Are you finding that author visits at your library are hit or miss? You get a famous writer, coordinate with a local bookstore to bring some books, and you get 3 whole people to show up? No more! I’m a Children’s Librarian with over 25 years experience, and here’s how I create awesome author visits that are great for the authors (or illustrators), kids, families and communities.
Logistics
Ask authors for their fabulous, creative ideas. They may have a great program all ready to go!
Many authors do school visits. Remember that a school visit is often quite different from a visit at a public library. Schools tend to focus on educational factors, whereas libraries can just bust out and have fun. An author visit is like a book party.
Ask authors to bring their own copies of the books, and figure out their own methods of accepting payment. I’ve gotten blown off by a bookseller and will not get myself stuck in that awkward situation again! As the librarian, you provide the venue and the marketing, and authors can do the rest.
The Event: Get Creative!
Think along the lines of an event planner, rather than as an educator. Create a joyful experience. If this book were the star of a party, how would you incorporate it into the celebration? Focus on the book’s theme and use that as your jumping-off point. If the author has several books, choose one book or choose a theme as your focus. For example, is the book about bedtime? Offer a pajama party storytime special! Is the book about food? Host a taste test. Even if no-one in your audience can afford to buy a book, they can enjoy the experience of meeting the author and creating fun memories. Welcome as many people as you can into the library.
Libraries may not have a budget for expensive events, but it can still be fun. For example, offering a simple craft or coloring page can be a big draw. Snacks or [donated] door prizes are also appreciated! Try thinking outside the box — connect the book with your audience through some fun element. Check out these examples:
1. Book: Trucker Kid
[Photo of Librarian (me) in a DPW truck. Photo credit: Amy]
Focusing on her latest book release, Trucker Kid, I invited Carol Gordon Ekster to come to the library for an author visit. She read to the kids, signed books, and danced to her song, “Trucker Kid”. We created a dance circle, marching about while making all of the sounds and movements that trucks make: honking horns, rolling our arms like wheels on a truck, loading and unloading freight, steering the steering wheel. She even brought coloring pages based on the book. This made for a lively storytime.
Simultaneously, I offered a Touch-a-Truck event. This required outreach and coordination with our local Department of Public Works, who brought dump trucks and other vehicles to a park behind the library. Kids could clamber onto the trucks, pretend to drive and — get ready for it — honk the horns! I supplied bottles of water for the attendees and the DPW truck drivers. This was a great community outreach opportunity for the DPW, in addition to being a memorable author visit.
2. Theme: Farm
[PHOTO of Kirsti Call reading to the kids. Photo credit: Amy]
Kirsti Call’s books have a focus on farm animals. For example, Mootilda’s Bad Mood, Cow Says Meow and Cold Turkey star cows and turkeys. For this event, I coordinated with a local park which has farm animals. We held the event there, under some beautiful shade trees. Kirsti read her funny stories while her son accompanied her with animal puppets and her daughter played guitar. She read her books aloud, and we all made farm animal sounds! A crowd of preschoolers and their parents all sang along. After reading, she invited the kids to come to her table for a free sticker, which is a great idea. Even those who are on a tight budget can enjoy the program and walk away with a sticker and some great memories. Kirsti then signed books for those who were interested, chatting with the audience and making great connections. Kids could then enjoy the rest of their morning at the park, having a picnic or meeting the animals.
3. Book: My Dog is NOT a Scientist!
[Photo of Betsy Ellor reading to an audience. Photo credit: Marcia Strykowski]
Betsy Ellor’s book, My Dog is NOT a Scientist!, focuses on teaching the scientific method with a dog who messes up everything. She did a simple science experiment with the kids. I also coordinated our therapy dog to come. We had a good crowd, some who were drawn by the author visit, others by the science experiment, and others by the dog!
You’ll see that blending two programs into one, so that the author visit has an added element, is a key to success. The authors brought added elements — coloring pages, stickers and a science experiment to share. Adding the DPW’s trucks, the farm animals and the therapy dog kicked each author visit up a notch, making it a memorable, celebratory experience.
