Out in the Real World
A Season of Speaking Engagements
Did you miss me?
For the last ten days, I’ve been out in the real world doing speaking engagements, mostly for my ECLIPSE book.
Out there—in the real world—it’s interesting.
School Visits
When you present at a school, you connect with your readers in a fresh way. I’ve written about this in the blog post referenced below.
One question I like to ask kids is, “What have you been reading lately? What’s your favorite book right now?”
The answers are always interesting, and reveal what is popular right now. There are usually a handful of titles that dominate the answers. Yes, the answers change from year to year, but I’m always amazed that each school has a narrow range of answers. I think it’s a combination of what’s available in the school library, what teachers/librarians like and recommend, and peer pressure. There were still the second graders checking out Harry Potter as a status symbol. Graphic novels, especially Wings of Fire and Dogman, were far more popular than previous years. But overall—it seemed business as usual. Popular books/series come and go.
One school district has decided that authors cannot sell books after a presentation. It’s likely a conservative notion, and I hope that trend doesn’t pick up. I believe that putting a book in a kid’s hands increases the likelihood they will actually read it. Books in the home increase literacy. Later when I signed books at the local Barnes and Noble, the bookseller reminded me that they could have done a book fair for the school, letting the kids buy books from BN, not from the author. That seems like a good workaround, and I’ll keep that in mind for the future.
At another school, the librarian was enthusiastic and found several pockets of money with which to purchase books and give to kids free. In addition, book sales brought in another chunk of sales. An enthusiastic librarians can make a huge impact with books!
Book Signing at Barnes and Noble
I also did a book signing/story time at our local Barnes and Noble, where I’ve known the bookseller for years. He knows that my books are non-returnable, yet still ordered a few copies of several titles. It was their first book signing since COVID, kicking off several signings later this month. We had a fairly low turnout, but those who came were enthusiastic, so it felt like a good morning. I was reminded that I need to keep this bookseller in the loop for books and events. He’s all about books and selling books, and that puts us on the same side.
Event at University
The final event was yesterday, on April 8, the Great Eclipse Day. A local university had a grant to purchase 600 books to give away to kids that day. I spoke three times and then signed books. Going in, I was nervous about the variety of events. The outdoor Barkanalia had lot of people with their dogs, which could have been a disastrous place to present. But they had a stage with great sound system that made it easy to be heard. Families sat on blankets and read along with me.
A couple times, I presented indoors with a powerpoint, and kids received books after the reading. One family said the kids’ father was an astrophysicist! Intimidating! I’m glad that I vetted this book carefully.
It’s truly amazing when you find an advocate for your work. Dr. Rice worked tirelessly to apply for and receive the grant, plan and coordinate the event. It was great to be in the football stadium with her as we watched the moon eclipse the sun, creating an impossible night.
After the event, we had a booth where we passed out the remaining books. All told, they gave away about 550 books to kids and families. Amazing!
It’s been a busy and wonderful season of going out to make presentations and talk with readers. They are curious, passionate, and hopeful as they put books into kids’ hands. Kids are—as always—curious about our world, which drives them to seek knowledge. It was great to connect once again with the readers.
But I’m also happy that this season has passed. I’m an introvert, but an extrovert-on-demand. I’m happy to go back to my introvert side for a while! Hiding in my cave today!
That sounds brilliant and brave and exhausting! Well done! And the planning ahead to have a science picture book about the eclipse ready when the eclipse happens! *bows down in respect* I admire the foresight and the steady planning to make this all happen. Congratulations! You deserve all the success you are getting and more!
What fun to have so much activity around one of your books. You're so smart about creating stories that relate to real-life events throughout the year. It's a brilliant publishing strategy, and your skill with STEM topics makes it even more successful. Strong work!