Shanda and Bonnie have a list of tips (from mistakes they've made in the past)! (Bonnie) Welcome to the Author Visit Podcast! I’m author Bonnie Clark.  (Shanda) And I’m author-illustrator, Shanda McCloskey.  (Bonnie) Today we are recording our “Timely Tips” episode!  (Shanda) We live in a different world now than most of us grew up in, so we thought we could compile some of our lessons learned about speaking to today’s groups of modern kids. We’ve made the mistakes for you, so you don’t have to!  (Shanda) Let’s get started on our tips…  Address students as non gender specific. Say something like… hello friends, or young scientists, or my friend in the back row with a green shirt that has their hand up. (Do not assume a child is a boy or girl just because they appear so. Trust me on this one! Acknowledge a serious student comment If a child tells you something unfortunate directly to you or aloud in a presentation, just stay cool. Say something like… I’m really sorry that happened or that must’ve been hard. Then redirect the attention back to the intended subject. The student will felt heard and not embarrassed. Off topic student answers/questions Say … that would be fun to talk about later if we have time, but right now let’s keep going on this… Responding to an incorrect student answer Say something like… that’s a really good guess or I like the way you’re thinking, but actually… Be careful not to embarrass a kid volunteer Remind all the students that the task at hand is new to this person (such as drawing a robot) so we definitely don’t expect perfection, and we are just having some fun. If a child argues your point in a presentation Say something like… You are very smart, my friend! But can we agree on this part? And then leave it be. Or that’s an interesting idea. I’ll have to think about that. What if a child throws up, loses a tooth, or starts their period during the presentation? Most of the time teachers are keenly aware when their students are off and will jump to handle the situation before you even notice it, but if you do, never appear surprised or grossed out. Just motion to an adult in the room if needed. Appear unwavered and continue with your presentation as if nothing happened at all. The students will follow your lead. When asking for a kid volunteer, wait a moment to allow for shyer kids A few extra seconds might be all the time a shyer child needs to muster up the bravery to raise their hand. As kids come into the space and get seated BEFORE I officially start, I like to pass the time and small talk with some of the students and ask them things like What’s for lunch today? or What were y’all doing before you came to the library? I think it helps all of us shake off nerves and just establish a comfortable environment and approachability. Start with engagement A sure fire way to grab kids’ attention is to start with a question they can respond to with a simple show of hands. Depending on your purpose for speaking you might ask, “How many artists do we have in the room?” Something as simple as this will immediately get students involved and thinking. Using enthusiasm in your voice and body language helps engagement too. End with engagement At the conclusion of your talk, maybe you could ask for another show of hands in response to the same question you asked at the beginning of your presentation? “Now, how many artists do we have in the room?” See if the number of hands that goes up changes because of the presentation. Or simply end with good ole Q&A! At some point things WILL go wrong. Don’t sweat it. Learn, adjust and move on! Bonnie Tip I like to show a picture of myself at the age of the group I'm speaking to- it gets their attention & they seem surprised that I was ever a kid! Bonnie Tip sometimes I ask the teachers what their specific protocol is (or tips and tricks) for getting back the attention of an excited group (ie: "one, two, three,  eyes on me) Bonnie Tip For K & 1st grades instead of asking for questions at the end (because up get a lot of random comments and ZERO questions) I ask them something specific for example for TYW: "Tell me something KIND you can say to someone and what that TASTES like)  (Shanda) That wraps up our 26th Timely Tips episode! You can find me at shandamc.com, on Twitter/X: @ShandaMcCloskey, and on Instagram/Threads: @shandamccloskeydraws.  (Bonnie) This podcast is sponsored by AuthorVisitCentral.com and produced by Ben McCloskey. And if you enjoyed this episode, please rate-and-review us on Apple Podcasts!  (Shanda) What did you think about this episode? Or maybe you have an idea for a future episode? Let us know through the contact form on AuthorVisitPodcast.com.  Happy school visit season! Bye!!!  

Shanda and Bonnie discuss the specific technology that each of them use for their school visits... (Bonnie) Welcome to the Author Visit Podcast! I’m author Bonnie Clark. (Shanda) And I’m author-illustrator, Shanda McCloskey.  (Bonnie) It’s August here in GA and our kiddos just started back to school, so the school visit season is upon us! Today we are talking with all about the tech we use and depend on for doing an author visit. (Shanda) This was actually a request from a listener, and I’m so glad she wrote to us about this topic because it’s true, we haven’t gone into much detail about our tech requirements thus far!  But before we get started, let’s catch our listeners up on what we’ve been up to for the past few months. What’ve you been up to, Bon? (Bonnie) I’m really happy to be back in the saddle with you Shanda!! I know we didn’t intend to take a break for this long but honestly I needed it. I’ve had some life things going on and honestly I have been discouraged on the book front for a while now, but things are looking up! I’m excited to announce that I have signed with a new agent: Kristin Terrette of MLM. We’ve been social media friends for years and liked each other’s posts. She’s an author turned agent and turns out we have a similar connection to the way we first met Shanda…My husband Keenan cut her and her family’s hair years ago! She lives here in north GA so it’s kind of cool to be able to meet in person and have coffee and talk about books. I had a fantastic experience with my previous agent- I adore her personally and professionally, but I really felt like it was time for a change. Already I feel re-energized, hopeful about my projects and I feel like my creative spark is back. SO yay! (Shanda) Summer was busy with family stuff - both daughter’s birthdays, a family reunion, a family vacation, and some bigger house projects like cleaning out a big attic/closet space. I was in waiting mode as far as work stuff went, which was actually a good thing. I was waiting on the 2nd round of sketches feedback from Chronicle for the Rube Goldberg nonfiction book by Catherine Thimesh I’m illustrating, and also waiting on a contract from Disney Hyperion for an illustration project about an autistic child, called Lilibet makes a Friend by Kersten Hamilton. My agent also sent out my young graphic novel book proposal to a handful of editors, so I'm waiting on those responses too. Lots and lot’s of waiting. (Bonnie) Let’s dive in… Slides? Programs? Bring a computer? Use the school’s? How do you read your book?  Shanda: I read the book on slides (spread by spread) so it’s easy to see. (I try to memorize the book so I don’t crink my neck or face away from the audience while reading too much) I’ve never been handed a PDF of my books with the text and all from my publishers so … To get the book into slide form I’ve done two things - 1. I took pics of the actual book pages, but the color always looks a bit off, so 2. I’ve recently discovered that if I borrow the e-book from Libby, I can flip through the book and take screenshots of each spread. The colors are perfection! And I figure it’s not stealing since it’s my book :) But I wouldn't do that with a book that isn’t mine. What’s in your tech kit that you bring to each school? Extra Cords/adapters? Backups?  Shanda: I bring my own my laptop computer and it’s charging block/cord, USBC adapter, HDMI cord, a 10 ft extension cord, a remote clicker with extra AAA batteries, and a jump drive just in case. PDF version of slides on jump drive, emailed slides to myself. What’s gone wrong before? What did you do? Shanda: Even with all my cords and dongles (I hate that word) I still ended up not being able to use my own computer at a school once. So they brought in a school computer and I used my jump drive to access the presentations, but there was not enough processing power/memory/whatever on that computer to open my presentations. Luckily, I had one saved as a flat PDF. So I used that and just flipped through the PDF for the presentation. Of course, I couldn’t play any videos on it but it was better than nothing - which is what I did for the first presentation of the day while the librarian and other education tried to troubleshoot. After that experience, I was happy as a clam to use a simple PDF with no videos.  (Shanda) That wraps up our 25th episode all about the Tech We Depend On! You can find me at shandamc.com, on Twitter/X: @ShandaMcCloskey, and on Instagram/Threads: @shandamccloskeydraws.  (Bonnie) This podcast is sponsored by AuthorVisitCentral.com and produced by Ben McCloskey. And if you enjoyed this episode, please rate-and-review us on Apple Podcasts!  (Shanda) What did you think about this episode? Or maybe you have an idea for a future episode? Let us know through the contact form on AuthorVisitPodcast.com.  Happy school visit season! Bye!

