How to Book Author Visits as a Children's Book Author

Author visits are my favorite events for sharing my books with students. Author visits are an opportunity to visit with students, share books, and share lessons. It involves communicating new ideas, thoughts, and perspectives to students. 

Why do I love author visits? Because when I was in high school, I remember dreaming of being on stage at my high school's auditorium, inspiring the next generation. I am no stranger to performing, as I was a theater and dance student. Something about sitting in that auditorium and watching the stage lit a fire in me. I've been working on my craft ever since.

Author visits are an opportunity to share your work with students and receive teacher feedback and testimonials. I incorporate this feedback and testimonials in proposals and workshops for future opportunities. 

I failed to secure an author visit when I first published my children's book, A Boy, a Budget, and a Dream. I read the book by David H. Henrickson - How to Get Your Books into Schools. My goal was to secure school visits to promote financial literacy. I followed his blueprint to the tee. He recommended doing info sheets, and I created them on Canva. I printed 200 copies. Check them out below.

Then, I researched 200 schools, mailed them out, and waited to hear back. I heard back from 10 schools. How many visits did I secure? 0. Lol.

David should have mentioned how this would pan out if you're in the middle of a pandemic. But who could've predicted a global pandemic? Teachers were navigating hybrid/online learning environments, lack of accessibility, and so much more. It makes sense why I did not hear back from many schools. I was a newbie author and only had a little street credit.

So, how did I nail my first author visit? Through relationships. My first author visit occurred at my alma mater. Another occurred due to a colleague knowing a teacher, and another occurred due to a FaceBook friend being a teacher. Leverage your relationships and network. Who do you know that is an educator? It could be your kid's school. Maybe you have relatives who are educators. I always start with my circle and network inward before branching out to others. 

One of my favorite visits was to a school in Delaware. I met with over 800 young people, both elementary and high schoolers. We played games, talked about money, read books, and encouraged each other. One of the second graders shared that their favorite author was me! Then, all the second graders agreed. 

Author visit at an elementary school in Camden. Delaware.

Author visits are a fantastic opportunity to share your books and be compensated for your time. It also develops your presentation skills and confidence for future engagements as an author.

If you're interested in booking me for an in-person or virtual author visit, please email me at Hi@thewealthplayground.com or complete the engagement form here! I look forward to bringing play and fun to your school or organization. 

Sharing Granny’s Vintage Camera at the St. Pete Reads Lit Fest in St. Petersburg, Florida