Preparing for an Appearance

These can take many forms. I have spoken to student convocations in the gym (my least favorite), to regular English/Creative Writing classes, to a small group of ESL students (Somali Muslims) struggling to understand English idioms and American culture. On several occasions one of my novels has been chosen as an "all-school" read; I arrive for a long but exhilarating day of moving about the school visiting as many classes and meeting as many students as I can. However, an "average" school visit might evolve like this:

*6 months to 1 year in advance (but take a chance and ask anytime) CONTACT: "Dear Mr. Weaver: My students are reading one of your novels, and it occurred to me what a great thing it would be if they could meet a living author. . . ."

*6-12 months in advance: GROUNDWORK in your school or library: Assuming I'm not dead, and have said, "Yes, I'd be pleased to visit your school," it's time to start coordinating with other teachers or media specialists. Your goal is the get your money's worth from my visit. Which leads me to FUNDRAISING. Authors get paid according to how famous they are and how much work you want from them. Some authors' websites list fees and very specific ground rules–what they will and will not do. I'm not that fussy, nor am I looking to break the bank; I know how budgets are these days in public education and public libraries. However, your offer needs to be reasonable in terms of my time, travel and professional résumé. Make an offer (or I can, if you like), and we can go from there. I'll list what honoraria I've been paid recently; you can judge whether you're in the ballpark. Which leads me to GRANTS. There is help out there, and grant money available to bring an author to your school. In Minnesota, check out The Loft Literary Center (www.loft.org) and the Minnesota Humanities Center's "Authors in Communities Program" (www.minnesotahumanities.org). If you pair with other organizations–combine forces–it can work well for everyone. And don't ignore your local foundations or charities or even banks. In terms of WORKLOAD, I like no more than three contact hours in a school setting per day, though on occasion I have done more. A very nice arrangement has been this: an afternoon in a school, then a public library event in the evening.

*3 months in advance: LOGISTICS. Stay in close touch with me about the details of the trip. If I'm staying overnight, do we have reservations at a motel/hotel? (As long as the bathroom's not down the hall, I'm happy.) Will there be a group for a dinner? Would you like me to "prep" the students or readers ahead of time via email or a letter? Where are the classroom books coming from–your local bookseller or direct from the publisher? ? (I can help with that, and often get you a discount.) Will there be book sales after the event? Who will do that? (I seldom bring books to sell–ideally your local independent bookstore can handle that–but I'm happy to sign books.)

*1 month in advance: At this point, all the hard work you've done in arranging my visit will suddenly attract the attention of other teachers or library staff–who will think it's a great idea! They will want to piggyback onto your schedule and add contact hours and "special visits" to the day. Feel free to be annoyed by them, but tolerant as well; they are well-meaning (as we say in Minnesota). But DO NOT start adding events to the schedule, ones that surprise me when I arrive. Also, at this point you should intersect with the LOCAL MEDIA. Your hometown newspaper, radio, or television affiliate will be happy to publicize and perhaps even cover the event–it's what they do. But you have to contact them. Remember, your goal is to get the most possible value from my visit, and a large part of this is publicity for your school or library. Also, are you doing specific things in your classes or library that I should know about? If you tell me what they are, I can adjust my presentations accordingly, and so REINFORCE what you're teaching.

*2 weeks in advance: be shameless and guilt-free about sending me emails with questions and details. Make sure to send me a SPECIFIC SCHEDULE with dates, names, phone numbers, DIRECTIONS to the school (imagine you're a travel agent). Don't assume anything–that I'll know where "the restaurant" or the school is. Also, be sure to test your tech equipment and make sure someone is on hand to run it for the day of the event.

*Day Of: Relax and enjoy your hard work in making this event happen. I'm on duty, I like what I'm doing, I'm good at it, so let's have fun. My goal is to meet as many people (students, administrators, community members) as possible, to confirm to them that your school or library is a happening place full of good ideas and programs (like this one).

*Follow-up: Are there people (your Superintendent, the school board, etc.) that you'd like me to thank? If so, let me know. I often drop a note to the local newspaper thanking the school, library, etc. for a successful visit. Remember: it's important to get the MAXIMUM PUBLICITY for your organization.

My presentations include these general topics:

"From Fiction to Film," or how a novel or short story is adapted to film. I share my own experiences working with Hollywood producers on a CBS television movie, and also my recent successful indie film Sweet Land. I show film clips and compare/contrast scenes from my fiction with their film expressions.

"Pathway to Publication," or the general process of writing and publishing a novel. This includes a step-by-step look at the stages a novel goes through: plot idea, research, rough draft chapters, submitting to an agent, revision (revision, revision!), book contracts, copy editing, book arts (cover and book design), reviews, book launch, etc.

"Techniques of (Really) Good Fiction," or a very close look at the writing process. What makes for good prose, the can't-stop-reading kind? Here we get down to the sentence level, and a close look at imagery, style, voice, tone, etc. I adjust this presentation according to my audience: beginning adult writers, to lively middle schoolers, to advanced creative writing classes, to summer adult writing workshops.

"One Book, One Community." This is a wonderful general program, whereby a community chooses a book, gets the entire community to read it, then brings in the author (me, I hope) to answer questions and talk about it. I've done several of these. They take a lot of planning and organizing, but they always turn out well. It's a great way to bring your community together.

"Special Occasions." I've recently made keynote speeches at book award ceremonies, dedicated new libraries, etc.

For most of my presentations, I encourage lots of Q & A. I want a conversation, not a speech. My goal is to share everything I've learned about writing, publishing, the movies, etc. My motto: "There are no dumb questions." I have plenty of references from teachers, librarians and community organizers. I'm usually booked several months in advance, but am always willing to consider your ideas.