Today, my good friend and fellow middle grade author Suzanne
Morgan Williams is here to talk about school visits. Suzy is the author of the acclaimed novel, Bull Rider (Simon & Schuster) and
numerous non-fiction releases for middle grade students including the recently
released China’s Daughters (Pacific
View Press). Suzy, thank you for talking
to me today. I know how much you love
visiting with students and I think you’ve done hundreds of school visits. That makes you an expert. So tell me—what do you love most about
speaking at schools?
Suzy: I get an energy from being with students that is
uplifting and inspiring – really. When I talk to kids, I am face to face with
the audience for my work and I’m reminded of their concerns, how they think,
what makes them laugh and cry. I’ve also found I love speaking no matter what
the age of the audience. The give and take between the audience and me is a bit
addictive.
Debby: Do you script
your presentation or is it free form?
Suzy: I almost always work with a power point for my
presentations and with specific lessons for my writing workshops. I know what I
intend to cover for each slide or part of my workshop. That said, I have
certain stories I tell and points I can make, but I don’t have a script. I talk
to the audience in front of me, respond to their reactions, and often riff on
some thought that comes to mind. It’s not uncommon for me to give unique
presentations to each group, skipping back and forth in my power point slides
to illustrate whatever it is I’m talking about at the moment. So the answer is
yes, I go in prepared, often over prepared, but once I’m with the audience, I
follow their lead and my heart.
Debby: How
interactive do you get with your programs?
How do you involve the students with your presentation?
Suzy: This depends
totally on the age of the group, the desires of the school, and the points I’m
trying to make. Obviously, writers’ workshops are very interactive and work
more like a class than a presentation. For large group presentations, my rule
of thumb is, the younger the kids the more interactive the presentation. I
always try to present in a variety of ways interspersing readings with stories
with information. Sometimes I work with student or faculty volunteers or ask the
group questions. When I give my Chinese Inventions presentation (for Made in China) I demonstrate concepts
with science experiments and use a number of student volunteers. Sometimes with
Bull Rider presentations to large
groups of teens, the presentation is all me – until the end when I invite
questions from the audience. When I meet with kindergarteners and first graders
I’m sure to have one or two stories that all
the kids can interact with.
Debby: Let’s talk
props. I remember you telling me once
about the props you bring when you are talking about your book, Made in China. Can you share a little bit about that here?
Suzy: Again, this depends on the presentation and the
desires of the school. For Made in China,
I carry all the materials I need for science demonstrations – these fill a
suitcase and include a Burger King hat, several glasses of various sizes, a bag
of mud, a Pyrex casserole dish, a sushi roller, a silk scarf, a photo of a silk
worm, empty 2 liter soda bottles (sometimes I ask the school to provide those),
an ice cube tray. The list is long and each portion of my presentation is
illustrated by a demonstration of how the science works. For a large group
presentation on Bull Rider in a
middle school, I may arrive with only my power point (has some very cool
photos) on a thumb drive and a copy of the book. If the group is younger, I
have some signs for an interactive quiz. Sometimes with elementary school
audiences, I bring in a suitcase full of the gear I’ve worn on my research
trips to the Arctic for my book The Inuit.
This is pretty impressive – unless the kids are from Wyoming or North Dakota!
Debby: What if you
have an audience that seems to be zoning out and not connecting with you?
Suzy: Honestly, I’ve got a lot of experience and at this
point I’ve honed the presentations to where I’m only using my best material.
I’d suggest before giving a paid presentation that an author practice with
Scout groups or your kids’ classes or a local Boys and Girls Club – whatever.
Then if a part of the presentation doesn’t work, you can take it out before you
give the next one. These practice sessions can be billed as just that. If you
need to, stop from time to time and ask the kids what they are thinking. Are
they bored? What else do they want to know? If the group is smallish, they will
get into this and give good feed back before you have to go in front of a big
audience. Second hint – if in doubt, tell a story. If the kids are spacing out,
you can make some transition and tell them a great story. Everyone loves that,
and that’s what authors do best. Just be sure you’ve thought of a couple in
advance and you know how you’ll tie them in with the theme of your
presentation.
