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A Step by Step Guideline and Worksheet

STEP I. Budgeting
Draw up a budget that will cover the following expenses:

__ 1. Author/illustrator's honorarium (see attached sheets)

__ 2. Travel (this could include airfare, car rental, local cab fare, etc.)

__ 3. Lodging

__ 4. Meals and miscellaneous expenses

__ 5. Purchasing books

__ 6. Promotion/publicity

There are many ways that a school can help raise the money to pay for a visit. Here are some strategies that educators have used.

__ 1. PTA/PTO donations

__ 2. State or school funded grants

__ 3. Car washes, plant sales, rummage sales, bake sales, book fairs, etc.

__ 4. Community or professional organizations such as the Kiwanis Club,
          Lion's Club, Elks, local Council of the Arts and Humanities, may
          contribute or help raise money from concerned citizens.

__ 5. Book sales: Copies of author/illustrator's books that are purchased
          through the publisher are available at a 40% discount, on consignment,
          plus shipping. If you are able to sell books at the regular list price you
          may be able to make a profit.

• Make yourself at least three copies of the Author/Illustrator Visit Worksheet Form below before filling it out.

You will want to use one as scrap, one as reference when you call, and one as your final form for cross-reference after our discussion.

• Read the school visits page for information about approximate
  honorarium, lists of books illustrated, and other important information.

A. Who:

Author/Illustrator whom you would like to have visit your school.

_________________________________________

B. When:

Please list at least three possible dates for a visit that are convenient for your school to host the author/Illustrator (most of our authors will visit a school for one to three days). Please make sure that school is open and that there are no conflicting events scheduled on these days. These dates should be at least two weeks apart.

1.)_________  2.) _________  3.)_________

Helpful hint: December, June. July and August are usually busy months for illustrating.
If possible, try to arrange a date in September, October, November, January, February, March, April or May.

C. Presentation Specifics

Please have approximate answers to the following questions available when you call to make the date for your visit.

__ 1. How many presentations do I need from the author/illustrator?
         (typically no more than three per day)

__ 2. What presentation format would best fit our school's needs:
          large presentations, small classroom gatherings, workshops,
          or a combination?

__ 3. What size room will be required for each presentation?

__4. How many students will attend each presentation?

__5. What is the grade level of the students that the author/illustrator will
         be addressing.

__6. Will each presentation be to one age group or will the audiences be
        composed of students in several different grades?