4. Children’s Author Book Fair
[PHOTO: group of authors at Book Fair. Photo credit: Marcia Strykowski]
Lastly, you can create a small book fair by uniting a few different authors at the same time. Before the holiday in late November, I invited authors back who had presented before, as well as some we hadn’t worked with yet. I kept the number small to start — just 6 creators, 5 authors and one graphic novel illustrator who were available. I arranged a space with 6 tables for each creator, plus a presentation table at the front of the room. Each creator could give a presentation for 10 – 15 minutes. Graphic novel illustrator Ellen T. Crenshaw chose to draw a character from The Babysitters Club, which was a huge hit with the kids. Some authors read their picture books aloud. Josh Roberts read the first chapter of The Witches of Willow Cove aloud and held a Q+A. Marcia Strykowksi had made apple turkey crafts to give away at her table. The craft tied in with one of her books, Amy’s Choice, plus the event was held before Thanksgiving, so it was a hit!
[Book Fair: Ellen T. Crenshaw, Josh Roberts, and Marcia Strykowski. Photos by Marcia Strykowski]
For this event, all ages were welcome. We figured that adults may like to purchase an autographed book as a gift for the upcoming holidays, or they may be writers themselves who would like to chat with those who had gone through the process of getting published. Kids could attend with their families and meet authors. The presentations served as a way to break the ice — attendees could get to know the creators a bit better, preview their books and feel a sense of connection. They would also have the opportunity to learn about other authors whom they hadn’t initially come to see. The whole event was an enriching experience for kids, authors and the community.
We offered a door prize and snacks as a further incentive. The event was held for 2 hours on a Saturday. For our first Children’s Book Fair, 100 people of all ages attended!
Snazzy Name
If you can come up with a snazzy name, do! For example, which sounds more fun? “Author Kirsti Call” or “Barnyard Fun! with Author Kirsti Call”? “Writer Carol Gordon Ekster” versus “Touch-a-Truck with Trucker Kid Writer Carol Gordon Ekster”? Lead with the activity and make it sound like a joyous occasion that you don’t want to miss. This is a celebration of books and writing.
Marketing
The final step — marketing!
How do you normally market library events? Hit all of those usual channels. For example, do you usually have social media posts on Facebook and Instagram? Share that social media post to your town’s page or any other relevant group. Add it as an event in Facebook, also! Events tend to be seen by a different audience than your usual followers.
Do you have a regular e-mail newsletter to your loyal patrons?
Do you have a way to facilitate outreach through the local schools? If not, make sure that you request permission from the school Superintendent first, and give a sample of the flyer that you plan to send out.
Create beautiful flyers. Put as many details as you can on the flyer, or on the back of the flyer. Add a QR Code so that people can scan it to their phone. For example, for our Children’s Author Book Fair, I posted the authors and their works, along with links to their websites. I also put the schedule of presentations on the back, so people could plan accordingly.
Post these flyers at the library and in local businesses, like coffee shops and eateries — make sure to request permission first (and bring tape).
Share the flyers through e-mail with the author and ask them to post it and share it on their own social media to their followers, family and friends.
Host events or displays surrounding the author visit. For example, if you are hosting an author visit with a bigfoot researcher, put paranormal books on display along with the flyer. Have a “Find Bigfoot” scavenger hunt within the Children’s Room a week before the author visit. (And yes, we’ll be doing this with Ronny LeBlanc, a Bigfoot Researcher very soon!)
What about good old-fashioned newspapers? That will reach an audience you may never get through social media.
Does your library have a Friends group?
What about the Trustees?
Is there a local parent’s group you can share this info with?
If there is a local writer’s group, let them in on the event, too! Authors love to meet other writers, so bring them into the loop. If you don’t mind grown-ups attending the events, make sure to put it on your flyers that it’s for all ages and that all are welcome.
Add to the Sauce
And there you have it — the secret sauce to creating excellent, well-attended author visits! What do you recommend for successful author visits? Add to the sauce by commenting below.
WRITERS' RUMPUS 
Even as an author these are such fantastic ideas for adding some oomph and planning my own events! Thank you!
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