This episode is geared toward educators, but helpful for authors and booksellers as well! Today we are talking with Trey Veazey, who is the Assistant Head of the Lower School at an independent school called The Walker School near Atlanta, GA. This past fall, Trey invited Bonnie (Clark) to be an author-in-residence as part of the school’s annual book festival. "It was an incredible experience", says Bonnie. Some of the questions and conversation with Trey… Can you tell us a little more about yourself, your background, and the annual book festival at The Walker School? Describe the Book festival for our listeners (if you haven’t already). How many years have you been doing the book festival? How did that start in the first place? Was the festival your brain child? 5th year Previous iterations USM FBK CBF Kimberly Willis Holt You added the artist-in-residence to this year’s festival, correct? What led you to try this? An old idea spurred to action by your episode with Joyce Hesselberth How’d it go? And what led you to Bonnie as your first Artist-in-Residence? Counselor Local artist I’d love to hear from Bonnie on how it went What was your favorite part of the most recent festival? And the worst part? Favorite: Curious George (Costume Specialists) Worst: I never see anything 🤣 Is the book festival something you could only viably do within a private school setting with more freedom and funds or do you think public schools could make it happen as well? Central Primary & Glen Oaks Park Reference the flood PARTNERSHIPS How do you fund an event like this? Book fair/book sales? Grant? In the school budget? Other? However you can Office of Development How do you handle book sales at the festival?  Talk about pop-up shop and pre-orders What’s one thing you’ve learned over the course of doing the annual book festival? Or what’s your main advice you have for schools wanting to try something similar?  Ideas are like plants. They take time. You have to plant the seed and tend to those ideas. Sometimes, you have to reseed the idea, and sometimes, you have to prune it completely and start fresh. The thing is that the ideas will never grow if you first don’t plant them. Give yourself ample time to sprout, but one thing you will not here me say is to start small. If you dream big, lean into that. Of course, check your boxes and make sure things are handled, but don’t minimize the impact you can have on your school community because there are too many details. Every tapestry is made of individual threads.  Support system on-campus and off Independent booksellers (cost-benefit analysis) What’s something you learned from adding the artist in residence to the book festival this year? Opportunity for students (independent selling point) Increased network and professional opportunities This very podcast GCCL Capacity for unique experiences each year Anything you wish I had asked? Thanks for joining us, Trey! That wraps up our 24th episode about Cultivating an Artist in Residence Program to Instruct (Students), Ignite (Teachers), and Inspire (Everyone) with Trey Veazey!  This podcast is sponsored by AuthorVisitCentral.com and produced by Ben McCloskey. And if you enjoyed this episode, please rate-and-review us on Apple Podcasts!  What did you think about this episode with Trey? Or maybe you have an idea for a future episode? Let us know through the contact form on AuthorVisitPodcast.com.  Thanks for listening!  

Our topic today is all about leveling up your author visit game with our special guest, children's STEM/STEAM author Jennifer Swanson!  Today we get to dive into the world of Jennifer Swanson! If you don’t already know of her, she is an award-winning author of over 40 nonfiction books for children, mostly about science and technology. Jennifer’s love of STEM began when she started a science club in her garage at the age of 7. And not only that, but we consider her a school visit champion! During the talk, we asked Jennifer these questions… Jennifer, in your opinion what’s the difference between a good school visit and a really GREAT one? How do you go about engaging kids and keeping their attention? And further, how do you get them excited? A lot of authors write and present about STEM subjects, but what makes YOURS extra special? We recently had a request to talk about the tech we use during school visits. And we hope to dedicate a whole episode to this soon, but while we have you here what tech do you use for presenting, Jennifer? Tell us about the non-fiction writing workshops that you offer! I see that 3 sessions is your full day. How did you come to that number? (I recently raised my prices, but I added a fourth session to my full day, and it’s intense! But I also feel like a wimp compared to what teachers are doing each day with students. I think I’ll go back to 3 sessions a day next school year.) Have you ever had a school visit disaster? Do tell! How do you go about getting school visit gigs? Do you handle everything on your own or do you use a booking agency? What’s one thing you’ve learned over the course of doing school visits? Or what’s your main advice you have for other authors to up their school visit game?   Thanks for joining us, Jennifer! That wraps up our 23rd episode about leveling up your author visit game with Jennifer Swanson!  To know more about Jennifer Swanson's author visits, books, etc: https://jenniferswansonbooks.com/ Jennifer's podcast: https://solveitforkids.com/   Kid book review by: Harvey M. This podcast is sponsored by AuthorVisitCentral.com and produced by Ben McCloskey. And if you enjoyed this episode, please rate-and-review us on Apple Podcasts! And don’t forget your kid can record a book review (for us to play on a future episode) from the link on AuthorVisitPodcast.com. What did you think about this episode with Jennifer? Let us know in the episode comments on AuthorVisitPodcast.com or tweet us @authorvisitcen.  Thanks for listening!   Resources and books mentioned in this episode (with affiliate links that help support this podcast): Save the Crash-test Dummies by Jennifer Swanson (author), TeMika Grooms (illustrator) Beastly Bionics by Jennifer Swanson Astronaut Aquanaut by Jennifer Swanson Spies, Lies, and Disguise: The Daring Tricks and Deeds That Won World War II by Jennifer Swanson (author), Kevin O'Malley (illustrator) Little Red and the Big Bad Editor by Rebecca Kraft Editor (author), Shanda McCloskey (illustrator) Catching Thoughts by Bonnie Clark (author), Summer Macon (illustrator) Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

Our topic today is all about crafting presentations and programs for school visits inspired by your books, with our special guest, author Shelli R. Johannes!  During the talk, Shanda asks Shelli these questions… Shelli, on your website you have a thorough menu of different author visit presentations that correlate with various books you’ve written. Such as: Shine Like a Unicorn - Great for anti-bully week! includes reading and discussion on standing out and not being afraid to be yourself. And Theo TheSaurus - Logophiles love reading and writing! Includes reading Theo and discussing how to fall in love with reading. Do you craft a presentation for every new book you write? How do you go about crafting presentations? Do you use a formula that works for you? How have educators responded to your various presentations? Are there any that are more popular than others? I see that you also offer several professional development sessions. (This is a fairly new concept to me. We talked about it in our last episode with Lola Schaefer quite a bit.) Are you booking those sessions often?  Do you offer writing workshops? Any that would require more than one session with the same students? How do you handle book sales at your visits? On social media, I noticed once that you posted honestly about your introvertness and sitting in your car right before a school visit and dreading that moment when you have to suddenly turn it “on”, walk in, and go perform. Does this happen to you every time? Do you relax once you start? This is an issue for so many of us creatives, so I’d love to go on a little tangent and talk about this. What’s one thing you’ve learned over the course of doing school visits? Or what’s your main advice to other authors who are starting out. Anything you wish I had asked? Thanks for joining us , Shelli! That wraps up our 22nd episode all about crafting programs around your books with Shelli R. Johannes!  You can find me at www.shandamc.com, on Twitter: @ShandaMcCloskey, and on Instagram: @shandamccloskeydraws. Shelli, where can folks find you? https://www.srjohannes.com/ I’m so excited because for the very first time we had a kid (that I didn’t know) send in a book review! So here’s a special shout out to Ava! You made my day, kid!  This podcast is sponsored by AuthorVisitCentral.com and produced by Ben McCloskey. And if you enjoyed this episode, pleeeease rate-and-review us! We may even read your written review (on Apple Podcasts) on the next episode! We love to hear from our listeners. Feel free to leave comments, ideas, and even have your kid record a kid book review on AuthorVisitPodcast.com. We might use it as the kid book review on the next episode! Thanks for listening to this episode of the Author Visit Podcast! Resources and books mentioned in this episode (with affiliate links that help support this podcast): Shine Like a Unicorn by Shelli R. Johannes (author), Maddie Frost (illustrator) Theo the Thesaurus: The Dinosaur that Loved Big Words by Shelli R. Johannes (author), Mike Moran (illustrator) Theo the Thesaurus and the Perfect Pet by Shelli R. Johannes (author), Mike Moran (illustrator) Little Red and the Big Bag Editor by Rebecca Kraft Rector (author), Shanda McCloskey (illustrator) The Star Festival by Moni Ritchie Hadley (Author), Mizuho Fujisawa (Illustrator)

