We saw the need for a booking service that would provide educators and librarians with up-to-date information on children's and young adult authors who were willing and qualified to do school and library presentations and writing workshops.
We recognised that many smaller schools and libraries could not
afford an author visit, nor did they have time to co-ordinate an author
visit with area schools and libraries in order to minimize the cost.
We
also realized that many schools and libraries were not aware of funding
programs available to offset some of the costs of an author
presentation.
We knew that emergencies happen. What if an author or illustrator is sick or has a family emergency and cannot visit at the appointed time?
Sometimes funding approval comes so close to the deadline that a school or library is left scrambling for an appropriate author or illustrator.
We provide timely information about authors and illustrators who are currently touring Ontario. We send out a weekly newsletter that lists the areas and dates for touring authors. This service is provided at no charge. If you would like to be included in the newsletter mailing list, please contact us. If you would like assistance in finding the presenter who is just right for you, please contact us:
We assist in clustering bookings so that schools and libraries can pool travel costs.
Looking for an author for a literacy night, P.A. day workshop, creative writing workshop or something else? We'll help you find the perfect presenter.
We advise you of applicable grants or subsidies to offset the cost of author visits.
In the event sickness or emergencies, we can usually find you a suitable replacement author or illustrator so your event can go on.
While it is always best to plan an author visit or event well in advance, we are aware that this is not always possible. If you find yourself in a time-bind, we will pull out all stops to assist you.
Over
a number of years, we had both experienced a good deal of frustration
over our inability to properly manage school bookings. During that
time we hired two different booking agents - neither of whom delivered
a service that was actually beneficial to us. (Incidentally, we
brought two very different perspectives to this, as Marsha lives in
Ontario while Valerie lives in New Brunswick.)
Early
in 2006 we talked about the problem and decided that we were going to
take it on ourselves. (I think the correct phrase is "fools rush in")
We worked like mad for months, setting up a database of contacts and
ironing out the wrinkles. And during that process, we realized that
what we'd accomplished, mainly in order to solve our own booking problems,
would work for other authors as well. So, we began to expand.
As our service has expanded over the years, we have resolved newer problems. For example, schools and libraries use email filters to combat spam, but those filters are so powerful that they frequently filter out emails from individual authors and illustrators as well. Even if a librarian or educator has contacted a presenter directly, the response can be filtered out.
How
we operate is actually quite simple. We set up an information page on
each author we represent, and this is posted here on our website. The page
includes all of the general information that teachers and librarians
would need to access in order to plan an author visit.
Once
weekly, we send out a newsletter to a large number of educators, via
our announce-only listserv. The listserv took off and continues to
expand like crazy as word of our service spreads. It is also passed
along by librarians to other listserv groups, thereby blanketing
the province.
Our service provides a single portal for educators and
librarians, providing our member presenters with a consistent way of
promoting their availability to schools and libraries. When an author
hasn't heard back from an educator or librarian, we can intervene on their behalf.
For
out-of-province authors, we usually promote specific tour dates and
locations. For Ontario authors, it lets educators know when an author
may be visiting another part of the province, when an author is doing
presentations somewhere and has time slots open on that date and other
details that will help an author manage his or her booking schedule.
For example, some authors may only want Wednesday bookings in a certain
area.
Basically,
we get the word out. And of course we promote our authors through the
"Meet the Author" column, by announcing nominations and awards and new
releases ... that sort of thing.
We also promote Professional Development Workshop sessions for educators, offered by our authors.
Knowing
that many authors struggle financially, we do all of this at no fee.
Nothing for set-up, nothing for promoting. The only time a fee is due
to us is when we secure a booking as a result of our efforts.
(Bookings that are made independently of our efforts are not
affected.)
Many
of our authors charge a standard $250.00 per session, although new
authors are well advised to offer a lower rate, and higher profile
individuals usually charge more. Some authors offer a discount for
multiple sessions at one location.
We
encourage, but do not insist upon, the standard rate for established
authors, especially if they have had a significant number of award
nominations.
Please note that our role is to promote and to accept and forward inquiries. We do not schedule for any of our authors. We
do not plan routes, nor do we arrange transportation or
accommodations. It is up to the author and hosting agency to work out
the time and other details. We may, however, offer assistance if there
are negotiation/arrangement difficulties that would benefit from third
party intervention.
In addition to promoting, we do
field questions about dates, discounts, expenses beyond the author fee
and many other things that can become bothersome. It's our hope that
our agency will help establish a decent standard fee for authors and
illustrators.
So,
if you feel this service would be a good fit for you, just send us an
email confirming that you would like to proceed. At that time we will
formally process your application after which we’ll be in touch again
to advise you of our decision.
As
stated earlier, we have found it necessary to keep our author list to a
manageable number, in order to provide a high quality of service and
promotion for our members.
There are a number of things that we
consider when we look at each new applicant.
One of the most important considerations is the author's publishing background especially over the past five years. This
includes the number of published works and any award nominations (and
of course wins).
It has been our experience that without a solid
history in these areas, it is very difficult for us to obtain bookings.
The
simple fact is that with so many high profile authors, as well as
authors who currently have titles on one or more award lists
(especially national or Ontario), the educators we serve are passing
over less established writers when they are arranging school visits.
Keep
in mind that if you do not meet the above criteria, it is unlikely that
we will be able to place you on our list at this time.
Successful
applicants will be advised that they have met our criteria and will be
sent a file to fill out as soon as there is an opening for them.