Debby: What about
give-aways? Do you bring postcards,
bookmarks?
Suzy: Yes, I bring postcards which I will sign if asked –
either at the time or later and leave them with the librarian or language arts
teacher. That way every kid can have a memory, not just the kids with money to
buy books. And every postcard includes the ISBN and suggestion to order the
book(s) from a local bookstore or online.
Debby: As a follow up
to my last question, do you give books away—or sell them in advance?
Suzy: I don’t give books away unless there is some special
reason that moves me. I can’t give a book to only one child and not the whole
school. Sometimes I leave a librarian a copy of one of my books as a thank you.
But the point is to sell books, not to give them away. I ask schools to
pre-sell books although many don’t and some aren’t allowed to sell books. Then
I ask them to buy a few to give away in a drawing on the day I’m there, and to
announce the places where the kids can buy the books. I always try to get a
book signing at a local store following my presentations. Sometimes the schools
invite the local stores to come in to sell books, or they’ll order books in
advance from the publishers. Sometimes the librarian will get a grant to buy
books for the kids in the school. That’s very cool because so many kids are
able to leave with their own copy of my book.
Debby: How about some
thoughts for authors that want to do school visits but aren’t huge
bestsellers. Is there a market for them
to visit schools? And if so, how do they
go about getting the visits scheduled?
Suzy: Yes. There’s a market for author/presenters who offer content to schools. Most schools want
the biggest bang for their bucks and many have been burned by authors who show
up, essentially say “This is me and this is why writing, especially mine, is
cool.” Then they collect their check and leave. Authors need to familiarize
themselves with state standards and Common Core standards and create
presentations that can be connected to those (hopefully without the kids
knowing J).
Offering tips on writing, revising, speaking, researching or creativity will
work for most authors. If you can move
beyond those subjects you’ll further enhance your presentations. But you need
to do it in an engaging or entertaining way. Be sure to work before and after
with teachers to prepare the students and to follow up with any questions or lessons.
This will get you good buzz and recommendations for your next school visit.
As for booking visits, that could fill a chapter in a book.
I’ll just say that I generally make the first contact. Schools rarely come to
me and yet I end up with a lot of jobs. A couple of tips – make yourself
available at conferences where you’ll meet teachers and librarians. You can put
in proposals to give sessions at these conferences and if you’re accepted,
you’ll demonstrate your speaking skills and can hand out your school visit information.
I occasionally hear from people I’ve met at conferences as long as two years
after the fact. Second, if you are traveling in an area, ask any friends or
contacts you have there for recommendations of schools you might contact about
speaking. Better, ask if they can make the initial suggestion to teacher
friends and you’ll follow up. Local folks are most likely to know which schools
invite authors and perhaps which teachers are the types to actually plan and
carry out a visit with you.
Debby: Last
question—Skype. You and I Skype all the
time and I know you use Skype regularly.
How do you change your presentation when you are Skyping as opposed to
being there in person?
Suzy: I prefer to
present in person and let schools know that. If they are set on a Skype visit,
I’ve done it a couple of ways. They may be able to show a power point while I’m
talking. Then we can do a shortened version of that, followed by Q and A. I ask
that they set up the web camera so I can see at least a dozen or so students
while I talk. That way I can gauge the audience’s reaction to the session. I’ve also done straight Q and A with kids
coming up to the camera to talk. Some computer programs allow for kids to type
in questions as I present and that can be useful. This varies, but I try to
keep Skype sessions to 35 minutes and they are generally less formal than in
person presentations. I think they are a thin substitute for person to person
interaction but sometimes it’s the best we can do. And yes, I charge for Skype
visits but it’s a lower fee.
D.L.
