10 Tips to Ensure a Successful Guest Author Visit?

1. Familiarize yourself with the author’s books beforehand.

1. Read some stories from her books.
2. Choose one story and read it to your students to garner interest. Leave off the ending to make the students want to read more.

2. Student Involvement

1. Have students make a welcome banner to post in the hallway.
2. Allow students to announce the upcoming author’s visit on the morning announcements or on the school’s TV broadcast.

3. Push for literacy

1. Send home book order forms so students have the opportunity to order a personally autographed book.
2. Let students make a “Book Order” box. Students who bring in their books orders can drop them in the box.
3. The class who has the most books orders can earn a 15-minute interview with the author in their classroom.

4. Support from the host school

1. Students and faculty can dress up like a character from one of her books on the day of the author visit.
2. Encourage students to draw/paint a picture from one of the stories you have read to them.

5. Get caught reading

1. Ask the principal to sit in a chair and be reading one of the author’s books under the student-made author banner when students arrive in the morning a few days prior to the author’s visit. Principal support validates importance!
2. Let your students see you reading one of the author’s books when they come into your classroom. Teachers model reading!

6. Get to know the author as a person.

1. Check out the author’s website: www.authortalk.org. Read up on the author and share this information with your students.
2. It’s good for students to see the author as a person with interests that may relate to their own.

7. Photo Op

1. Invite local newspapers/television station the opportunity to visit the school during the visit. The publicity will look great for the school and students love to see themselves in the newspaper.
2. Take pictures for your school yearbook.
3. Allow students to have their picture taken with the author during lunch when she is autographing books in the cafeteria.

8. Cross-curriculum ideas

1. Ask the Art, Music, and PE teachers to incorporate the author’s themes in their classes.
2. Integrate other subject areas such as Math - the value of money in the 1840s and now; Social Studies – the history of the time period; English – related creative writing stories.

9. Communicate with the author

1. Feel free to contact the author with any questions, concerns, or suggestions: tricia@authortalk.org
2. Let the author know whether her presentation will be a front-loading experience or a culminating event for a unit of study so she can adjust her program to meet your needs.

10. Spread the word

1. Share the exciting news of having a guest author with other schools in the area. If the author visits multiple schools the cost of transportation/hotel, etc. can be split making it more cost effective.
2. There are also discounts for multiple presentations in one school.