Shanda picks the brain of author and teacher, Lola Schaefer, about how to put on writer's workshops for kids. (Bonnie Clark is on vacation). (Shanda) Welcome to the Author Visit Podcast! I’m author-illustrator, Shanda McCloskey. And our topic today is all about putting on writer’s workshops with kids, with our special guest, author, and writing teacher - Lola Schaefer! Welcome, Lola! (Shanda) We always start by telling how we’ve been doing for the past few weeks, so I'll start. (Shanda) Finished a reeeeally rough sketch dummy for the Rube Goldberg book, Visited my sister in Greensboro, NC, and now I’m working on my first keynote for the Arkansas Literary Association’s Annual Literacy Conference (Doll-E 1.0 won 2nd place in the Arkansas Diamond Children's book award)... How’ve you been, Lola? (Lola) Lola tells about how busy she’s been incredibly busy with gardening and books lately. (Shanda) Lola, I’m excited to pick your brain about putting on writing workshops for students! First, can you tell us a little about yourself, the books you make, and your experience with writing workshops? (Lola) Lola tells how she began as a classroom teacher and learned on the job how to get students writing! During this talk, Shanda and Lola discuss the following… What exactly is a writing workshop? How does a regular classroom writing workshop differ from an author visit writing workshop? How long do they last? One session? Multiple? What ages do best in writing workshops? How does a writer-in-residence differ from a writing workshop? What do you write in a writing workshop? How many students per session? What are some nuances that authors/educators might need to know or think about if they’ve never done a workshop before? How can authors tailor their writing with students' experiences so they complement what the teacher is currently doing in the writing workshop? What should authors charge for this sort of thing? Who is the contact you deal with most of the time at schools (or other) to set these events up? What about virtual workshops? Any special memories or funny stories from a workshop you’ve done in the past? What do you wish we had asked? Can schools book YOU for writing workshops now? (Shanda) That wraps up our 21st episode all about writing workshops for kids with Lola Shcaefer!  This was a truly awesome talk! You can find me at www.shandamc.com, on Twitter: @ShandaMcCloskey, and on Instagram: @shandamccloskeydraws. Lola, where can you be found? (Lola) www.lolaschaefer.com and on Twitter and Facebook. (Shanda) And here’s a kid book review… by Beni M. (Shanda) This podcast is sponsored by AuthorVisitCentral.com and produced by Ben McCloskey of EngineIndustries.com. And if you enjoyed this episode, pleeeease rate-and-review us! We may even read your written review (on Apple Podcasts) on the next episode! (Shanda) We love to hear from our listeners. Feel free to leave comments, ideas, and even have your kid record a kid book review on AuthorVisitPodcast.com. We might use it as the kid book review on the next episode! (Shanda) Thanks for listening to this episode of the Author Visit Podcast. Bye!!! Resources and books mentioned in this episode (with affiliate links that help support this podcast): Lift, Mix, Fling!: Machines Can Do Anything by Lola Schaefer (author), James Yang (illustrator) A Fun Day at the Park: Ready-To-Read Graphics Level 1 (Sprinkles and Swirls Series) by Lola Shaefer (author), Savannah Allen (illustrator) A Cool Day at the Pool: Ready-To-Read Graphics Level 1 (Sprinkles and Swirls Series) by Lola Shaefer (author), Savannah Allen (illustrator) Karen's Roller Skates: A Graphic Novel (Baby-sitters Little Sister #2) by Ann M. Martin (Author), Katy Farina (Illustrator)   This podcast is sponsored by AuthorVisitCentral.com and produced by Ben McCloskey of EngineIndustries.com. And if you enjoyed this episode, we would surely appreciate it if you would rate and review us and please share with others who might like it too! And if our podcast is helpful to you, please consider making a donation to help keep us going! If you have comments or even ideas for future topics to cover on an episode let us know on the contact form at AuthorVisitPodcast.com. With your help, kids can record a book review there too and it might get used as the Kid Book Review on one of our future episodes! There’s even a printable book review template there to help guide you if needed. Thanks for listening to the 21st episode of the Author Visit Podcast!  

Children's authors, critique partners, and friends (Bonnie Clark and Shanda McCloskey) talk about their (detailed) workflow processes from the moment a school reaches out with interest in having them present to students to the day of the event. The last episode was about reaching out and hopefully getting a few “bites” from schools wanting to schedule an author visit with you. And let’s say it worked! A school has contacted you saying they’d love you to come speak to their students. Super! ... Now what? What exactly should you do next?  For this episode, Shanda and Bonnie share their different workflow processes they have put in place starting from the first inquiry email from a school. Hopefully, you authors can take some of what you hear today on this episode and use it to build/tweak your own unique visit planning workflow process. There’s probably a thousand different ways you can handle this stuff. This is just what is working for them… for now. We hope you enjoy the listen!   Kid book review by Amera Clark.   Resources and books mentioned in this episode (with affiliate links that help support this podcast): Taste Your Words by Bonnie Clark (Author), Todd Bright (Illustrator)   Where to find us: Bonnie: https://bonnieclarkbooks.com/ Facebook and instagram: @bonnieclarkbooks Twitter: @bonclark   Shanda: https://www.shandamc.com/ Twitter: @ShandaMcCloskey Instagram: @shandamccloskeydraws   This podcast is sponsored by AuthorVisitCentral.com and produced by Ben McCloskey of EngineIndustries.com. And if you enjoyed this episode, we would surely appreciate it if you would rate and review us and please share with others who might like it too! And if our podcast is helpful to you, please consider making a donation to help keep us going! If you have comments or even ideas for future topics to cover on an episode let us know on the contact form at AuthorVisitPodcast.com. With your help, kids can record a book review there too and it might get used as the Kid Book Review on one of our future episodes! There’s even a printable book review template there to help guide you if needed. Thanks for listening to the 20th episode of the Author Visit Podcast!

Children's authors, critique partners, and friends (Bonnie Clark and Shanda McCloskey) talk about their various personal experiences with drumming up school visit bookings. We hope you enjoy the listen!   Kid book review by Harvey, age 11.   Resources and books mentioned in this episode (with affiliate links that help support this podcast): Go with the Flow, by Karen Schneemann (Author)  Lily Williams (Author)   Where to find us: Bonnie: https://bonnieclarkbooks.com/ Facebook and instagram: @bonnieclarkbooks Twitter: @bonclark   Shanda: https://www.shandamc.com/ Twitter: @ShandaMcCloskey Instagram: @shandamccloskeydraws   This podcast is sponsored by AuthorVisitCentral.com and produced by Ben McCloskey of EngineIndustries.com. And if you enjoyed this episode, we would surely appreciate it if you would rate and review us and please share with others who might like it too! And if our podcast is helpful to you, please consider making a one-time or reoccurring donation to help keep us going! If you have comments or even ideas for future topics to cover on an episode let us know on the contact form at AuthorVisitPodcast.com. With your help, kids can record a book review there too and it might get used as the Kid Book Review on one of our future episodes! There’s even a printable book review template there to help guide you if needed. Thanks for listening to the 19th episode of the Author Visit Podcast!

