SPECIAL EP: School Author Talks - Everything You Need to Know (Part 1)

This special “mega ep” of The Book Deal Podcast, hosted by Tina Strachan, focuses on how to deliver successful school author visits ahead of August Book Week, featuring advice from Sarah Armstrong, Zanni Louise, Peter Carnavas, and Carla Salmon (with a second episode to follow). The guests describe the talks and workshops they offer, how they structure sessions to hold students’ attention, and what to avoid, emphasising interaction, storytelling, visuals, chunking content, and being authentic rather than “talking at” kids. They share practical strategies such as microphones, props, harmonicas, icebreakers, and provocative questions, plus contingency planning for tech failures, organisation and communication with schools, and building bookings through relationships, agencies, mailouts, bookshops, festivals, and school-linked associations. They also recount challenges, disasters, and memorable student questions, and stress gratitude to teachers and librarians and the impact of meeting young readers.

00:00 Podcast intro
00:56 School visits special
03:09 Sarah Armstrong begins
04:18 Workshops and talks
06:11 Hooking the audience
07:40 Props and pacing
09:19 Tech fails and recovery
10:48 Booking school visits
13:06 Smooth visit logistics
15:35 Zanni Louise begins
16:58 Tailoring by age
20:07 Teen icebreakers
21:10 Games and engagement
22:56 Errol performance bit
24:05 Advice for beginners
26:29 Present Your True Style
27:09 New Books and Community Theme
28:14 Resilience on the Road
30:28 Peter on Reader Connection
32:23 Talks Workshops and Demos
34:51 Structure Hooks and Signals
37:20 What to Avoid and Adapt
40:15 Booking Visits and Logistics
43:34 Carla Overprepares for Tech
49:58 Provocations Branding and Behavior
53:29 Finding Schools and Closing Advice
56:08 Podcast Wrap and Support

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Transcript

Speaker 0:09

The Book Deal Podcast Where you will discover the inspiring stories behind your favorite books.

Speaker 2 0:15

We interview seasoned and debut authors, as well as publishing industry professionals, to bring you the best tips and advice on how to get that elusive book deal.

Speaker 3 0:25

So no matter what stage of writing you're at, we've got you covered. I'm Tina Strachan.

Speaker 0:30

I'm Madeleine Cleary.

Speaker 2 0:32

And I'm Natasha Rai.

Speaker 3 0:34

And join us as we pull back the curtain of published authors.

Speaker 4 0:37

One deal at a time. The Book Deal podcast acknowledges the traditional owners of the land and waters which it's recorded on, and pays respect to their elders past, present, and emerging.

Tina Strachan 0:56

Welcome to this very special episode of The Book Deal Podcast. I'm Tina Strachan, and today I am bringing you a mega ep focusing on everything you've ever wanted to know about school author visits. Book Week is coming up in August, so it's a busy time for many authors as they make their way into schools to celebrate. But school talks or children's talks in general, so even at libraries or festivals or other events, can be very daunting for many, especially those just starting out. And for others that have experience, it's always great to hear advice from other authors on how to pull off a presentation or workshop for children that keeps them interested and entertained and leaving inspired for their own creativity and reading. And because every author is different and has their own unique style, I have asked not one, not two, but six different authors and a high school teacher librarian technician to share all their insider knowledge on what makes a successful school author talk. They will share what types of talks and presentations they offer, how they like to structure them, what works best to hold students' attention, what doesn't work well, any disasters or embarrassing moments and how they navigated them, funniest questions they've ever been asked, advice for how to score the highly sought-after school visits, and other important tips for making these visits run smoothly. In fact, there was so much valuable advice shared that I had to turn this into two episodes. So grab your notebook and pen because these are episodes you will want to take notes for. We are so appreciative to the stellar authors that have joined us for this school talk special. And today you will hear part one with Sarah Armstrong, Zanni Louise, Peter Carnavas, and Carla Salmon. And next week we'll release part two with Adrian Beck, Kristen Dorelle, and teacher librarian technician Helen Farche. These are mega episodes jam-packed full of helpful tips and advice to give your children's presentations and workshops a huge boost, and we wish you all the best of luck for your own school visits

