When is the Best Time to Schedule School Visits?

"When is the best time to schedule a school visit?" A very popular question from authors planning who plan to speak in schools. I book school visits from one month to a year in advance. The reason for a wide range is that most schools have limited budgets and a variety of time frames for scheduling. The best time for me to schedule is six months ahead.  

When planning spring visits, send contact emails starting December 1st. The holidays are a rushed time. Many educators are planners and respond immediately. Follow up emails can start after January 15th. This gives the staff time to settle in after the new year. Non planners will find an urgent need to book an author visit.  

If planning fall visits, send contact emails before May 1st. Emails after this date educators are in holiday mode mindset and ignore the email.  I don't start emailing educators until a week before school starts in the fall. 

Booking schools means planning life one year in advance. Middle and high schools may be different. No matter what age group, get your official fingerprint ID done. You can register at the county courthouse.

A great resource for scheduling is Jane Wood's Schools: A Niche Market for Authors.

Mark Wayne Adams

Award-winning illustrator of Jilli, That's Silly!: A Story About Being a Girl

Author Visits in Schools

Jane Wood author of Schools: A Niche Market for Authors, finds that schools are a unique market for authors. Whether an author writes children's picture books, young adult books, or even adult fiction or nonfiction books, the goal for most authors is the same - to sell books!

As the author of four juvenile fiction books, Jane Wood has been selling her books to schools since 2004. More than 50 percent of her annual revenue comes from book sales to schools, speaking fees to schools, and book sales to students at those schools. For Jane this is a win-win.

Jane's visits are a valuable benefit to the schools she visits. As a former teacher, her goal is to inspire reading in students. By creating characters that children can relate to, and scenes that engage their interests and imaginations, she promotes literacy. When she participates in an author visit at a school, she makes a connection with her readers, which is beneficial to both of parties. And when she talks about the writing process, she reinforces what their teachers teach them in language arts lessons.

There are many things to consider when targeting schools as a market for book sales. In her book she shares many strategies: how to make books attractive to educators; how to promote books to schools; how to develop presentations; and ways to generate revenue from this niche market.

Jane Wood can be reached at her website:  GetBookSavy.com

Becoming Relevant.

How does a new illustrator become relevant?

A. Know the current market before illustrating in various styles. Consider the style, niche, and genre that reflects your unique talent. Visit libraries, book stores, and book fairs to see which books are popular and most importantly...selling!

B. Be observant of the books consumers read, borrow, and purchase. If a consumer is compelled to bring a book home, either the story or illustrations are entertaining. Generally both!

C. Keep your enemies close! Research award-winning illustrators from the past five years in your genre. These illustrators are relevant and competition. Ask questions about their work. Who employs them? What makes them unique? When did become popular? Why are people purchasing their books? How many books have they illustrated? Sometimes the illustrator will post this information on a website, blog, or even share via email.

Practice Observing:

Illustrating a dog book for children? Then visit a local library. Arrange an assortment of dog books on a table in the children’s section. Make notes* if a patron skims through a book. Place a hold on any book a patron borrows. There is money in that book, find out the who, what, when, why, and how of that book.

*Notes: Document font size, color, title, and illustrative style on covers. Don’t exclude the spine either. Most books are stacked on the shelf, what catches the readers eye.

Mark Wayne Adams
CEO, MWA, Inc.