Children's authors, critique partners, and friends (Bonnie Clark and Shanda McCloskey) talk about how to structure and organize the school visit section of your author website in order to book more visits!    A note from Ben (web developer and producer of this podcast) on websites: You don’t have to hire anyone to build you a website nowadays, but if do it yourself, you need to think about the structure of the site. It’s pretty easy to get a WordPress or SquareSpace or other site up and running quickly, but you really need to think through the structure of pages in general. Don’t make people think too hard about what information is where. Don’t try to be avant-garde or unique with regard to menus, navigation, and layout. Make sure the wording is clear and succinct throughout the site, especially on the author visit page. Like, put all your information out there, but try not to repeat yourself, and don’t ramble. As for SEO, make sure to title the pages with what you want to come up as in a Google search (example, mention your town or area somewhere if you want to appear in searches for author visits in that area). Most modern systems like WordPress come with themes that are already mobile friendly, but be sure to test it out and try a few different themes to get the look you’re going for. Worst case-scenario, if you break something, WordPress developers are pretty easy to come by on sites like Upwork, and there’s probably one in your area if you search for it specifically.   Now, let's talk about the school visit section of your site...   Bonnie, what’s your philosophy on this subject? Easy to read/ follow Everything you need to know about me/ my presentations  Author visits in action (me & students) Should get a good “vibe”and snapshot of my personality Testimonials (new this year!)  Accessible contact information for further questions   Shanda: ​​I believe that a good author-visit web page does 3 jobs: Gains trust Informs Calls to action My author visit page is first a place to show that I welcome visit opportunities AND I have experience speaking to kids. I show this through my words, photos, and testimonials. This is the gaining trust part.  Once the school sees evidence that I can provide an engaging program, then they will start looking for more detailed information. This is the inform part. There are links to my IN-PERSON visit packet pdf and my VIRTUAL visit packet pdf. These pdfs list my presentation menu, pricing, book sale info, and tips for a great visit.  I update these pdfs every summer before the new school year begins. Sometimes I might remove a presentation that I’m not crazy about anymore, add a new presentation to the menu, or adjust my pricing.  *Notes on pricing: I choose to have a price that I show plainly. It’s the same for all schools and it’s all-inclusive with travel expenses as well. I do this because I got burned before. A school had a per night hotel price cap that was outdated. So I lost hundreds of dollars by letting them “pay for my travel”. I just did a little research and built that into my price. It’s served me well so far. And schools like it because they know exactly how much my visit will cost with one simple price. I saw author Stacy MacUnulty do this on her author visit webpage. And it made so much sense to me. She actually uses a booking service now, but when she booked all her own visits like I do, she used this method. A simple, all-inclusive price for various distances- Local, Semi-local, and Beyond. I do the same. My author visit page also has an availability calendar.  It’s a little fancy and I may have seen one other author use one, so it’s definitely NOT a must-have, but I love it.. It’s useless though if you don’t keep it up, but so awesome that schools can see immediately if a date they have in mind is clear for me or not. My husband (Ben) made this possible. I wouldn’t have done it on my own but it’s linked to a Google calendar that I solely use for this purpose by blocking off dates that are unavailable (like my kids spring break and dr appt etc.) and adding school visits as they are booked.  Last, you need a call to action! Something that tells the school if you like what you see, do THIS to start the process. I have a contact form with the words “Let’s Plan A Visit” above it. One of the fields in my form is “how did you hear about me?” This is so interesting. I’ve learned that most schools find me through personal recommendations and plain ol Google searches. Conclusion - Your website is a key tool to getting more school visits! If you simply and clearly put most of your info right there on your website, it’ll cut out a bunch of time-wasting back and forth emails for both parties. Just put the info schools will need to know on your website and that alone will make it that much easier to get bookings. A school who is looking at a few authors at once may choose the author that makes the process easiest to access. It’s a no brainer. Everyone is busy. Especially educators. So try to avoid sounding cryptic and secretive on your school visit webpage. You don’t want your vibe to be … I really don’t have a school visit plan or pricing in place but I’ll throw something together if you want me bad enough to jump through my hoops.  No matter what I ‘m shopping for, if the price is hidden then that tells me - it’s probably overpriced and will be work because I’m going to need to haggle or something.  “If you want to make school visits a larger part of your work and income, your author-visit webpage should sing that song!”    -Shanda   That wraps up our 18th episode! Quote: (Bonnie) “Be the energy you want to attract.” - Buddha  Let your website, social media, posts etc. reflect what you want to attract.   Kid book review by Beni.   Resources and books mentioned in this episode (with affiliate links that help support this podcast): Willa's Wilderness Campout by Valerie Tripp (Author) and Thu Thai (Illustrator)   Where to find us: Bonnie: https://bonnieclarkbooks.com/ Facebook and instagram: @bonnieclarkbooks Twitter: @bonclark   Shanda: https://www.shandamc.com/ Twitter: @ShandaMcCloskey Instagram: @shandamccloskeydraws   This podcast is sponsored by AuthorVisitCentral.com and produced by Ben McCloskey of EngineIndustries.com. And if you enjoyed this episode, we would surely appreciate it if you would rate and review us and please share with others who might like it too! And if our podcast is helpful to you, please consider making a one-time or reoccurring donation to help keep us going! If you have comments or even ideas for future topics to cover on an episode let us know on the contact form at AuthorVisitPodcast.com. With your help, kids can record a book review there too and it might get used as the Kid Book Review on one of our future episodes! There’s even a printable book review template there to help guide you if needed. Thanks for listening!

Children's authors, critique partners, and friends (Bonnie Clark and Shanda McCloskey) look back at what worked and what didn't (school-visit wise) in 2021 in order to set new goals and improve in 2022. Kid book review by Amera. Resources and books mentioned in this episode (with affiliate links that help support this podcast): The Gift Shop Bear by Phyllis Harris Where to find us: Bonnie: https://bonnieclarkbooks.com/ Facebook and instagram: @bonnieclarkbooks Twitter: @bonclark Shanda: https://www.shandamc.com/ Twitter: @ShandaMcCloskey Instagram: @shandamccloskeydraws This podcast is sponsored by AuthorVisitCentral.com and produced by Ben McCloskey of EngineIndustries.com. And if you enjoyed this episode, we would surely appreciate it if you would rate and review us and please share with others who might like it too! And if our podcast is helpful to you, please consider making a one-time or reoccurring donation to help keep us going! If you have comments or even ideas for future topics to cover on an episode let us know on the contact form at AuthorVisitPodcast.com. With your help, kids can record a book review there too and it might get used as the Kid Book Review on one of our future episodes! There’s even a printable book review template there to help guide you if needed. Thanks for listening! Happy 2022!

Bonnie and Shanda interview award-winning Children's book author and national speaker, Shannon Anderson, about her experience offering creative add-ons for school visits.  SHANNON ANDERSON IS AN AWARD-WINNING CHILDREN'S BOOK AUTHOR AND NATIONAL SPEAKER. SHE TAUGHT FOR 25 YEARS, FROM FIRST GRADE THROUGH COLLEGE LEVEL AND WAS NAMED ONE OF THE TOP 10 TEACHERS WHO INSPIRED THE TODAY SHOW. SHANNON LOVES DOING AUTHOR VISITS, PROVIDING PD FOR TEACHERS, MENTORING ASPIRING WRITERS, AND KEYNOTING AT EVENTS. Let’s get to it! … Questions we asked Shannon:   Shannon, when we first started chatting about you joining us on the podcast, you mentioned that you had been binge listening to it. So, then I asked you what is a topic we haven’t yet discussed or discussed well on the podcast that you could help shed some light on for us, and you suggested this episode: Creative Add-ons for School Visits. So here we are! Can you give us an overview of what you mean by creative add-ons and why  are you interested in the topic ? How can this benefit schools? And authors? How can this help with funding? You were a teacher, so what do schools need and what can they really use? Are these ideas things that can be carried to the virtual realm as well? Speaking of which, if you could look into your crystal ball, how do you see this school year panning out as far as authors visiting in-person again? And wherever else we go with this conversation...   Thank you SO much for chatting with us, Shannon! Kid book review by Laney Jones (11).   Resources and books mentioned in this episode (with affiliate links that help support this podcast): Y Is for Yet: A Growth Mindset Alphabet by Shannon Anderson (Author)  Jake Souva (Illustrator) Too Shy To Say Hi by Shannon Anderson (Author)  Hiroe Nakata (Illustrator) Mindset Power: A Kid's Guide to Growing Better Every Day by Shannon Anderson (Author)  Violet Lemay (Illustrator) Wink by Rob Harrell Lightfall: The Girl & the Galdurian by Tim Probert    Where to find us: Bonnie: https://bonnieclarkbooks.com/ Facebook and instagram: @bonnieclarkbooks Twitter: @bonclark   Shanda: https://www.shandamc.com/ Facebook & Twitter: @ShandaMcCloskey Instagram: @shandamccloskeydraws   Shannon, where can listeners find you? https://www.shannonisteaching.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shannon.b.anderson.58 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shannonisteaching/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Shannonteaches   This podcast is sponsored by AuthorVisitCentral.com and produced by Ben McCloskey of EngineIndustries.com. And if you enjoyed this episode, we would surely appreciate it if you would rate and review us and please share with others who might like it too! And if our podcast is helpful to you, please consider making a one-time or reoccurring donation to help keep us going! If you have comments or even ideas for future topics to cover on an episode let us know on the contact form at AuthorVisitPodcast.com. With your help, kids can record a book review there too and it might get used as the Kid Book Review on one of our future episodes! There’s even a printable book review template there to help guide you if needed. Thanks for listening!

Bonnie and Shanda interview author-illustrator, Joyce Hesselberth, about her experience doing an artist in residence program in collaboration with a school. Joyce Hesselberth is the author-illustrator of several artful educational books including:  Mapping Sam, Pitter Pattern, and Shape Shift. Joyce also has a brand new beautiful book out called Beatrice Was A Tree. Fun fact: Joyce is another agency sister of mine! Let’s get to it! … Questions we asked Joyce: To start, we’d love to hear about your new book, Beatrice Was A Tree, and the inspiration behind it!   So I was super intrigued when you told me you were doing an artist-in-residency with a school… What exactly is that? And can you tell us about your recent experience doing it in partnership with a school?   What (in your opinion) does the school/students benefit from a program like this vs. a one day school visit? How should artists go about pricing something like this? And who sets it up … librarian, art teacher, principal, PTA?    Have you ever heard of an “author in residence” program? And what could that look like for non-artist writers?   Joyce, do you also offer single day visits and virtual visits? And which is your favorite?   Do you have any other advice for authors, illustrators, or educators about trying an artist in residence program?   Thank you SO much for chatting with us, Joyce! Kid book review by Harvey McCloskey (11).   Resources and books mentioned in this episode (with affiliate links that help support this podcast): Beatrice Was A Tree by Joyce Hesselberth Mapping Sam by Joyce Hesselberth Pitter Pattern by Joyce Hesselberth Shape Shift by Joyce Hesselberth   Wild River by Rodman Philbrick   Where to find us: Bonnie: https://bonnieclarkbooks.com/ Facebook and instagram: @bonnieclarkbooks Twitter: @bonclark   Shanda: https://www.shandamc.com/ Facebook & Twitter: @ShandaMcCloskey Instagram: @shandamccloskeydraws   Joyce, where can listeners find you? https://www.joycehesselberth.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hesselberth Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hesselberth/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/hesselberth   This podcast is sponsored by AuthorVisitCentral.com and produced by Ben McCloskey of EngineIndustries.com. And if you enjoyed this episode, we would surely appreciate it if you would rate and review us and please share with others who might like it too! If you have comments or even ideas for future topics to cover on an episode let us know on the contact form at AuthorVisitPodcast.com. With your help, kids can record a book review there too and it might get used as the Kid Book Review on one of our future episodes! There’s even a printable book review template there to help guide you if needed. Thanks for listening!

