This may be an issue for authors coming from a distance and from out of province.
- Set-up. What does the author require in terms of table, microphone, audience configuration. An ideal venue for most authors is a school library or a room in the public library with good acoustics. A gymnasium is less effective but sometimes necessary.
- Bodily needs: make sure the author has access to water during the presentation, plus time for lunch and bathroom breaks throughout the day.
Book signings
- Would you like the author to bring in books for sale and autograph? If so, check if this is something your author offers.
PREPARING YOUR STUDENTS
- Let them know well in advance when the author will visit.
- Students should be made familiar with a sample of the author or illustrator’s work ahead of the visit. Students respond to and benefit from author visits to a much greater degree if they have been exposed to the author’s work prior to the presentation.
- Have students prepare questions.
DURING THE VISIT
- Provide instructions as to where the author should go upon arrival.
- Review and confirm the exact end time for the presentation and coordinate clocks. Some authors may ask you to indicate when they have 5 minutes left.
- Stay in the room while the author is presenting. Discipline issues must be dealt with by school or library staff.
FOLLOW-UP AFTER THE VISIT
- Students will often want to have some contact with the author after the visit has taken place. Some authors will correspond with students on their blog or via email. Others will answer group questions if a teacher sends them by email. Ask the author what he or she prefers.
Other questions or concerns? Ask us. We are delighted to help you!