Sarah Armstrong 3:09

Hi, my name is Sarah Armstrong. My latest book is Run, a survival thriller, uh, set in the Australian bush. And coming up very soon is The Wave, another survival thriller featuring a very big wave. Uh, so at the minute I'm writing survival thrillers. I've also written fantasy, what I would call low fantasy. Uh, so I'm definitely in the middle grade space, and just love writing for kids after... I used to write for adults, and I'm very firmly in the writing for kids camp now. What I love most about going into schools is just hanging out with the kids, and their incredible imaginations, and their enthusiasm. I mean, they are my audience. Um, so I love knowing what's, you know, exciting them and sparking their imaginations. And going in and meeting kids who've read my books is just... I love it. To know that a book of mine has really landed for a kid is, you know, pretty much everything. This is, this is why I do what I do. So that kind of, um, gratification cannot be got elsewhere. So when I go into schools, I do both presentation, like large group presentations, and also smaller group workshops. Um, I've been teaching writing to adults and kids for, you know, couple of decades now, and I really enjoy doing those sort of hands-on workshops. Whether it's with kids who are already really into writing or kids who don't think they are, I enjoy both. Um, and I get very kind of craft focused, and really support them in learning how to write freely. Free writing is something I love teaching in my workshops. And I think the sort of, you know, my secret power, if you like, is the feedback I give. Um, it is grounded in craft, and it's really constructive, but it really focuses in on each child, each writer's special quality that they have in their writing, whatever that may be. And in my large group presentations, uh, I talk about my books. Uh, I sort of take them behind the scenes of the writer's life. Like I used to be a journalist, so I talk about that sort of- the transition from journalism to writing. And I mean, the really fun thing for me at the minute in my presentations, I, um, brainstorm a, um, suspenseful scene with the kids, and that is like, it's really fun, and they're sort of throwing ideas at me, and together we kind of craft this plan for a scene, and then I sort of tell them the story. And that's- that's heaps of fun. So it's I cover, like, nuts and bolts of writing, some of the themes that come up in my book around survival, and some of the sort of moral questions that are raised in the books. Um, and just, yeah, how to get published. Mm-hmm. A lot They're very interested in that sort of publication process. When I'm doing a, a large group presentation, my aim is to get the kids interacting with me right away. Uh, you know, honestly, the job is part entertainment, uh, to the extent that I need to grab their attention so that they will listen what I've got to what I've got to say about writing. So I'm thinking, "What's a story I can tell that is going to grab their attention and that relates to my book?" So for Run, which is a survival story, I tell them about a news story that I was quite obsessed with when I was a young journo, um, that involves a medical student, um, a Brisbane medical student who got lost in the Himalayas and survived for six weeks in a cave with only two chocolate bars to sustain him. And when I'm telling this story, you can just hear a pin drop in the room. They're really interested. So it gets them in, and then it gives me something to bounce off to talk about survival and why it's fascinated me, and why it's sort of an interesting topic for a novel. Um, so, um, it's about finding stories to tell them. It's about asking them questions. Uh, or even just, you know, "Hands up if you've I don't know, if you've read Hatchet," or something like that. And then we brainstorm a story plan together, and that's, like, heaps of interaction. Um, and you know, I just get to, you know, revel in their wild and amazing ideas. Um, amazing how many megalodons feature when we're brainstorming a scene. I do show quite a few photos on PowerPoint, uh, 'cause I think that can really work for a lot of kids, give them something to focus on, and I definitely do a reading. Um, for my fantasy books, um, Big Magic and Magic Awry, um, I bring hula hoops and juggling scarves, and I get the kids up doing, like, a little micro circus performance with circus music to sort of segue into me reading. Uh, so honestly, thinking about a presentation is a bit like thinking about a story. Like, how do I grab their attention early? Having moments of excitement, and then moments of letting things settle, you know, and a bit of quiet so they can absorb some of the information and ideas, and then kind of rounding things off at the end. So yeah, think about it a bit like a story. In terms of holding their attention, I think it's, you know, asking questions, walking around. Like, I walk around a lot. I never stand behind a lectern. Um, using the pictures, humor, um, and sometimes talking quietly brings them back, you know? If they're just sort of beginning to get a... Th- th- there's often a lot of buzz when they're talking about the story ideas, but if I just talk very quietly, I bring them back. I always have a microphone though, because I need to be able to rein them in, because I get them throwing ideas around, and they're often talking to each other about their ideas, and I'm fine with that. I'm really happy if what they're talking to each other about is the story idea. That's all good. But if I've got 300 kids, I need a microphone to be able to pull them back in. So a microphone works very well to hold students' attention, I would say. I think probably the, um, hardest situation I've had is when all the tech failed. So I had no pictures, and I had no microphone, and I had, like, 250 year four students. Um, and so I just projected, just, just dug real deep and just gave it everything with my projection, and my, my voice was really raw afterwards. And I just moved around a lot, and I gestured a lot, and I used my face and my eyes a lot, and I looked the kids in the eyes. They were sitting on the floor, and I was trying to make a lot of eye con- eye contact. I was just doing everything I could to keep their attention. Um, it was just like I dialed it up to 200, because I didn't have the mic and I didn't have the pictures, and it worked. It was just really hard work. I'm always, always asked if I'm related to Neil Armstrong, the astronaut. Uh, I was once asked if I was married to him, which, uh, would've meant that there was a 38 year age difference between us. Um, but what I tell them in response to that is that, "No, I'm not related to Neil Armstrong, but, uh, when I was their age, I used to tell people I was, because I thought it'd be very cool to be related to the first person on the moon." So I am always asked that. It's amazing. I have speakers agents, so that takes a lot of the work, hard work out of my hands, which I really appreciate. But I think it's just the thing of, um, you know, making connections with people. Uh, and sometimes it's parents who will put You know, I, I meet a parent somewhere and they'll say, "Oh, I'm gonna talk to the school about whether you could come to the school." Sometimes it's a teacher librarian or a teacher I meet. Um, I think it's just the more you can get to know people in this world, the better. And look, it's just taken me time to When I first wrote my first book, I was hoping I would get a lot of school visits straight away, and it just, you know, it takes time to build those relationships and to become known, and to hone your craft. So I think it's also just understanding that it's, it's something that builds over time. Um, when I've approached schools directly, mostly that doesn't really reap a lot of visits for me, interestingly. Maybe kind of one out of 10 approaches will bring me a visit. And one thing that, I found helpful too is I will, um, you know, outside of the kind of book month period of the year, I will sometimes do some, free, visits into schools when I've got a book newly out, and I'll do it, um, sort of in conjunction with a bookshop who, um, sell books into the schools when I do the visits. And I'm In those visits I'm just giving them a little taster of my presentation basically. It's not my full presentation, it's a sort of like a little taster. And that's a way also to get known amongst teacher librarians and, and bookshops. Because I've had, a bookseller recommend me to a, um, school, and that school ended up ordering something like 80 copies of my book from that visit. So it's I think, um, there are lots of ways to, to get there, and that sort of collaboration with bookshops is, is another way. I mean, you wouldn't, you couldn't do that too much because it's really tiring doing presentations, but a few of those can just sort of help make connections. I think just being really organized is my main, um, sort of tip for making s- visits run smoothly. You know, arrive in heaps of time. Allow for traffic jams and all sorts of chaos. Uh, much better to be sitting there in the car park with, 20 minutes to spare than sort of rushing in and sort of plugging in your tech while the kids are all sitting there. That's kind of pretty stressful. Take water with you, take snacks. Definitely ask about where you can park if you're driving. You don't want to turn up and not have a park and having been driving around the streets looking for somewhere to park. And, I get the librarian's mobile number, so if I need to If they're happy for me to have it so I can contact them if something goes wrong, like my car broke down on the way once to a visit, and it was really good that I could just call and say And I had allowed so much time that it was okay. I got there just in time, um, even allowing for the fact that my car broke down. So, uh, I think just being super prepared for, things to go wrong and allowing lots of time. I always feel like it's such a privilege to be invited into schools, and it's not something I ever take for granted when I'm invited. You know, I'm meeting amazing kids and, you know, teachers are carving out time in their curriculum. And you know, I know their curriculums are just packed. They've got so much to fit in. And the librarians, you know, often go to such effort to promote the author and the book and make you morning tea and things like that. And it You know, it's a really It's a truly lovely experience going into schools, and it gives me such faith in humanity. And it's really a perfect, um, companion to the solitary nature of writing. I mean, I spend so much time on my own in my head. It's a lovely balance when I'm going out into a school and engaging with lively, excited kids and, you know, lovely teachers and librarians who are just dedicated to getting the right book in the hands of the right kid. And you know, that's what we're all about ultimately, is getting the right book in the hands of the right kids. And if my presentations and workshops can help that, then yeah, gives me a great feeling of satisfaction.

