Contact Schools To Get In Front Of Readers

When we think about things we can do to market our books, visiting schools may not be on the top of the list of ideas we have. But I am here to tell you that there are a number of benefits by getting invited to speak in a school. And when I say school, I mean more than high schools and colleges. Middle schools and elementary schools can be a huge opportunity for authors.

How To Set Up A Visit

Here are some ideas that may get your foot into the door as a visiting author.

• Ask people you know- Do you know someone who is on a school board, a teacher, an administrator? If so, contact them and let them know you would love to visit their school as a speaker. I was visiting an alumni page for my high school when I noticed that a girl I graduated with became the principle of our high school. A quick e-mail to her set up an event for me to speak at our old high school.
  
  
• Contact Your Alma Mater- You don't have to know someone to open a dialog about getting into a school you attended... you ARE the "inside" person. Most schools love to bring in successful graduates to talk to current students.
  
  
• Nieces, nephews, and your children- Many of my visits to schools came when my nieces and nephews asked if I would come to their class. If you don't mind being the object of their "show and tell" then it could lead to a fun time for all. I usually tell them to ask their teacher and if their teacher shows interest, I contact the teacher to make arrangements. By the time the class visit comes, I always have more than just their class in attendance. Other teachers, staff and administrators invariably make their way to the class. I don't bring in my books to sell (though they are in my car), but I do bring plenty of bookmarks. I usually end up selling books discretely and after every visit, people from the school always purchase online. My biggest sales day for a school visit came after an elementary school visit and I did not bring one book into the class at all!
  
  
• Contact creative writing teacher- If you don't have an "in", there is always the chance to get in a class by contacting a creative writing teacher at a school. I targeted specific schools I wanted to get into and found this to be a great method. In fact, if you do get in front of a class or a group, it often leads to follow-up visits to other classes and groups. Also, you can contact the business teachers, literature/English teachers and student clubs and adapt your talk to their group. For example, you can easily talk about marketing to a business class by adapting your talk to them.
  

Benefits To Visiting Schools We have touched on some of the benefits to visiting schools already, but here are a few to think about:

• Sales- Depending on the nature of the trip, it may not always be appropriate to set up a table at a school and sell books after your visit. But I always have them in my car in case anyone asks, and they usually do. Also, if you hand out book marks with ordering information, you will be surprised at how many sales take place after you leave. Many students go home, excited about the author who visited their class and ask their parents to get your books. How many parents say "no" to a child excited about reading? Same thing is true as word spreads to other staff and administrators--they often order after you leave.
  
  
• Exposure- Part of your job as a book marketer is to get exposure. By visiting a school, you get your name out there. Many times, a school paper or even the local paper will do a write-up on your visit as well (A friendly reminder that you would be happy to answer any questions a student reporter may have never hurts).
  
  
• Public speaking experience- If you want to spend more time speaking to groups, then speaking at a school can be great practice. In fact, any time you have the opportunity to speak to a group, take it. The more you speak, the more comfortable you will get and the better you will become.
  
  
• Personal enjoyment- Of all the things you can do as an author to market your book, few things match the personal satisfaction of making the day of a bunch of kids. And if you have children, nieces or nephews, you get to help them become the Big Man On Campus for a day via your relationship with them, especially in the lower grades. Even on the rare visits where I could not confirm a single book sale, I would never trade the experience for anything.
  

If you are looking for more exposure as an author, don't overlook the benefits of spending time with students. It's fun, fulfilling, and a memorable experience. It will also probably be one of the most receptive invitations you will consistently receive as you look for opportunities to speak at events. If you haven't tried it yet, add this to your marketing plan today.

Tony Eldridge