Research: Watching an Author Visit

Large groups of children are scary. I am positive that teachers/educators know this, and yet they still choose to become educators. I could probably write a whole post on things that scare me but teachers experience/overcome/tolerate, perhaps even enjoy. This is not that post.

Instead, I am going to take one moment to point out how wonderful these educators are, especially the ones who got me to where I am today, and then we shall move on. Moving right along.

Yeah, a bit cheesy, but I always like a good Muppet segway. Not Muppets on a Segway, completely different.

I know. I’ve wandered way off topic again. Back on point. As I was saying, large groups of children are scary. In another of those, ‘things they don’t tell you’ when you find out someone is going to publish your book, I have recently been researching the author visit. Sounds pretty benign, huh? I assure you it is not.

Let’s not forget the aforementioned large groups of children. A highly skilled and well trained person might not be intimidated here, but to the novice author…there is the potential for real fear in this environment. As I understand it, the goal of the author visit is to provide a fun and memorable experience wherein the kids remember us, our story, our characters, and thereby want to own our book. To this end, we must present our book in a way that blows their minds.

So, never having seen one of these author visits before, I packed the family up in the car and went to see one. What did I learn? They require a lot of work and planning. Not to mention enthusiasm, energy, and an ability to talk for extended periods of time without a break. I also found out that it looks like a lot of fun. I am now looking forward to the scary experience of being in front of a large group of children.

Have you ever been to an author visit or signing? Share your experiences in the comment section below.