Zanni Louise 15:35

Hello, my name's Zanni Louise, and I write books for kids. I've published over 50 books. In this year alone, I have 11 books out, which is a little bit nuts. The four books I have out this August are a book for teenagers called Us in the Bright Lights, a book for middle grade readers called K-Pop Superfans, and two picture books. One is called Sunny Gets to Work, illustrated by Suzie Oh, and the other one is called You, Me, Community, illustrated by Tony Flowers. Thank you so much for having me on your podcast, Tina. I'm so pleased that you asked me about school visits. So I've been visiting kids in schools over the last decade just about, and would say I've visited up to tens of thousands of kids. So my school presentation is very refined after all that experience. I'm always trying things out, taking things away. It's You, you learn on the job, and you're ditching away things that aren't funny or aren't engaging kids. You're adding things that you know will support your, uh, presentation. So it's a constantly evolving thing. Uh, so the way I have my school visits at the moment, um, I'm really happy with how the hour presentation goes. It feels really engaging, uh, for kids of all different ages. I adjust it depending on the age. Uh, and I feel like it's got quite a lot of quality content, stuff that kids and teachers can keep, uh, take back to the classroom and, you know, hopefully extend what they did in our session and keep the ball rolling after the excitement of an author visit. So, uh, yeah, I visit, um, young kids all the way through to teenagers I would say, uh, up until So from kindergarten till about grade four, my presentation is generally more or less the same. Uh, I inflate it, expand it, contract it, uh, and adjust it depending on the group size and the particular age level. But more or less it has a backbone that runs through the presentation. I, it's on a, uh, PowerPoint, so I have my kind of cues, my card cues, so I know kind of roughly where I am in the presentation. But it's, uh, it's a combination of reading aloud to kids, engaging them with questions, uh, a little bit of play performing, and, uh, some story work stuff. So giving them something practical to take in back to the classrooms. And my, uh, presentations for slightly older kids, I think always fell a bit flat. I always felt they weren't as engaging as my, uh, presentations for younger kids, partly 'cause I haven't done hardly as many of them. I mainly p- um, visit younger kids. But, uh, just talking to friends, and workshopping ideas, and trying out new things, I feel like those presentations have really come a long way now. And one of my friends, Deborah Abela, said, "Do Errol with all the kids." And I was like, "Really? Errol? Errol's for little kids." The little kids howl with laughter at this, especially when I'm lying on the floor as Errol's mum. Uh, and I was worried that older kids might find it a bit too silly, and Deborah's like, "Nope, go for it. I think they're gonna love it." And she was right. It really breaks the ice. It just makes kids feel unco- feel comfortable, uh, when you're being a bit silly with them, and I think the older kids just love playing just as much as the younger kids. So I'm a lot looser with them now, and I think that really, really helps. So those presentations for grades five and six are always a little bit more in depth, but, uh, have a bit more of a takeaway in terms of sort of story structures and things like that. And maybe I can introduce them to, uh, a bit more of the nuance, um, behind the inspiration of the book. But, uh, more or less I'm still playing with them. I'm still, um, Being humorous and, and just having fun with them, and that's worked really well. High school students, on the other hand, are a whole other kettle of fish. Uh, I've had a few nightmare experiences of standing at the front of two or 300 stony-faced teenagers for an hour, uh, to a dead sea of silence. Uh, every joke fell flat. Every question went unanswered. It was hell on earth. Uh, I've, I've quickly learnt from those experiences too. I now come armed with lollies. Uh, I'm not usually one for bribing kids, but when it comes to teenagers, well, a, a packet of lollies goes a long way. Uh, so I start my presentation with a simple, "Does anyone want a Kit Kat?" And all the hands go up, and then I ask, um, for some volunteers to come out the front, and they very happily, um, willing to accept my bribe. And it just breaks the ice 'cause once they've seen someone get up the front and participate in my presentation, it makes it a lot easier for everyone else too. It's, it's just sort of is an icebreaker. Um, yeah, so I think it's really important to have lots of different things in your presentation. Uh, kind of not just be a talking head. Just don't talk at the kids. Um, I always start very much by engaging them as early as possible. I start with a personal story, uh, three stories about myself when I was young. They're silly. Um, they're all real. Um, well, one of them isn't. That's the game. They have to guess which one isn't real. But I, you know, I tell it in a kind of a dramatic way with actions, et cetera. Uh, so I'm storytelling, so I'm demonstrating story. I'm connecting 'cause I'm engaging with them, and I'm entertaining 'cause I'm telling a story, but I'm also playing. Um, and playing and games are a really great way to get kids inspired right from the get-go of the presentation. And it also teaches them something about me, so there's that personal, uh, bonding that's happening. I ask kids questions too. So throughout the presentation, I have questions for them like, "Do you have any flying dreams?" Uh, what else do I ask them? Oh, "Is there a time where you've needed resilience and courage to do something that you find scary? Uh, is there anything you wanna do in your life?" Um, and they love those sort of questions. So every kid wants to answer them. They get so excited to share. I usually try and limit it to sort of two or three kids just so the presentation keeps rolling on. So I might say, after the second, um, volunteer, I might say, "Ah, have we got one more suggestion?" And it just sets the expectations. It means you're not sort of carried away to these little stories, which are wonderful, but, you know, you do have a presentation. You need to keep it on time. You won't y- lose the plot yourself. Um, so my most popular books with kids would be, well, definitely Errol. That's just a no-brainer. So although that's book's been out since, I think, 2017, I will use that book forever 'cause it's just a crowd-pleaser for all ages. Maybe not up until high school, but all primary school ages. Uh, it basically involves me pretending to be Errol's mom. I get a kid out on the, um, stage to be Errol, put a little red Errol hat on, and, uh, so you're getting audience participation. It's