Bonnie and Shanda interview New York Times Best Selling Author of the I Am Series, Susan Verde, about her author visit philosophy surrounding social emotional learning (SEL). Susan Verde, is the New York Times Best Selling Author of the “I Am” series (which were illustrated by Peter Reynolds): I Am Human, I Am Yoga, I Am Peace, I Am Love and I Am One, along with many other books and a brand new book called THE TOSSY-TURNY PRINCESS AND THE PESKY PEA! A fairy tale to help you fall asleep! (illustrated by Jay Fleck). Fun fact: Susan and Shanda happen to have the same literary agent! Let’s get to it! … Questions we asked Susan:   To start, tell us about your new book and how you came up with the topic of sleep for this one? Ok Susan, can you give us an overview of what you typically do during a school visit and what about it is uniquely you? Similar to Bonnie, many of your books fall in the social emotional learning (SEL) category which is a hot topic these days! What’s your SEL philosophy when presenting to kid readers? Has your visit schedule been pretty busy this year in light of the pandemic? Did you offer virtual visits? How did that go for you? Has a student ever brought up something uncomfortable? How did you / would you handle that? As an educator, mother, and school presenter, what do you see as the biggest SEL need/gap right now? Any thoughts on how to bridge that gap? Did I just imagine this or did you once tell me you used to be a kindergarten teacher?! How has that experience affected you as a presenter? Do you consider yourself more of an introvert or an extrovert? How does that play into your visits? How many school visits do you typically like to do a year? Before we wrap up, do you have any last tips for our listeners (authors, educators) about school visits or SEL? This podcast is sponsored by AuthorVisitCentral.com and produced by Ben McCloskey of EngineIndustries.com. And if you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and share it with others who might enjoy it too! Thanks for listening to this episode of the Author Visit Podcast!  Kid book review by Beni McCloskey (6). Resources and books mentioned in this episode (with affiliate links that help support this podcast): The Tossy-Turny Princess and the Pesky Pea: A Fairy Tale To Help You Fall Asleep by Susan Verde (Author) and Jay Fleck (Illustrator) The Three Little Yogis and the Wolf Who Lost His Breath: A Fairy Tale to Help You Feel Better by Susan Verde (Author) and Jay Fleck (Illustrator) I Am Human by Susan Verde (Author) and Peter Reynolds (Illustrator) I Am Yoga by Susan Verde (Author) and Peter Reynolds (Illustrator) I Am Peace by Susan Verde (Author) and Peter Reynolds (Illustrator)​​​​​​   I Am Love by Susan Verde (Author) and Peter Reynolds (Illustrator)   I Am One by Susan Verde (Author) and Peter Reynolds (Illustrator) Laxmi's Mooch by Shelly Anand (Author) and Nabi H. Ali (Illustrator)   Diary of a Pug: Paws for a Cause by Kyla May   Thanks for listening to this episode of the Author Visit Podcast!    

