Resources to help with planning your school author/illustrator visit
List of Maine Book Creators While this list is not comprehensive, it is a starting point:
Recommendations from Authors, Illustrators, and Librarians to help host a great school visit!
Tips from Authors & Illustrators Initial Planning Steps
Ask for recommendations. Get recommendations for authors/illustrators from other librarians, schools, teachers, and authors. Share your experiences with others.
Check out author/illustrator websites to learn about them, their books, and what they offer for school visits. Authors/illustrators offer what they know works for them and their skill set so that’s what you’re looking for—ones who match your school and your needs.
What’s your budget? You can rule in and out authors/illustrators with the answer to that question.
Consider a virtual visit. These sessions give students, especially older readers, the opportunity to engage in in-depth discussions with the author/illustrator, and with slides, the presentation can closely mirror an in-person visit. While some authors/illustrators charge a fee, others offer virtual visits for free. This option connects authors/illustrators with students nationwide, making it a great option for rural Maine schools where travel can be a challenge.
Decide on your target age level(s) and group size. Squeezing the whole school into a day may not make the most sense and may water down the day’s effectiveness/impact or in a small school it may make perfect sense; some schools target a certain grade level(s) for an author visit each year so when students are in that grade(s), they know they will have an author visit.
Find out the author/illustrator’s preferred age groups. Some authors/illustrators can present to all ages easily, others do not.
Figure out the date for a visit and lock it in on everyone’s calendar. Avoid early release days, testing days. Work around days with specials, especially if you are hosting the author/illustrator in a music or art room or in the gym. Certain months are busy for author/illustrators so plan ahead if you want a March, April, May date. Some authors/illustrators need to be booked a whole year ahead. Communicate whether to set a storm date in the winter months.
Consider COMBO-funding. Some of the money for a visit could come from bookfair monies, the PTO, a grant, arts funds, corporate sponsor, or a read-a-thon.
One-size author/illustrator visits do not fit all! There is no one way to do a school visit, and discussing/brainstorming with your author/illustrator in advance yields all sorts of great ideas. Authors/illustrators enjoy getting creative with you and offering a fun program that fits YOUR school. So, while websites are good places to start, a phone call to plan and tweak also works!
Identify the purpose for the visit.
Is this a book specific visit? If it is, find out if the author/illustrator expects students to have read in advance. Additionally, is it an “issues” book that lends itself to more reading/extensions? Your author/illustrator can suggest how you might prepare students in advance of the visit, especially if it’s a book that covers a difficult topic like sexual assault.
Is it a “general” visit where students are simply interested in hearing about the author/illustrator’s process, publishing business, and general fun stories about their books? Good for us to know in advance.
Is it a “hands on” visit, where you’d like to see the students doing some writing or drawing? Communicating with your author/illustrator about class size and timing, plus what the expectations are regarding supplies, is critical. A presentation to a filled auditorium is quite different from a creative writing workshop for twelve kids!
A day at your school can be a hybrid of all three. You just have to work out the timing, the technology, and the various locations within your building in advance.
Communications
Communicate what you want for the visit. Make sure to communicate all of your wants/needs up front with the author/illustrator (i.e. an extra reading for Pre-K kids, having lunch with some students, wanting an extra evening session, needing to have a parental component for grant funding, inviting another school to visit that day). Author/illustrators want to know what they are committing to without having “add-on’s” added after the fact.
Ask the author/illustrator what works best for them. The author/illustrator will let you know what works best for them with regards to number of sessions, length of sessions, groupings for sessions (i.e. topics/focus and attention spans for kindergarteners and third graders are different), location within the school, AV needs, how to seat students, directions, parking, contact info in case of a last-minute emergency, nourishment, book sales and signings.
Contract/payment. Find out if the author/illustrator or your school system requires a contract and when the author/illustrator wants to be paid. Most get paid the day of the visit but be sure to have payment ready that day—no excuses. Does your school system require the author/illustrator to complete a W-9 in order to pay them? Check on that beforehand and have the author/illustrator complete it. Are you paying for anything else besides the author’s/illustrator’s fee - i.e. mileage, meals, hotel?