a very simple book, so they don't actually have to read anything. Uh, I'm doing all the sort of voices 'cause it's mainly Mom's voice, and there's only one little bit where they need to read. So that's a really fun performance for kids, and like I said earlier, it involves me at some point lying down on the ground. So there's something comedic about an adult, the status getting turned upside down, but they're on the ground. And no matter where kids are in the world, no matter how old they are, they howl with laughter at that point. So I'm like, "Well, kids like it. I'm gonna keep doing it." No, no complaints from me Um, yeah. So I think, uh, if you're just starting out with school presentations, just go easy on yourself. You'll learn things along the way. It takes years to really refine the craft of this. You do not have to be a Nat Amoore or someone, you know, Adrian Beck, or someone really loud and boisterous and entertaining, and there are some people who certainly do that fantastically. But through the years of watching different school presentations, I've learnt that it's just really important to be yourself more than anything. Lean into your strengths. Don't forget to share your books. I did this for years with, uh, a presentation. It was all about encouraging creativity and inspiring them, but I, I kind of wasn't really promoting my book. So I've, I've shaped my presentation now around my book. So the books become a marker. They change the flow. We do a little bit of poetry. We do some, uh, stuff with illustration with the Monsties. So, you know, it's got lots of sort of fiber to the talk. But, uh, yeah, it's really great to give them a little taster of your book. They love being read to. So the one I read aloud is Pegasus, um, which is You know, it's, it's in rhyme. It's, it's got a narrative arc. It's, it's got voices. And they, all the kids, no matter what age they are, sit up on their haunches while I'm reading that story, and they really wanna know what it is. So no one's too cool to listen to a story, so that's what I've learnt. And I'll lean in a little bit further and be a bit more animated, a bit more playful, uh, the younger the kids or maybe the more boisterous the group. Some Once I had a really boisterous group. Uh, they were so ear-piercingly loud and excitable 'cause they were absolutely tiny. Uh, I think they were, like, five years old. And actually for that book, I dropped my voice to a whisper, and it was really amazing. They went from being so loud and chaotic to just silent, and I It was like discovering a superpower. So I've learnt that that works, too, so you don't just have to be loud and crazy for the kids. You can actually be- And they get really excited about that too. Um, and they wanna find out what you're, what you're doing. So I think, yeah, being really authentic, being yourself, being natural, being relaxed and practiced helps. I'm lucky that I've got a real, uh I'm really comfortable in front of an audience. I h- always have been. I enjoy it. I come away from presentations feeling rejuvenated, not drained. I know that's not the same for everyone. For me, it, it's just lucky. Um, but yeah, I think it's just important to just go easy on yourself, not expect too much for yourself, and be really true to yourself. And lean into the themes of your book as well. Lean m- lean into the style of book. So if you've got a quieter book which is maybe a little bit more sensitive, go with that. You know, don't feel like it has to be this loud, chaotic presentation with wigs. It's, it doesn't have to be. Some people do that, some people do other things, and it's just about doing what you feel comfortable with. So, uh, this year I'm sort of changing things up a little bit, sort of introducing new books as they come about, as I do every year. So although it's sort of The backbone is roughly the presentation I've been doing over the years, uh, I adapt it and I add new books as they come about. So this year will be a focus, um, on community. This is a new book, uh, You, Me, Community, from, uh, myself and Tony Flowers, which comes out, uh, this August with Walker Books. So, uh, I'll be doing some things with community, which works perfectly 'cause my presentation is already about community. Uh, I'll also be introducing kids to a new book called Sunny Gets To Work, which is illustrated by Susie Oh. And it's actually a UK publisher, but it's being distributed in Australia with Penguin Random House. So, uh, that's got great themes about teamwork, helping out around the house, and just generally being a team player. So there's lots we can do with that as well So I wish you well on your school visit journey. Have fun. You will fail sometimes. It will be scary sometimes. Uh, you will feel frightened perhaps or nervous, and all of those things are really, really normal. Um, I've just found I th- I do just genuinely enjoy kids, like I enjoy hanging out with kids, and I think that comes through in my presentations. I'm pretty relaxed with them. That comes through, too. Like, that sort of helps them feel settled and trusting, uh, that, you know, they're gonna be okay for the next hour, so that, that always works out well. Um, you know, I've had times where I've had to be really adaptable, really flexible. At, at a festival once we had I was meant to have a big group of year seven and eights, and I was already a bit worried about that, 'cause back then I was just doing picture books, so what I was gonna do with them? Uh, and no, that group canceled and I, in fact, had 10 year 10 boys, and they came and sat down in front of me and stared up at me, and I was just terrified. Uh, and I But I just It was kind of good though, because I just said to them, "Look, you're looking at me thinking, what are we gonna learn from this woman who makes picture books, baby books? And I'm looking at you guys thinking, what on earth can I teach you? So what about if we made a story together?" And it ended up being one of the best sessions I've ever done. Like, by the end, all of the kids were up walking up to the board, adding ideas. We had a professional illustrator in the group who got really excited about the story, jumped up, started illustrating it. All of us were on cloud nine at the end of that session, and it just taught me that, well, sometimes you have to be resilient. Sometimes you have to jump in the deep end and swim and you'll be okay. Like, what's the worst that can happen? It's a terrifying feeling when it feels like it's not working, but y- honestly, you will survive. Um, so hopefully there's some tips in there. Hopefully there's, uh, things to inspire your presentations. Come and visit me anytime at zannilouise.com if you have any specific pre- uh, questions, and maybe I will see you on the road when I'm back doing my school tour this, um, August or September. Thanks for having me, Tina.

