Author visits
When I come to a school, my favourite thing to do is a workshop which traces the journey from idea to finished book in the bookshop or library.
With younger children I focus on the smaller journey and show pencil roughs, corrections and art.
With older children I'll also cover some issues around print and production and also look at marketing and pricing.
Advice
Children always get a lot more from a workshop when they've prepared for it. They need to have taken time to think about writing, perhaps do some writing, or think about their favourite books and why they like them. I usually encourage teachers to get the children to think up some questions in advance - they are often too awe struck on the day. This way, children really can get a lot from a workshop.
Buying Books
Every author hopes that a school visit will lead to the school and/or children buying some books. Again, the school will need to prepare children and send home information if this is to happen. Of course, financially, it matters to me and makes a visit financially worth while, but also, it means the children have something tangible to treasure and remind them of the day. That book can be inspiring for them long after they've half forgotten the workshop.
With younger children I focus on the smaller journey and show pencil roughs, corrections and art.
With older children I'll also cover some issues around print and production and also look at marketing and pricing.
Advice
Children always get a lot more from a workshop when they've prepared for it. They need to have taken time to think about writing, perhaps do some writing, or think about their favourite books and why they like them. I usually encourage teachers to get the children to think up some questions in advance - they are often too awe struck on the day. This way, children really can get a lot from a workshop.
Buying Books
Every author hopes that a school visit will lead to the school and/or children buying some books. Again, the school will need to prepare children and send home information if this is to happen. Of course, financially, it matters to me and makes a visit financially worth while, but also, it means the children have something tangible to treasure and remind them of the day. That book can be inspiring for them long after they've half forgotten the workshop.
Workshops & talks for Adults
So far, the workshops and talks I've done for adults fall into three main categories (though if you'd like me to speak about something else, I'm very happy to do so.
• Talks to parents the fundamentals of why reading with your children is 'a good thing'.
I don't feel that this battle has been won or that we can take for granted that all parents know why it's good to read with a small child (who can't read) or with an older on (who can read for themselves). In this situation I also usually talk about book choices, and about books which can help parents (with picky eaters, on potty-training etc).
• Talks to co-professionals like teachers or early childhood workers.
These talks are usually on a theme (or two) and I'm particularly interested in leading discussions and workshops on choosing books which celebrate diversity (and/or devising a set of criteria which teachers etc can use to select in the future) and ones which work in groups where English is not the first language.
• Talks to writers on writing for the Early Years and what that means. I usually cover a little of child development and what issues need to be taken into account.
In the past, I've also given talks on Novelty books; on preparing and getting the best out of the Bologna Bookfair (for writers and illustrators); on how books are costed by small publishers (so writers and illustrators get an insight into how their advance fits into the picture) and on the journey from idea to finished books - which I've found teachers REALLY enjoy. This is also an interesting one for secondary schools (i.e. looking at the publishing industry rather than writing).
I usually charge £300 per day plus travel costs but I'm open to discussion depending on the occasion. Please understand that £300 per day does not mean £40 for an hour - especially if it entails long-distance travel. As with an author visit, the opportunity to sell books is always welcome and is a factor in the fee.
• Talks to parents the fundamentals of why reading with your children is 'a good thing'.
I don't feel that this battle has been won or that we can take for granted that all parents know why it's good to read with a small child (who can't read) or with an older on (who can read for themselves). In this situation I also usually talk about book choices, and about books which can help parents (with picky eaters, on potty-training etc).
• Talks to co-professionals like teachers or early childhood workers.
These talks are usually on a theme (or two) and I'm particularly interested in leading discussions and workshops on choosing books which celebrate diversity (and/or devising a set of criteria which teachers etc can use to select in the future) and ones which work in groups where English is not the first language.
• Talks to writers on writing for the Early Years and what that means. I usually cover a little of child development and what issues need to be taken into account.
In the past, I've also given talks on Novelty books; on preparing and getting the best out of the Bologna Bookfair (for writers and illustrators); on how books are costed by small publishers (so writers and illustrators get an insight into how their advance fits into the picture) and on the journey from idea to finished books - which I've found teachers REALLY enjoy. This is also an interesting one for secondary schools (i.e. looking at the publishing industry rather than writing).
I usually charge £300 per day plus travel costs but I'm open to discussion depending on the occasion. Please understand that £300 per day does not mean £40 for an hour - especially if it entails long-distance travel. As with an author visit, the opportunity to sell books is always welcome and is a factor in the fee.
