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The business of school visits

  • ONLINE VIA ZOOM

School visits are a productive way to promote your books, supplement your income, and connect with young readers, but they require both creativity and practical business savvy — and this may not come naturally to all children’s authors and illustrators. For those just starting out or looking to improve their offerings, it can feel impossible to know where to begin. What do schools expect from creators? How can you curate your offerings in a way that will appeal to educators and keep kids engaged? And how can you keep on top of all the administration and communication?

Learn all about the business of school visits with author-illustrator and primary school art teacher Sean E Avery, who has established an impressive career as an entertaining public speaker and knows exactly what educators are looking for when it comes to booking authors and illustrators for events. 

In this practical one-hour session, Sean will explore:

  • How school visits fit into an author/illustrator career and why they have the potential to become a reliable part of a creator’s income and outreach
  • How you can package your offerings so schools clearly understand what they are booking
  • The common pricing structures for different offerings, and how to factor in considerations like travel, regional visits, and multi-school bookings
  • How you can self-manage your bookings and administration efficiently and sustainably, and streamline your workflow over time
  • How you can meet the practical requirements schools expect of creators, provide additional value to schools to extend the impact of your visit, and the other small professional habits that lead to repeat bookings and referrals
  • What you need to know about the marketing and promotion side of school visits to help build relationships and generate ongoing work
  • The common mistakes creators make when starting out with school visits, including underpricing, unclear offerings, and overcomplicating presentations

Whether you’re interested in running small group workshops or large presentations, exploring writing techniques or leading interactive art activities — or even teaching the teachers! — don’t miss this session to learn how you can structure, price, promote and manage school visits in a sustainable way.

There will be time for questions from the audience.

Who is this for?

  • Children’s authors and illustrators looking to promote their books and earn extra income by conducting school visits
  • Children’s authors and illustrators eager to learn how to curate and develop their programming for school students and educators
  • Children’s authors and illustrators seeking advice on how to approach packaging, pricing, and promoting their event services for schools

About the presenter

Sean E Avery
Sean E Avery
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Can't make it to the live session?

No problem! Everyone booked in to this event will be emailed a link and passcode to access the recording afterwards. This recording will be available to view for 10 days after the live session. This also means that if you wish to revisit the session after attending it live to take further notes, you can do so!

After 10 days, the link will expire and the recording will no longer be available to view.