Peter Carnavas 30:28

Hello, I'm Peter Carnavas. I'm an author and illustrator of children's books. I've made lots of picture books and a handful of novels, and my, um, latest book is Kid, which is the story of a little miniature goat called Kid who, um, decides he's going to leave the farm one day and, uh, journey up the nearby mountain to discover what happened to his parents who, um, he has never really known. So the thing I love most about school visits is just staying connected to my readers. I think that's super important because as a writer, it's really easy just to spend a lot of time by yourself, which is really important as well, um, or spending time with other authors. Um, but you can't lose touch with your readers, with those kids. So, um, the second you're in front of those children, uh, you get immediate feedback on everything, on the little excerpt you might read or the little joke you might try to land. Um, I think that's one of the things I love most about it. It's so immediate, and you get to stay in touch with them. Um, there's always little things that pop up with kids that they're into that you have no idea about. Like a couple of years ago, everyone was into sloths, and then a, a bit later everyone was into capybaras, and you don't know these things unless you go and spend time with the children. Doesn't mean you need to start writing books about sloths and capybaras yourself, but, um, it's just really cool just to stay in touch with them and, um... But also, you know, the main thing is that it's not just for us, but it's for them. And, um, it's just a huge kind of responsibility, I think, to be part of their reading journey and just if you can inspire someone, a couple of kids or more, to walk away from those sessions excited about books in some way, then, um, I think that, you know, that's, that's the best thing you could hope for So the workshops and talks that I do, I guess I've pretty much covered everything over the years. Most of the time it's a general talk, um, so kind of a 45-minute or maybe a one-hour talk. Um, and they're generally, you know, there's sort of two to three classes up to 100 kids sometimes. Occasionally you might have a very small group or a very, very large group. Um, but generally it's around that sort of between 50 and 100 kids per session. The general talks, I just present a bit of everything. Um, and it's just about inspiring them to get into books in some way, whether it's reading or writing or illustrating them themselves. Um, but yeah, I, I just, I chunk it up and it's a bit of everything. It's a bit of illustrating. There's a writing activity in there. I read something from one of my books. I tend not to talk too much about myself and my books until the end. Whatever the new book is, I'll talk about that in the last 10 minutes or so. Um, and I usually like to finish off those general talks with a demonstration of a little watercolor painting, which I do sitting at a desk, but I have a, a document camera that shows them what's happening up on the screen as I, as I paint. Um, and that's how I like to finish things. So, um, and I'm kind of the opposite to some presenters where I like to kind of quieten everything down, um, and there's sort of a hush a- across the room as we finish off, and I think that's a really lovely way. It just kinda suits me, um, to finish the, the session. So those general talks are the- just a bit of everything. The workshops can be writing or illustrating. They might usually about an hour long, um, and that's with a smaller group, so no bigger than a classroom size, uh, bunch of kids really. And the writing sessions, I just try to cover some big things and then little things. So big things, ideas, characters, problems, and then little things, uh, that's more technical aspects of just tiny ways to make your writing stronger. And then the drawing workshops, um, are just heaps of fun. It's just different ways to tell stories, whether it's, um, developing characters and showing expressions or whether you're telling a story through suspense or little step-by-step sequence pictures and things like that. So, um, that's generally what I do. Occasionally you'll, you'll get asked to do something a bit different, a big sort of assembly thing where it might just be five or 10 minutes. Um, uh, but most of the time it's those general talks The way I structure my sessions, um, I'm a, I've got a background in teaching, so I like to be very structured and prepared. Um, and I have a really simple PowerPoint. Um, not too much text at all, just a couple of words, if anything. Um, quite visual, but just really simple, lots of white space. Um, and my sessions, I, I chunk them up. So over a 45-minute session, I might have seven to eight segments in that session, so it's not long on each thing. Um, it just makes sure the kids don't get bored, they stay engaged. And, um, the transitions are important, just really knowing how you're going to move from one thing to the next. Um, so for me, I'll do my writing, interactive writing activity in a general talk is really just bouncing back ideas from the kids. You sort of set up some kind of a situation and getting ideas from them. It's just a way to engage them and make it interactive so they're not just sitting listening the whole time. And that just might be five minutes max, and that's the writing activity. Um, and then just knowing how to move from that to the next thing. It might be a drawing or something else. Um, I Try to do something really early on to get them hooked. Um, and for me, that's usually drawing something. Um, and I know that's not what everybody does or can do, so it's just a matter of finding the thing that you can do really well that you think can hook them at the start. Um, one of the very first things I do is I show them... I don't, as I said, I don't spend too much time talking about myself, but I show them a few childhood things, but that takes about a minute, and then I show them a school photo from when I was a kid, and they have to pick which one is me, and that's always a, kind of a fun way to just kind of start off