School Visit Information

 

Fees

I charge $500 a day plus expenses (flight and lodging) for up to six presentations.  I recognize it's quite a bit less than most authors ask for a full day.  But I'm concerned the standard rate is locking a whole lot of kids out of the chance to meet working writers.  That's wrong.  So I keep my rate as reasonable as I can to expand the circle a bit.  

Transportation

If you talk with other schools in your district, and they're also interested in school visits, it can make the transportation costs a lot more affordable. Also, local public libraries will sometimes share the cost if you contact them and kind of co-op a visit.

I do need ground transportation while I'm in your area, because I get lost so easily when I try to rent a car. (I get lost in a closet, it seems.) It’s been my experience that parent volunteers will often cover that.

Something for Every Child

I will always sign autographs—and I supply free bookmarks are ideal for that. I do not require advance book sales, but it's always a nice gesture if it's something librarians or parent volunteers want to coordinate. I don't require it because I feel bad for the kids who can't afford the books. It's as simple as that. But it's fine if it's something a school wants to do. I will have lunch with staffers or select kids. Some schools use me as an AR prize at lunch. It's always fun whatever you decide to do. 

Two Choices: Wonders of Weird & Writer Workshop

I offer two choices. The first is a fun, very lively touch-and-learn presentation that's more of a "show" than a workshop called "The Wonders of Weird."  I explain how I started thinking about being a writer in the 3rd grade, then walk them through how my career unfolded—how I discovered being weird was my happy destiny and my books reflect that. I explain where I get my ideas, I outline my research process, which is like a treasure hunt, I reveal how similar my editors are to their teachers—how writing is a team effort in school and in the real publishing world. And I wrap it up, by reminding kids that writing and reading does not have to be boring. As I close, the kids get to line up and touch artifacts I've used to describe each book's creation as they leave the room and collect a bookmark from me. 

The second choice is a series of writing workshops. I developed this by special request, and it's worked out very well. It's called, "Weaving Facts Into Your Fiction." I acknowledge that while I write nonfiction, most kids prefer fiction, and I celebrate that by reminding them they are better at fiction than most adults because they haven't forgotten how to pretend or imagine. But great fiction, I explain, has realistic elements. We can BELIEVE it's real, even if it's not, because the writers have done their homework. So I walk them through basic research on one of four age-appropriate subjects based on my nonfiction books. We "research" topics together via a PowerPoint presentation, then I ask them to begin a fictional story, INFORMED by the facts we just explored. 

They explode with ideas, inspired by real-life possibilities. It's amazing.  Even the kindergarten and first-grade students leave the room anxious to expand their stories, engaged by a series of discoveries we've made together. To participate in this workshop the kids have to bring paper and pencils, and they need a hard surface to write on, if possible. It’s a good experience, but it's also fun. 

The most popular topics are "My Pet Dinosaur" for K-1 and "What Do We Know About Bigfoot?" for the older kids.  I have two other options for older kids, but Bigfoot seems to be the blue-ribbon preference. 

 

Welcome to my world and

the wonders of weird!

Kelly Milner Halls