Share the schedule in advance. Having the schedule in advance helps the author/illustrator plan for the day. Make sure you include enough time for lunch and breaks. You don’t necessarily need to provide lunch but suggesting a local place where food could be purchased and reserving adequate time in the schedule is preferable.
Have a clear contact person for the visit. It is helpful to have that be the person who will be present on the presentation day. Sometimes a PTO or committee member will start the correspondence but not be at the school which can be confusing.
Preparation for the Day of the Visit
Expect teacher attendance. Set the expectation and schedule so that classroom teachers attend the author/illustrator sessions with their students. If teachers do not attend, there may be more behavior issues, plus it decreases the chances that there will be follow-up in the classroom after the visit.
Make sure your technology fits the size of the group. Some authors/illustrators like to use traditional materials (sketch pad, markers) that are very accessible to all schools, but this sometimes limits the number of students that can be in a session. An all school presentation for 400 students may not work well for every author/illustrator’s presentation needs.
Simplify set up and reduce moving around. It is preferable to have your author/illustrator present in one location if possible. Moving their materials from classroom to classroom really cuts down on the amount of time they can spend with your students.
Plan for book sales. You are paying the author/illustrator to visit your school, so book sales/signings are not required, but are nice. Some authors/illustrators sell their own books while others do not (so you need to check). Most author/illustrator do not autograph books during presentations but will sign in between groups and will tell you how to organize things (i.e. books with slips of paper/stickies clearly saying/spelling who to sign each book for). Publishers (usually 40%) and bookstores (usually 20%) offer discounts on books purchased for an author/illustrator visit—author/illustrator can share publisher contact info with you, but you need to make sure you order early.
Provide access to books for all students. A new book, MAYBE even signed by the author in advance, can be pretty exciting. However, book sales at school can be tricky. Some kids are caught unawares and don’t have money on hand; some simply can’t afford to buy a book. Which hurts. Three solutions:
Acquire a few copies for your library!
Let students know where else in their community they can borrow/buy the books.
Find a donor who will purchase a number of books and then GIVE THEM AWAY FOR FREE to interested students. You’d be amazed at how generous some Maine banks and companies are when it comes to literacy. Some booksellers might even be able to help you with this.
Build Excitement! Read some of the author/illustrator’s books before the visit. Some authors/illustrators may have certain requirements/expectations - ask them! Create displays, bulletin boards, decorate doors, do projects, research author/illustrator and generate questions before visit. The idea is to get the students excited about the visit!
Communicate any special student needs. On the day of the visit, communicate with the author/illustrator about accommodations (i.e. needing to wear a microphone that feeds into a student’s hearing aids, speaking slower if a sign language interpreter is interpreting the talk, seating visually impaired students closer to the front, plan for students who may exhibit disruptive behaviors)
HAVE FUN! Author/illustrator’s love visiting schools to share what they do, give readings, teach writing or drawing lessons, and spark excitement in young authors/illustrators around books and reading—a win-win for everyone!
Compiled by: Lynn Plourde, Maria Padian and Kevin Hawkes March 2025
Tips from Librarians Initial Planning Steps
Identify the visit purpose. Ask teachers what they would like to achieve with an author/illustrator visit. Whether supporting curricular goals through deep collaboration or simply offering the opportunity for students to meet and engage with a beloved author/illustrator, set shared expectations for the visit and planning.
Recognize opportunities to bring local authors/illustrators to school. Local authors are a great resource and reduce travel needs. Students especially connect to recent graduates sharing their publications.
Supplement areas of the curriculum. Identify areas of need or interest, such as research or writing strategies, to guide the author/illustrator visit. Core texts for a grade level or subject can provide an in-depth focus.
Promote curriculum connections. Consider how one author might connect to a variety of curriculum areas. For example, a graphic novelist might connect to English, art, and classes that do sketch notes.
Capitalize on student interest. Student interest in a particular topic, book, or author can guide you in selecting your author/illustrator.
Leverage reading initiatives. Inviting authors who are part of the Maine Student Book Award, North Star and other programs shine a spotlight on not just the featured author/illustrator, but also on the entire reading challenge.
Consider a virtual visit! Virtual author or illustrator visits offer students a unique opportunity to see the creator’s workspace. They can also complement an in-person visit, allowing for engagement before or after the event. Additionally, virtual visits are often more affordable by eliminating travel costs and can be easier to schedule.