the session, and then I go into, um, some kind of drawing. Um, yeah, the other thing that I take with me everywhere, ever since I started teaching over 20 years ago, um, I have a harmonica and I keep it in my pocket all the time. So my har- harmonica is my little signal to get attention. Um, and I did it as a teacher, so I didn't have to raise my voice. Um, and it's great, and these kids have ne- you know, they're not used to it, so it's novel. So for a 45-minute session, it works every time. Um, so something like that is really cool. Tambourine, harmonica, whatever, um, I think that's a, a good little trick to use. I think one thing that kids don't- I don't think kids are too interested in our journey. Like, if we get up there and talk about our journey as a writer and everything for half an hour, I think they'll tune out. Um, save that for the grownups. Um, so kids just wanna know about your book or about, you know, just whatever's happening right now. Um, so I think that's one thing to steer clear of. And just make sure you're not talking and talking and talking. To, to break it up, whether that's interaction or just different kind of segments. Um, get kids up. Um, I, I do that a little bit. One thing I'm trying to do more is tactile things. So, sorry, we're talking about what doesn't do well, but, um, just another idea. I take bags of things where kids have to come up and pick something out of the bag, and it's really, really simple. But they It's Everybody wants to get up and pick something. So it's just another way of keeping everybody engaged. Um, but yeah, I think the main thing to avoid is just talking and talking and talking, and also trying to be someone that you're not. So it's really tempting to think that you need to be a certain kind of presenter, um, especially when you see other presenters do their thing. Um, but the best thing you can do is just be yourself, and 'cause kids sniff out a fraud so quickly. So don't, don't try to be a circus clown if that's not who you are. But if it is, um, then yeah, go for it I won't go into it too much, but I did have a child injure themselves really badly once, which was nobody's fault, and they all just kind of ran into the room and tried to grab a seat, and there were these tiered seats with metal edges, and this kid stacked it as he was running up the, um, the seats and hurt himself really, really badly. Um, so that was pretty distracting and horrible. Awful for that student and, um, pretty, um, hard to concentrate for everybody else after that. Um, so that's, that's the one disaster I always try and, um, block out of my mind. I was presenting to some year two children, and at the end of the session when I had time for questions, and this little girl must have just been staring at my face the whole time, and she just said, um, "Do you stroke your beautiful beard when you're thinking of ideas?" And I said, "Yes. Yes, I do." Um, I've always remembered that. I remember the school and everything. It was a long time ago. Um, I think I drew a picture of it later, me stroking my beard. Uh, another child once asked me if life is hard. That was, that was a good one. That kind of threw me because yeah, you know, it is sometimes, but you don't wanna go into too much detail with the kids. When I started, um, I was on the Sunshine Coast and I just did up some flyers. They probably weren't very professional looking. But I did, did up some flyers and I just got onto the, uh, like the Queensland schools directory and found the address of every school on the coast, and I just mailed. I didn't email, I mailed flyers to everyone. Um, and that's how I started getting my first school visits. Um, and then luckily a little while after that I was, I joined up with an agency, and that's how I tend to get most of my school visits now. Um, but I think, I mean, schools just get hammered with emails, um, from everywhere. So I just think emails can easily get lost, and a lot of schools won't necessarily have a teacher librarian, um, to kind of flick things onto. So it's the kind of thing that can just easily just get sort of tossed away in, from the inbox. So I, it j- it might be just a little bit more novel to send a paper f- flyer in an envelope with some little stamps or illustrations on the envelope or something kind of that stands out. Um, and perhaps address it to the teacher librarian or, um, whatever you like, head of curriculum perhaps or, um, something like that. But it's always nice to assume that they've got a teacher librarian because then when, when they see the envelope, it reminds them that, that's what they should have if they don't have one. Yeah. But I, I, I think that's one way to approach it. To make things run smoothly, first of all is just, just communicate really clearly, um, before the visit. Um, I send, at least a few weeks out I'll send my presentation outline, which is a few pages long but it's really, really simple and easy to read. But it's just got really clear headings, um, of how the day's gonna run and what... A- and it's, it's very polite, but, uh, it'll kind of, it mentions the space that is ideal, the group, the size of groups and all those kinds of things. It's, it's not demanding. It's just saying, "This is what works best." Um, and then a little rundown of what my sessions will look like. Um, so there's kind of no ambiguity about what's gonna happen when I turn up. And yeah, arrive early, always arrive early. And, um, take, take things that you need just in case. Like adapters, um, just, just extra stuff, backup on USB, all that kind of stuff. Um, because now and then, not, not often, but now and then there'll be something that doesn't quite work and you just need to kinda go to plan B or C Only other thing I'd add is just keep in mind that you're presenting to children, but you're also presenting to teachers. Um, and, you know, half of the planning that I put into my presentation is kind of aimed at the teachers as well, um, to make it worth their while, and just to kind of give them something to go on with after the session as well. Um, so that's just something to keep in mind.