Bonnie and Shanda interview elementary school media specialist, Jennifer Lewis of Indian Knoll Elementary School, about her experience and expertise with Microsoft Teams as a virtual author visit tool. Jennifer Lewis is the media center specialist for Indian Knoll Elementary school here in Canton, GA. This is her 24th year teaching and 10th in the media center. She’s been with Indian Knoll since the school opened ten years ago. She is very involved with the Georgia Library Media Association as part of the communications committee and she serves as their Library Media Specialist of The Year chair.  Jennifer enjoys presenting at conferences and is a “Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert.” She was also the 2018 Georgia Library Media Specialist of the Year.  We’re really excited to have her here with us on the podcast today and we can’t wait to hear more about all the interesting things she’s involved in. So welcome Jennifer to the podcast!   Hi Jennifer! You are kind of a big deal! I was very impressed with you and Indian Knoll when I did my virtual author visit back in February. Tell us a little about you and your school and what your favorite role in education is. I love collaborating with the teachers at my school to promote reading and teach their grade level standards!  I plan lessons with teachers to support these goals.” I work at the best school ever! We opened ten years ago and our school has always had the best community and felt like family. Many of the teachers who opened the school are still here and many of the families are also. I remember when many of our current students were born! I absolutely love my job because it is always interesting and I never have the same day twice. My job is a challenge every day in trying to serve my students and teachers the best way I can. I love collaborating with the teachers at my school to promote reading and teach their grade level standards!  I plan lessons with teachers to support these goals.     You’ve told us that you are a presenter at conferences like the GALILEO and ISTE conferences. Tell us about those and what sort of topics you cover.  This summer, I am presenting at the GALILEO Annual Conference and ISTE. My session at the GALILEO conference is about using the ebooks found within GALILEO to support standards and to personalize learning. My sessions at ISTE are about using Minecraft: Education Edition and using our learning management system to engage learners in the school library. I absolutely love learning new things at conferences and being a presenter often allows me to attend conferences I wouldn’t be able to go to otherwise!   I learned when I visited you that Indian Knoll is a “Microsoft Incubator School”  And you are working towards being a “Microsoft Showcase School.” Tell everyone what that means! My school is currently a Microsoft Incubator School.  We have been working all year to raise our status to Microsoft Showcase School.  We will apply for that this summer.  Showcase Schools are basically schools that Microsoft recognizes for exceptional use of Microsoft technologies and dedication to education transformation.  Part of this has been our use of Microsoft Teams.  We have six digital teachers who use Teams for their daily instruction of students who are learning from home.  All of our teachers used Teams when school was closed due to covid.  And all of our staff has used Teams for parent conferences, IEP meetings, hosting guest readers, faculty and department meetings, author visits, technology help, etc.  With everyone using Teams so much, it helps that teachers know Teams so well and are able to navigate it easily when we have big events like author visits.  It has also been a great platform for including our digital learners who are at home.  They can connect and be a part of what is going on at school.)   You obviously use Microsoft Teams for a lot of different purposes. Do you see yourself using it as an option in the future even when we can go back to in-person gatherings? Maybe a hybrid approach to author visits? I have grown to LOVE Teams! It helps us connect to people we would not otherwise have been able to connect to in ways we wouldn’t have been able to. So I definitely think (and hope) that we will continue to use Teams for author visits even after the pandemic.  Previously we used Skype to meet with authors we couldn’t see in person.  But Teams allows more participants so we can include students learning from school and from home and it has a chat feature so that students and teachers can post their questions. And the teacher can vet questions before they are asked. 😆 One thing I have learned this year is that I need to make sure I teach kids what behavior is expected and appropriate during Teams author visits just like I would for an in-person visit. I hope that in-person author visits don’t completely disappear! Having an author visit the school is pretty powerful to kids. But Teams offers a good alternative to in-person visits.   How do you choose authors to come visit your school? (And specifically how did you hear about Bonnie?) The best way to learn about authors who visit schools is from colleagues. I am part of a lot of librarian groups online, and I often see posts where librarians share great authors they have hosted. I heard about Bonnie from a colleague who hosted her earlier in the year. She raved about Bonnie’s program and shared all of the positive feedback she received from her students and staff. Also, our district is in the process of developing a social emotional learning curriculum so the theme of Bonnie’s books fit that perfectly. Having a colleague who has hosted an author before is helpful because they can give me helpful information for when I host the author. For example, my colleague who hosted Bonnie first sent me an email that she sent to her staff telling them what to expect and some different Teams tips.  I was able to customize that email for my staff instead of drafting an email from scratch.   How do you raise funds for author visits? Book Fairs? Other? Our book fairs are our main fundraiser! So that is usually where author visit fees come from. However, a colleague told me about how she received a Literary Events of Georgia Grant to cover Shanda’s fees. So I applied for that grant when I reached out to Bonnie about visiting my school. It was a very easy grant to apply for and completely covered the fees. I have applied for other grants to pay for authors’ fees, but this is the first one I have gotten.   What is your opinion as a librarian on what makes a GOOD/ successful author visit? Any particularly memorable author visit moments? Any catastrophes? A good author visit begins at the school with me! My job is to prepare students and teachers for a visiting author. Having an author means so much more to the kids when they are familiar with the author and his/her books. So I always spend time with my students doing read alouds, sharing the author’s biography, and sometimes even purchasing books for the teachers’ classroom libraries before the visit.  Author visits run more smoothly when they author and I have communicated well beforehand. I like to know from an author what their technology requirements are, their maximum number of students they like to have in one session, what drinks/snack they love. And of course, an engaging program is important as well! I love the programs where authors have a program that keeps the kids’ attention through a story, a picture, a game, or something like that.  I know it’s been a good author visit if the kids bring me stories and pictures inspired by the author and if the author’s books stay checked out for the rest of the year! Bonnie’s program for Taste Your Words is an example of a memorable author visit! Bonnie does a Bean Boozled challenge based on the flavors of the words in Taste Your Words. The kids LOVED that! And now all of Bonnie’s books have been checked out of our library or placed on hold since then. One memorable moment in an author visit was when we hosted David Biedzrycki. He is the author/illustrator of Breaking News Bear Alert, Sumo Kitty, and many other books! Before the kids arrived, he asked me to pose for a photo. Then he used his software to put my photo in the presentation. It was the part of the presentation where he was reading his book to the kids. When he got to the slide with my picture, the kids went nuts! I had read the book to them before his visit and they knew I was not supposed to be in the book! 😆 David is such an amazing presenter that he is able to get the kids back very quickly so they weren’t loud for too long! Fortunately, I have not had any catastrophes!   Do you offer the visiting author’s books for sale at your visits? How does that typically work? And how do you feel about Author Visit Central now that you’ve used it? We always offer for students to purchase our visiting authors’ books. My principal is very supportive of this. I have done this in several different ways, ranging from using a local independent bookstore to having the author ship books directly to the school and sign when he arrives.  When we hosted Bonnie in January, that was the first experience I have had with Author Visit Central. I absolutely loved it!  Everything about Author Visit Central is designed to make book sales easy. I was first impressed by the beautiful, clean flyer you sent. And all sales were done online, so I didn’t have to handle any money at all. That is definitely a plus because it always scares me when parents send in money with little guys. Because we are local, Bonnie dropped the books off at my school.  And I already had a list of students who were supposed to receive books ahead of that so I knew what to expect and delivering them was a breeze.  So I would definitely use this service again.  Media specialists always have a million things to do at any given time, so we appreciate everything that can save us a little time!   When you used Author Visit Central when Bonnie virtually visited, I noticed that your school families purchased a very nice number of books compared to others we’ve done in this area. How did you promote it? Whatever you did worked! Wow! That is great! I don’t know if I did anything special! My school’s families have always been supportive of literacy promotions like author visits and the book fair. But I did several things to promote book sales. First, like I mentioned before, I promoted the books in my lessons and told kids “You can get your own copy of this book signed by the author!” If the kids have heard the books before and know how awesome they are, they are more likely to ask their parents to buy them. The beautiful flyer you created was a huge help in promoting book sales. I made copies of the form and sent it home. I also created a couple of displays where I made posters out of the flyer and the book covers and hung those in places where they would be seen by a lot of people. And last, I posted several announcements in our learning management system and on social media. The more ways we can get the message out, the better!   Using your crystal ball and looking through the lens of technology, how do you see authors and schools working together in the future to create mutually beneficial relationships and memorable visits for students? There are so many things I have done differently in the past year because of covid protocols that I have thought, “Wow, why didn’t I always do it this way?” and I think Teams author visits are definitely one of those things. I also think that having a virtual relationship with an author might lead to a deeper relationship because it’s so easy to communicate online. Like the kids can send messages to an author via the teacher to have their questions answered. Or the kids can be early readers of an author’s book and show the author how their books are being used in classrooms.     Is there anything else you would like to add to our discussion today? I want to let you know how much I have enjoyed this podcast! Even though I’m probably not your intended audience, I have learned so much listening to you both! It has been helpful for me to hear about author visits from your perspective because it helps me prepare better!   Wrap up Quote: Alvina Ling, senior editor at Little Brown Books For Young Readers, recently said on her podcast, Book Friends Forever episode 89, that “doing school visits is the single one best thing an author can do to help themselves”.  This podcast is sponsored by AuthorVisitCentral.com and produced by Ben McCloskey of EngineIndustries.com. And if you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and share it with others who might enjoy it too! Thanks for listening to our 10th episode of the Author Visit Podcast!  Kid book review by Matthias from Sonoraville Elementary! Resources and books mentioned in this episode (with affiliate links that help support this podcast): Tornado by Betsy Cromer Byars (Author) and Doron Ben-Ami (Illustrator) AuthorVisitCentral.com

Bonnie and Shanda talk with Ben McCloskey, (Shanda's husband) the co-creator and web developer of AuthorVisitCentral.com, about the service it provides and the gap it closes when it comes to selling books for an author visit. If you are an author, illustrator, librarian, educator, PTA parent, book seller, etc. and you have questions about Author Visit Central, feel free to contact Ben and Shanda at: info@authorvisitcentral.com This podcast is sponsored by AuthorVisitCentral.com and produced by Ben McCloskey of EngineIndustries.com. And if you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and share it with others who might enjoy it too! Thanks for listening to our 10th episode of the Author Visit Podcast!  Kid book review by Beni (6 years old). Resources and books mentioned in this episode (with affiliate links that help support this podcast): The Gumazing Gum Girl! Chews Your Destiny by Rhode Montijo  The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires AuthorVisitCentral.com

Cohosts, author-illustrator Shanda McCloskey and author Bonnie Clark have a conversation with elementary school librarian and media specialist, Beth Mitchell, about what makes an author visit fantastic and memorable (from her point of view). Beth has been a media specialist for 11 years starting in South Carolina and then moving to GA. She has an outstanding husband and is the proud mother of two sweet little girls. Who they love reading with. Beth is a "dream big" kind of librarian. She loves working alongside teachers and students to make dreams realities. In 2014 she brought Jan Brett to her school after winning an international contest! At her current school, she has brought in multiple authors, illustrators, and storytellers like, Peggy Eddleman, Shanda McCloskey,  Tim Lowry, Jerry Pallotta, John David Anderson, and Bonnie Clark. You can get in touch with Beth at: emitchell@gcbe.org This podcast is sponsored by AuthorVisitCentral.com and produced by Ben McCloskey of EngineIndustries.com. And if you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and share it with others who might enjoy it too! Thanks for listening to our 10th episode of the Author Visit Podcast!  Kid book review by Paisley (3 years old) Resources and books mentioned in this episode (with affiliate links that help support this podcast): Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin (Author) and James Dean (Illustrator) Groovy Joe: Ice Cream & Dinosaurs (Groovy Joe #1) by Eric Litwin (Author) and Tom Lichtenheld (Illustrator) Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion (Author) and Margaret Bloy Graham (Illustrator)

Cohosts, Shanda and Bonnie have a conversation with non-fiction STEM author Erin Twamley all about how she approaches school visits differently! Erin Twamley lives in Alabama, but has worked all over the world to create a new generation of Everyday STEM Superheroes. As an author and educator, her hands-on STEM encounters and nonfiction children’s books engage the next generation in protecting and creating a sustainable planet. In 2018, she established ErinEDU, an educational consulting group with a mission to cultivate curiosity and ask questions by sharing the adventures of diverse professionals in STEM Careers and six STEM Superpowers. And she just had a new environmental kids book released called: CAPTURING COW FARTS AND BURPS You can find Erin at:  ErinEDU.org Twitter: @STEMsuperheros Facebook: @STEMSuperhero This podcast is sponsored by AuthorVisitCentral.com and produced by Ben McCloskey of EngineIndustries.com. And if you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and share it with others who might enjoy it too! Thanks for listening to our 10th episode of the Author Visit Podcast!    Resources and books mentioned in this episode (with affiliate links that help support this podcast): Capturing Cow Farts and Burps by Erin Twamley Everyday Superheroes: Women in STEM Careers by Erin Twamley and Joshua Sneideman Climate Change: Discover How It Impacts Spaceship Earth by Erin Twamley and Joshua Sneideman, illustrated by Mike Crosier Renewable Energy: Discover the Fuel of the Future with 20 Projects by Erin Twamley and Joshua Sneideman, illustrated by Heather Jane Brinesh We Are In A Book! by Mo Willems