Promote collaboration with other school districts. Advertise your interest in bringing an author/illustrator to your school with colleagues from other schools. An author/illustrator visiting multiple districts is a way to share travel expenses involving flights and overnight accommodations.
Plan with the author/illustrator or their agent. Discuss details such as fees, number and size of presentations, grade level ranges, presentation needs, book signing, lunch/break needs, and general lesson goals and expectations for the visit.
Secure funding. Book fairs, PTAs, local businesses and grants, such as the Literacy Fund at the Maine Community Foundation, are sources for funding. Include a line item in your library budget for hosting speakers.
Schedule the author/illustrator. Meet with your administrator to gain any needed approval and to make sure the visit does not conflict with other school events, testing, etc.
Cultivate a culture to experience author/illustrator visits. Outside of school programming, encourage students to attend author visits at the public library, bookstores or other nearby venues - especially events featuring local authors or historical topics. These events offer a great opportunity to connect with the community and earn community service hours.
Staff and Student Preparation
Plan a structure for the visit. Consider starting with an assembly to introduce the author/illustrator. Then, follow with small class sessions focused on illustration, writing, research, or other curricular connections to deepen student engagement and learning.
Collaborate with colleagues. Promote the visit and shared investment in the event.
Order multiple copies of books in the school for reading. The copies make excellent prizes for signed copies from the author/illustrator.
Prepare the students. Share the author/illustrator’s books with the students so they are familiar with their work. Explore websites or online presence to learn more about their works and their background.
Discuss audience etiquette. Prepare students for Q&A by discussing appropriate questions beforehand and brainstorming ideas. Having prepared questions from students and staff helps avoid awkward silences when the author/illustrator asks for questions. It also provides an opportunity to teach proper etiquette and avoid questions like, "How much money do you make?" or "How old are you?"
Preparation for the Day of the Visit
Make sure you have a space reserved. If needing the gym, auditorium, music room, cafeteria or other publicly used space, communicate with impacted teachers, the school office and facilities crew. Fill out any required facility use forms so the facilities crew will know what you need for set up and break down.
Communicate with the author/illustrator. Identify a contact host at the school who will meet the author/illustrator and answer any questions on the day of the visit. Ask if there are any special needs the author/illustrator may have to help the day go smoothly.
Make a schedule for the day. Discuss the schedule with the author/illustrator in advance to be sure it meets their needs and expectations. Besides scheduling the presentations, make sure to provide breaks, lunch and time for book signing on the schedule. Share the schedule with the entire school community.
Organize book sales. Several weeks before the visit, send home order forms so interested families can purchase books to be signed. On the day of the visit, make sure the books are organized so the signing can go quickly. Some authors/illustrators prefer signing bookplates instead of signing during the event. Make sure to know the author’s preference.
Prepare supplies for the author/illustrator. Make sure you have whatever the visitor needs for their presentation. This often includes a projector and microphone if the crowd is large, and an easel and paper if they are an illustrator.
Test equipment before the visit. Make sure the technology works before the author/illustrator arrives.
Create a guest list. Consider including grant funders, school board members, local officials, public librarians, and other grade levels or students who might benefit from the experience.
Welcome the author/illustrator to the school. Post signs, create bulletin boards, display books, and invite students to greet the author/illustrator. Art/responses that celebrate the student reaction to the author/illustrator’s work builds excitement for the event.
Create press releases. Celebrate the author/illustrator visit and promote awareness.
Be excited!!! Excitement is contagious and it spreads to the students!
Follow-Up
Create a goal for future author/illustrator visits. Determine how often a student body will experience author/illustrator visit(s) and work toward building it into the budget along with grant funding.
Gather post visit reflection from students, staff and author/illustrator. The feedback is helpful with future goal planning.
Follow up with tips and techniques gained from the author/illustrator visit. This allows students to practice and integrate the ideas into learning.
Send thank yous. Thank the author/illustrator for visiting, and your volunteers, booksellers, and funders/sponsors who supported the visit.
Compiled by: Debra Butterfield, Abigail Luchies and Susan Onion -March 2025