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.

muppet-labs

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.

2 Comments

  1. Margie Culver on May 21, 2013 at 9:24 pm

    Adam—Set your fears aside. Children will love you. Look at the book you wrote. Look at the trailer you made. You are a wonderful father. Children will certainly want to know how you got your ideas for the book (your trip) but they will also want to know about Adam Lehrhaupt the person; your favorite this and that. You have a fantastic sense of humor. Let it shine. Have fun; be a kid again.

  2. Adam on May 22, 2013 at 7:12 am

    Awww. Thanks Margie. I appreciate the nice words [b]and[/b] the suggestions of what to include in my program. I [b]am[/b] looking forward to encouraging kids to pretend they are escaping monkeys. 🙂

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