Cohosts, author-illustrator Shanda McCloskey and author Bonnie Clark, share how they got their very first school visit gigs as well as more ideas to bring in business! This podcast is sponsored by AuthorVisitCentral.com and produced by Ben McCloskey of EngineIndustries.com. And if you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and share it with others who might enjoy it too! Thanks for listening to this episode of the Author Visit Podcast!    Resources and books mentioned in this episode (with affiliate links that help support this podcast): Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin Shannon Miller's blog: The Library Voice 

Author and co-host, Bonnie Clark shares her recent experience of virtually visiting two schools. What went right and what went wrong.   You can find us at ... BONNIE: BonnieClarkBooks.com Facebook and instagram: @bonnieclarkbooks Twitter: @bonclark SHANDA: ShandaMc.com Facebook & Twitter: @ShandaMcCloskey Instagram: @shandamccloskeydraws This podcast is sponsored by AuthorVisitCentral.com and produced by Ben McCloskey of EngineIndustries.com. And if you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and share it with others who might enjoy it too! Thanks for listening to this episode of the Author Visit Podcast!    Resources and books mentioned in this episode (with some affiliate links that help support this podcast): AuthorVisitCentral.com  Taste Your Words by Bonnie Clark, illustrated by Todd Bright Catching Thoughts by Bonnie Clark, illustrated by Summer Macon Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales by Nathan Hale

Joining us today for an interview is not one, but two incredible authors, Chris Barton and Jennifer Ziegler, who have made a lovely life together of Texas living, family, and author/speaking careers!    Chris Barton is an avid school speaker and a New York Times Best Selling Author! His work includes an extensive list of starred and award-winning children’s non-fiction books such as: Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson's Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions, illus. by Don Tate and What Do You Do with a Voice Like That? The Story of Extraordinary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, illus. by Ekua Holmes. And fiction books too like: Shark vs. Train, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld and Fire Truck vs. Dragon, illustrated by Shanda McCloskey (which is how I met Chris!). Jennifer Ziegler writes for tweens and teens. Her books include YA novels such as How Not To Be Popular, and MG novels like The Brewster Triplet Series: Revenge of the Flower Girls, Revenge of the Angels, Revenge of the Happy Campers, and Revenge of the Teacher’s Pets! And she, too, is very comfortable in front of students delivering curriculum-enhancing presentations and writers workshops to students and adults.    Listen to the episode to hear each of their answers to the following questions... First of all, Chris, I know that you (for several years) created a steady stream of income visiting like 100 schools or more each year, correct? Did you do that also, Jennifer?  How did the pandemic hit/affect/change you both as creative professionals? What are each of you offering in the realm of school visits, currently? I recently attended a webinar with Kate Messner about reinventing school visits for our current situation, and attendees were offered the chance to suggest one of our books for Kate to use as an example. So, I submitted our new book, Fire Truck vs. Dragon which as you know came out in March. And she used it! She put the cover up on her screen under the words: “TEAM UP”. And she went on to suggest how easy it would be (now) to do a virtual school visit together! And what a rare/wonderful opportunity a school could have hearing from both the author AND the illustrator of a book at the same visit? Or even if scheduling was an issue, she brought up the idea of exchanging short videos with each other showing our processes (writing or illustrating) that we could share on our own separate visits. Does any of that sound fun to you, Chris?? Do you guys have any (psychic) insight to the near and distant future of author visits? Fun question: What’s the craziest question a kid has ever asked you or what’s the craziest thing that has ever happened during one of your school visits? (One time a kid threw up in the middle of my talk :) Here's a question from a fellow Austin based book creator (Rivkah LaFille). Do you know her? She’s a writer, illustrator, and graphic novelist that I recently met and admire SO much. She recently caught up on all the Author Visit Podcast episodes, but still had a burning question … How do authors prepare for that moment when they stand up and actually start speaking? Do you sit down and visualize how it's all going to go and write down exactly what you plan on saying like a script? Do you do an outline with bullets but leave it loose within that outline to let the discussion go wherever? Or do you fly entirely by the seat of your pants? Or something else Fun question: What is it like to be married to an author? Do you work in a shared space? Do you critique each other? Jennifer,  I hear you’re teaching a writer’s workshop THIS Saturday (September 5th), correct? Can you tell us a little about that and how we can sign up? Questions from GA school librarian (Beth Mitchell):  Did you guys ever meet an author or illustrator as a child? How do we keep a love of reading alive right now in our technology drenched, socially-distanced society? We offer online reading through outlets like SORA, and there is EPIC, thankfully. How do we encourage parents to embrace their role as students’ first readers? Does that make sense Do you have any final advice for us authors and/or educators regarding school visits or anything else?   You can find us at ... CHRIS: ChrisBarton.info Twitter: @Bartography Instagram: @bartographyatx Facebook: link can be found on website :) JENNIFER: JenniferZiegler.net Facebook: @jennferziegler Twitter: @zieglerjennifer Instagram: @jzstories BONNIE: BonnieClarkBooks.com Facebook and instagram: @bonnieclarkbooks Twitter: @bonclark SHANDA: ShandaMc.com Facebook & Twitter: @ShandaMcCloskey Instagram: @shandamccloskeydraws   This podcast is sponsored by AuthorVisitCentral.com and produced by Ben McCloskey of EngineIndustries.com. And if you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and share it with others who might enjoy it too! Thanks for listening to this episode of the Author Visit Podcast!    Resources and books mentioned in this episode (with some affiliate links that help support this podcast): "Write Before You Write" webinar with Jennifer Ziegler (Saturday, September 5, 2020) Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld Fire Truck vs. Dragon by Chris Barton, illustrated by Shanda McCloskey Whoosh!: Lonnie Johnson's Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions by Chris Barton, illustrated by Don Tate ¡fushhh!: El Chorro de Inventos Súper Húmedos de Lonnie Johnson by Chris Barton, illustrated by Don Tate The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch by Chris Barton, illustrated by Don Tate All of a Sudden and Forever: Help and Healing After the Oklahoma City Bombing by Chris Barton, illustrated by Nicole Xu Mighty Truck: The Traffic Tie-Up by Chris Barton, illustrated by Troy Cummings Sass & Serendipity by Jennifer Ziegler How Not to Be Popular by Jennifer Ziegler Revenge of the Angels: A Wish Novel by Jennifer Ziegler Revenge of the Happy Campers by Jennifer Ziegler Revenge of the Teacher's Pets by Jennifer Ziegler Revenge of the Flower Girls (Brewster Triplets Series) by Jennifer Ziegler The flowchart Chris uses to direct his planning efforts with schools and libraries:  

