School Visits as an Author by Adam Wallace #ChaBooCha

Image by emmaws4s from Pixabay

SCHOOL VISITS AS AN AUTHOR!

Writing chapter books involves so many things. Writing them, for starters, it’s kinda important to get that done.

Either you or someone else will illustrate them, maybe, or not, but a cover will be designed, at least.

And then the book is created and published and out in the world in some sort of hard copy and/or electronic version.

And this is where the fun begins. Because now it’s time to not only get kids excited about your book, but excited about reading and writing and drawing and books in general! And so it’s time for … drum roll please … school visits!!!!

I mean, you don’t have to do them, but hopefully after reading this you will see that here are 72 gazillion benefits to an author or illustrator doing school visits. I’m not going to list all of them. Just five. We can chat about the rest.

Here we go then! 

Adam Wallace’s Top Five Reasons Why School Visits Are Awesome!

1. You get to entertain and inspire children

This is number one for so many reasons. This, for me, is why I write children’s books. It’s about the kids. Yes, lots of other people are involved – writers, illustrators, editors, publishers, book sellers, book buyers, dogs that eat books – but in the end it’s about the kids, and what better way is there to get kids pumped about books and reading than to be in front of them bursting with enthusiasm? I can’t think of any. Bribery, maybe?

2. Your writing will improve

Yes, it seems kind of strange that presenting will help your writing, but it really will. For example, you get to see which bits of your book work and which bits don’t, and sometimes this can surprise you! You will also get inspired by the energy of the children you present to, which will make you want to get home and write … after you nap, school visits are tiring!

3. You get to sell books

If you have self-published, there is a chance there are one or two boxes of books in your house/garage/under your bed/being used as a dining table. The single best way I have found to move books is via school visits. I always give a set of books to the school as a thank you, and then I leave order forms for the children to buy signed copies of the books. Other authors have different methods, but this is the one that has worked best for me.

Over the years I have sold thousands of books to thousands of kids in schools, and it not only moved books out of my bedroom, but also allowed me to be an author and also also started to generate a following and also also also meant kids were reading which is brilliant and awesome!

4. The kids get to meet a real-life author or illustrator

Maybe you’re already their favourite, or maybe they have never heard of you. It doesn’t matter. They get to meet you, ask you questions, hear your stories, create something with you, and get your autograph. Maybe the fact they met you is the one thing that sparks them wanting to read more. Maybe you become their new favourite author. Authors and illustrators in schools get treated like rock stars, because the kids are SO excited!

5. You get to entertain and inspire children

Yes, we already talked about this, but it’s SO important. The more great books and the more great presenters and the more great sessions we do, the more kids love reading and creating and using their brains and that can only be a great thing for now and future generations. As authors, we can change a child’s life. Seriously. Our books can do it, but we can do it as well, and when you do a school visit, you’re right there in the coalface. So dig in, and let’s get children pumped about books!

(As a little side/end note, if the world of school visits is confusing and strange and overwhelming and the thought of standing in front of a crowd of kids is terrifying, never fear! I am creating an online course on school visits – How to plan them, get them, and be awesome at them! It will be released around mid-2020 and all details will be on my website at www.adam-wallace-books.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/adamwallacebooks )

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About the Author

A qualified Engineer and Primary School Teacher, Adam Wallace settled on writing books for children as his career of choice. With more than 20 published, including Better Out Than In and the How to Draw series, Adam is fast becoming a well-known name in the world of children’s books. You can find Adam's books at Adam Wallace Books and his Facebook author page here.

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Give-away

All you need to do, as a signed-up member of the Chapter Book Challenge, to enter into the drawing for "Writing Magic: Creating Stories That Fly" by Gail Carson Levine is to comment on this blog post. (If you are reading this in your e-mail, you will need to click on the link that will take you to the actual post and then comment.) Winners will be selected by a random number generator at noon on March 31st, 2020 and announced the same day.