Carla Salmon 43:35

Hi, I'm Carla Salmon. I'm the author of Coastal Mystery Thrillers for Young Teens, including We Saw What You Started and We Did It Anyway. And I'm really thrilled to be able to contribute to this podcast because I think it's such an important topic for, um, authors in the kid lit space, and the timing's perfect 'cause I'm actually chatting to you from my hotel room where I've been in Perth, um, this week presenting at the National Conference for the Australian Association of the Teaching of English. So I've been talking with teachers from all over the country this week and hearing about all of the amazing things that they're doing in their classrooms, and it's really had... got me thinking about how we can add so much value as visiting authors when we come along. So I guess I probably do have a bit of an advantage having been a teacher for the last 10 years, but not because my ideas and strategies are any better, just because if you can imagine every possible scenario where things could go wrong, it's likely happened to me in my classroom at some stage. So um, I guess I have a little bit more confidence, um, to go with things and to over prepare, um, but to also have a bit of a toolkit of strategies that I can draw on, um, if things don't go quite as planned. And that's probably my first tip to suggest here, is to overprepare. Um, don't be shy to reach out to schools in the lead-up to, um, your visit, and when you're confirming details, make sure that you ask, you know, who you're presenting to, the size of the group, the age, the interests, you know, whether it's a whole cohort or whether it's just a standard English class. You're gonna have a mix of kids who really wanna be there and who really don't wanna be there, or whether you've got a specific, um, you know, writing group or extension class, and you can then tailor your workshop or presentation to make sure that you're really meeting the needs, um, and interest levels from the beginning. At least then you've got a good base to work from. Um, still assume though, when you get to the school space, that something possibly could go wrong in terms of technology. So I don't wanna sound pessimistic, it's more so, um, I like to sometimes think in worst case scenarios, and then it feels better when it doesn't go wrong, um, and everything is smooth. But also you're prepared if it does, and you're not gonna panic, and you're still gonna be able to deliver a really meaningful and engaging experience. Um, so I love embedding videos and photos, a lot of visuals into my PowerPoints. Um, I usually do use PowerPoint and, and Canva. I design a lot of my presentations in Canva. Um, but I always take a USB as a backup. I would never, ever rely on having internet access at a school, and I would also never assume that I'm gonna have sound. So I've been at quite a few... You know, there's been quite a few times where the sound doesn't work. If you've got a microphone, hold the microphone to, um, the speaker on the computer if you really desperately need to play a video with sound or music. But again, never rely on that. Um- The other thing that I have had go wrong, it's, um, probably my funny story actually, is, is just recently I presented at a really great school. Um, it was a whole cohort address, and the board, um, overheated. And so not only did I have no sound, I had zero visuals, and it was a 45-minute address. And so it was literally just me talking. And luckily, the way that I plan my presentations or my, my talks is a little bit like I plan my lessons, 'cause I know that students can't really stay focused on the same story or the same anecdote or idea or strategy for more than a few minutes. So I always chunk my presentations, um, and I mix it up with, you know, interactions and quizzes and those types of things too. So I was able to still deliver and remember what I was speaking to without having to depend on my notes too much. Um, eh, although that is another hot tip, is to still print a copy of your notes just in case. So number one tip, overprepare, definitely. Um, don't be scared of school visits though, because at the end of the day, you're there facilitating and delivering an experience that most of the kids are gonna really, really appreciate. Um, a lot of kids have never met someone who's chosen to write professionally, and, you know, maybe they haven't read your book, but maybe they will be really excited to, you know, im- improve their own creative writing or just to communicate better or just to start reading a little bit more. So, you know, that's really, really great. The other magic, magic moment, if you're lucky enough to ever have it happen, um, is when kids have actually read your work and it has made a real difference in their lives. I don't think anything can possibly beat that, when they say, "Oh my gosh, you know, I loved your book. I really, um, I really connected with the characters, and I can't wait to read more." That's a really amazing moment. Um, the other part of school visits which is so great is that you get to meet the amazing teacher librarians and the teachers behind the scenes who are, you know, keeping us in business. So they're advocating reading every single day. They're matching kids with books. Um, and these people are heroes, and it's so lovely to be able to thank them in person So I offer a range of presentations and workshops, everything from creating bravely, so that's more of a short story style writing workshop, um, to an author talk that combines, um, everything from, you know, the true crimes that have inspired my work through to my own writing processes. And I guess probably what I've learned is that every presentation and workshop actually has a similar combination of ingredients in that there are personal anecdotes and experiences. There's, um, insights and direct examples of my writing processes that they'll be able to take away and embed in their own creative writing, and also facts, um, and interesting ideas beyond just my own books, um, that are happening out there in the world that show them that I have to research. I usually use PowerPoint, and I, you know, always deliver, no matter what, um, by starting with a provocation question. So I don't ever get up there and say, "Hi, I'm