Bonnie and Shanda countdown 4 of their favorite ways to sell books at in-person or virtual author visits for "traditionally published" books. Below, you will find our discussion along with each book sale method mentioned listed with pros, cons, and sample sale fliers to model your own after if you like. #4 - Bookshop.org #3 - School's local bookstore #2 - Author's local bookstore #1 - AuthorVisitCentral.com   Resources and books mentioned in this episode (with some affiliate links that help support this podcast): Reinventing the Author Visit Webinar with Kate Messner AuthorVisitCentral.com Beatrice Zinker Upside Down Thinker (Book 1) by Shelley Johannes Beatrice Zinker: Incognito (book 2) by Shelley Johannes Beatrice Zinker: Sabotage (book 3) by Shelley Johannes Narwhal and Jelly by Ben Clanton Super Narwhal and Jelly Jolt by Ben Clanton   If you’ve ever performed a school visit or hosted one at your school, you know that selling books can be a complicated ordeal when the author is traditionally published and we are going to try to explain why… First off, let’s compare traditional publishing, self publishing and everything in between... Writer’s Digest says: “Traditional book publishing is when a publisher offers the author a contract and, in turn, prints, publishes, and sells your book through booksellers and other retailers. The publisher essentially buys the right to publish your book and pays you royalties from the sales.” Self-publishing, hybrid publishing, vanity publishing all have completely different business models and profit margins compared to traditional. Different rules. Different perks. We are not talking to these types of authors today. Now, let’s talk about book sales at school visits for traditionally published authors. These authors are not book sellers (or are not supposed to be), and from what I understand, publishers don’t even want their authors selling books regularly (it’s in a lot of our publisher contracts) for a few reasons… Nielsen Bookscan numbers - When we purchase discounted copies of our books from our publisher or Author-Author.net and resell them, those sales are not being “counted”.  Traditionally published authors NEED every book sale to be counted, not only for our royalties so we get paid, but for the future of our careers! The counts from our previous books can determine if a publisher will take a chance on us for another book. So it’s not something to take lightly if this is a career choice for you. And most likely it is if you’ve gone through the obstacle course of getting traditionally published in the first place. And then there’s the NYTimes best selling list numbers. It won’t matter if you sell a million books on your own if they are not officially counted in the Neilsen book scan. There is also a lovely codependency built into the publisher/bookseller/author business model and relationship. We all need each other for a rich existence. We look out for each other. If I take the sales from the bookstores around me for all my school visits, I would be missing many opportunities for making various booksellers aware of me. They are buying and hand-selling books to their communities. They can’t order all the books in the world, but after a connection with you (even thru a third party) they are much more likely to carry YOUR books on their shelves and for telling others about your books, school visits, and possibly suggest inviting you to conferences, festivals, etc. in their area. And I DO NOT want to keep and manage a stock of books or front the money to do so! Seems kinda silly though for authors not to be encouraged to sell their own books, after all, a sale is a sale and there’s not an indie bookstore in every town. And then it gets really hairy when you talk with the comics world! As the comics’ world (which is driven hugely by authors selling their own work at conventions) collides more and more with the literary world in the form of graphic novels, things get more complicated. Each of these worlds use to operate separately for along time, but as they overlap more and more - things get messy. Anyway, I digress...    So here's the countdown! Our 4 favorite ways to sell books at school visits, so here we go... #4 - Bookshop.org: Use Bookshop.org to place one bulk book order for in-person or virtual visits... This method would require the school to send out the order form and have families turn it back in to the coordinator with cash or check, then the author would place the order on Bookshop.org with their own account and money, shipping to the school. The author would collect the money from the school after the visit. Pros:  Author can know the status/track order Ships straight to school Easily understood process Supports indies … somewhere  Cons: Author has to pay up front for the books to be reimbursed weeks later Not much discount, if any Librarians must collect forms, money and do accounting Author has to do accounting too Sample flier: #3 - School's local bookstore: Use the school’s local bookstore to place one bulk book order for an in-person or virtual visit for students learning at school... This method requires the school to coordinate with their nearest bookstore, send home an order form to be returned with cash or check (unless the bookstore could set up a special ordering link), and then pick up the books from the store or pay for shipping to the school.  Pros:  Sometimes savings of up to 20% off, so books are cheaper for families or can earn nice money for school Author doesn’t have to lug a bunch of books to school, easy travel Supports local bookstore Cons: Someone Has to create flier  Librarian has to coordinate with the bookstore Librarian has to collect money and forms, and do accounting Librarians may have to physically pick up the books from the bookstore or pay shipping Author may have to mail book plates for virtual visits Sample flier: #2 - Author's local bookstore: Use the author’s local bookstore for virtual visits when students are learning remotely from their homes: This method is perfect for getting signed books sent to individual students’ homes because some or all the students attend school remotely. It basically gives families a link to the author’s bookstore that the author can easily drive to to sign purchased books before they ship out. Pros:  Supports local bookstore Easy on Librarian- doesn’t have to collect forms and money, do accounting, or distribute books (because books ship to homes) Better not to deal with cash during pandemic, kids can't lose the money, easy purchasing online No minimums required Author doesn’t have to ship out orders Can be used in combination with any of the other methods if you have a mix of learning types Cons: Someone Has to create flier  Author has to coordinate with the bookstore about the sale and signing before the books ship out Expensive for families- My bookstore offers no discount this way, retail plus shipping Sample flier: #1  - AuthorVisitCentral.com: Use AuthorVisitCentral.com for a virtual or in-person visit when students are learning at school... This method is one we invented! (So we may be a bit biased.) It’s designed to be easy on everyone involved - it takes the accounting out of the school, has a built-in buying incentive that gives back to school, and supports a local indie in the school’s area. It also represents the author in a professional way! Pros:  Easy on Librarian- doesn’t have to collect forms, money, and do accounting Easy to set up by author (very little leaning on librarian) Supports indie bookstores Nice flier generated for you Better not to deal with cash during pandemic, kids can't lose the money, easy purchasing online Earns a little money for the school (up to $1 per book, ordering incentive) No book returns or pickups needed. Books ship to schools. Assured Professional appearance Author doesn’t have to lug a bunch of books to school No minimums required Cons: Small discount compared to other methods Students have to be at school for this method to work for delivery of books Author may have to mail book plates for virtual visits Author may be on the line for paying shipping if not enough books are sold to qualify for free shipping. (Every publisher has a different threshold for this, so it's hard to put a blanket number on it.) Sample flier:   You can find us individually at: BONNIE: BonnieClarkBooks.com Facebook and instagram: @bonnieclarkbooks Twitter: @bonclark SHANDA: ShandaMc.com Facebook & Twitter: @ShandaMcCloske Instagram: @shandamccloskeydraws Find us both at AuthorVisitPodcast.com where we love to hear directly from our listeners! Feel free to leave comments or even ideas for future topics you’d like us to cover. This podcast is sponsored by AuthorVisitCentral.com and produced by Ben McCloskey of EngineIndustries.com. And if you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and share it with others who might dig it! Thanks for listening to this episode of the Author Visit Podcast!

Bonnie and Shanda discuss the interesting nuances of presenting to teens and high school audiences with guest young adult author, Christi J. Whitney, https://christijwhitney.com/. Books we mention in this episode (with some affiliate links that help support this podcast): Grey by Christi J. Whitney Shadow by Christi J. Whitney Midnight by Christi J. Whitney Catching Thoughts by Bonnie Clark  Snow and Rose by Emily Winfield Martin (paperback) Snow and Rose by Emily Winfield Martin (hardcover)

Aimed at authors/illustrators new to school visits, Bonnie and Shanda discuss several types of author presentations you can do and gives examples of each: Book specific Topic specific Process specific and combinations Shanda talks about the 3-ingredient recipe that helped form her own successful author presentation, and Bonnie tells about a super fun/gross activity she's excited to try at her next presentation about speaking kind words. Resources and books mentioned in this episode with affiliate links (that help support this podcast): "Preparing Your Perfect Presentation", a course from KidLit Creatives. Use code: AVPTHANKYOU for 10% off! Dirt Cheap by Mark Hoffmann Taste Your Words by Bonnie Clark Catching Thoughts by Bonnie Clark Doll-E 1.0 by Shanda McCloskey (Scheduled to be back in stock early September 2020.) T-Bone the Drone by Shanda McCloskey  

Cohosts Bonnie and Shanda, discuss WHY they do school visits, WHAT school visits might be like in the fall (predicted by librarians), and HOW to get started by thinking through a few logistics. Resources discussed in this episode: Book by Kim Norman Sell Books and get PAID doing Author School Visits Virtual Author Visit Etiquette Poster https://vanmeterlibraryvoice.blogspot.com/2020/05/i-can-zoom-buncee-posters.html Highlights Workshop on Creating Author Visits https://www.highlightsfoundation.org/12473/guest-post-andrea-j-loney-three-tips-for-awesome-author-visits/ Creating Engaging School visits Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/122633751263332/ One Resource for selling books at a school visit https://www.authorvisitcentral.com/ Lee and Low's "How To Host A Successful Virtual Author Visit" Webinar Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58synKLBGgo&feature=youtu.be Thanks for joining us! Next time will dive into designing your presentation(s).

Co-hosts Bonnie and Shanda, and guest Tosha Sumner (a.k.a- T.L. Sumner) discuss racism and small ways we can begin to move forward to foster positive change and uplift black voices as librarians, teachers, educators, authors, illustrators, booksellers, parents, and people. Books mentioned in this episode: Just Like Me by Vanessa Brantley-Newton I Love Me! by Laronda Gardner Middlemiss, illustrated by Beth Hughes Brown Sugar Babe written by Charlotte Watson Sherman, illustrated by Akem The book links above are affiliate links that help support our podcast.  

Shanda and Bonnie introduce themselves and lay out what can be expected from the new Author Visit Podcast. We had a great first podcast recording! Sure, we are learning this platform as we go, but all-in-all, we are super excited to start this venture with you! Here is a list of books mentioned in this episode and affiliate links: Taste Your Words by Bonnie Clark Catching Thoughts by Bonnie Clark Doll-E 1.0 by Shanda McCloskey T-Bone the Drone by Shanda McCloskey Fire Truck vs. Dragon written by Chris Barton and illustrated by Shanda McCloskey Bedtime Ballet written by Kallie George and illustrated by Shanda McCloskey Unsolved Mysteries of Nature by Heather L. Montgomery