Tips for choosing the right author for your school

There are lots of things to consider when choosing an author to visit your school. Before making a final decision, the following are a few things you will need to check out:

• What are their fees? Booking fees for authors can vary enormously and remember- cheap is not always good! Visitors coming from afar will expect you to pay travelling as well as accommodation fees on to of their daily rate as well so factor that and possibly VAT into your budget.
• Their website- a well experienced author will have lots on their website including examples of their work, videos of them working and performing in schools, examples of books, workshop details, testimonials, training materials etc- have a good mooch around!
• Their publishing track record- who are they published with and when?
• Schools they already worked with and any feedback from them. Go ahead and email/ phone any schools that have already had them in- what are they like??
• Their social media footprint. Successful and prolific authors will have lots of information on their Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Instagram Popular authors who visit schools are usually busy and their social media activity should reflect this.
• What year groups do they work with? Some authors only work with specific year groups or Key Stages and some work with them all- make sure you ask.
• Plan well ahead! Authors can get booked up very quickly during busy times of the year especially around World Book day and National Poetry Day. You may have to be flexible on exactly when you want to organise your author day.
• Investigate any professional bodies they may belong to, Society of Authors etc.