Carla Salmon. I'm an author. Here's my books. This is what they're about." Or, you know, "I've always wanted to be a writer," or anything like that from the beginning. I don't make it about me. What I wanna do instead is throw to them, and I ask a provocation question for... that's related to the topic that I'm speaking about. So if I'm talking about We Saw What You Started, which is essentially about, you know, the themes that run through that book are, you know, trust and belonging and friendship, and kids who lie to authorities, um, to save their own friendships. So my provocation question for that to the audience is, "Thumbs up, thumbs down, have you told a lie this week?" And immediately then y- they buy in because you've got their attention. They're doing something for a start. They don't have to get up out of their seats, um, but they're not... You're not just talking at them. You're actually getting them involved. The other thing I wanna mention about, um, presentations and the structure of them is that I actually try and, um, design them on brand. So I try and make, you know, the fonts consistent with my website and, you know, to have imagery that's consistent with the colors of my books. Um, and I do that partly because, you know, I'm a little bit A-type, and I like that kind of um, consistency across my work. But I'm also aware that it's, it's a branding thing, um, and it's product placement. So the more that I can show, you know, readers and teacher-librarians, um, that this is who I am in terms of font and photos and colors, they're more likely to then recognize my books when they, you know, come in amongst the big piles. There's always so many funny moments when you visit schools, and I think that's why it's really important not to take yourself too seriously, um, and to always, um, be kind and to assume the best, um, when things maybe don't go quite to plan. I wouldn't say I've had necessarily, like, a specific question that was hilarious or really awkward or anything like that, but I've definitely had, you know, teenagers decide that they're gonna be the class clown for the day, and they're gonna try and take my presentation in a completely different direction, um, just to get laughs. So I never, ever take that personally and, you know, even if the teacher's in the room, sometimes they don't always pull them up, um, because what I always have to remember is that I don't know what has happened previously, and maybe that kid has already been in trouble multiple times that morning, and what they're doing now is actually low level, and the teacher's just picking their battles and hoping that, you know, they'll just kind of ride, ride it out. Um, but when that does happen, it can be really distracting as, uh, when you're trying to present. Um, and I think you have to always remember that in that situation, you are the adult, they are the child. It is so important to be kind and still to be positive. Um, you can absolutely redirect, um, the focus if you like to, if it's a workshop, for example, to a different group or a table group or in, you know, if you're in, in an auditorium, don't go back and call on that kid if he's got his hand up to answer. Um, but if you can, try and at the end or if, especially in a workshop style situation, go and have like a one-on-one conversation with that child and actually give them the attention that they're looking for, but in a positive way that's meaningful. Because they're the moments that have actually been kind of magical, where the kid has then bought in to the activity and had a go, and they've a- actually stayed back after class then and said how much they enjoyed it When you're first starting out, I think it can feel, um, really tricky to approach schools or to know how to get in touch and to get contacts if you don't have a speaking agent yet. Um, and so you really need to start by finding out who are the associations in your local areas that are affiliated with schools. So in Queensland, we are lucky enough to have the wonderful Book Links who run, um, Romancing with the Stars, and that's an event where authors basically speed date teacher librarians. So, you know, when you're at events like that, find out, you know, in, in conversation who are you actually talking to. Don't just pitch a book and then, um, and then leave. Um, also, I would say make sure that you're really prepared, so have your website set up with, um, all of your workshops and presentations outlined on that. Um, make sure that you carry little flyers with you of what you actually offer 'cause you never know when you're gonna meet people who are associated, um, with schools. Also, try and go to festivals. So, you know, Brisbane Writers Festival, um, the Story Fest. There's all of these amazing work, um, that... There's all this amazing work that's being run by often volunteers, um, and a lot of them are linked directly to schools as well and have wonderful databases that, you know, if you're giving back and you're keen to support them, then you might be lucky enough to be recommended as well. So I hope that helps. I really love school visits, and I'm always super, super grateful for being welcomed into schools because it's actually a huge amount of work behind the scenes for teacher librarians and, um, English teachers to, you know, get us in and to organize the day and all of the health and safety behind it. Um, so, you know, enjoy it, make the most of the opportunities, and it's okay if it's not perfect. You can... You know, that's the whole point of it. You know, you're always learning, and you're always adding ideas, um, and shifting things and making them better. Ask for feedback, um, and at the end of the day, remember that your, you know, your opportunity to visit the school is also an opportunity for the kids, and they're gonna get something out of it. So enjoy it, have fun, have a laugh at yourself if things don't go quite right, um, and good luck.

Tina Strachan 56:08

Thank you for listening to another episode of The Book Deal Podcast. If you are enjoying the pod, we'd really appreciate you following or sharing the show in your podcast directory, checking us out on Instagram and Facebook, or supporting us through our Patreon community at patreon.com/thebookdealpodcast