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Thanks to all who responded. My original post asked what author websites were especially helpful in choosing an author for a school visit. And what specifically on those sites (or in other promotional materials) helped make your decision feel successful. I liked what people had to say about an author's attempt at connecting not just to the students, but to the teachers/librarians BEFORE being invited (i.e. links to lessons and curriculum on their site). It sure does make a difference when the author finds ways to appeal to their self-sustainability, meaning the more they get students excited about reading and their craft and the more they get the teachers/librarians excited about ways to implement the author's materials within the curriculum, the more they keep themselves in a job! ***www.toddstrasser.com While the website is nothing to write home about, Todd is an absolutely wonderful presenter ! We just had him at our middle school and the students and staff loved him. Priced below $2000 a day, he earned every penny of it at our school - gave 2 assemblies each one over an hour long, 1 writers' workshop - about 1 1/2 hours long, and sold/signed books during our p.m. homeroom. I cannot recommend him highly enough. ***www.tonibuzzeo.com ***Shelley Gill http://www.shelleygill.com/ Roland Smith http://www.rolandsmith.com/ We choose an author at least once a year. We go strongly by word of mouth. Other authors who enjoy our school will share names of others and will often let them know it's was a fun school to visit. Quite a few sites say slide projectors but when we have actually connected with the author they have switched over to PPT. It's nice to sell authors to the teachers if the author's website has a nice interface and something extra like Shelley Gill's. I also try to connect with teacher conventions to see if we can get an author before or after to help with costs. ***I look for a sense that the author or illustrator "gets" how to connect to the curriculum in a school- providing more than just an "all about me." We've had some authors who have been engaging, but not much more than a live, breathing version of their books. We've had authors of wonderful books who were a complete flop at speaking to and with kids. And then there are those authors who clearly do get it... developing materials that will help prepare teachers to engage students with their books and their craft. A great example of this is Vermont author/illustrator Tracey Campbell Pearson (www.traceycampbellpearson.com) or Matt McElligott (www.mattmcelligott.com). Both do a remarkable job eduring their visits explaining the work of their craft- and how it connects to the work that the students themselves do in school. An example from Tracey Campbell Pearson's website is pasted below: "An author's visit should get children excited about books and reading. I have been visiting schools since the early 1980's. I love making books and I enjoy working with children. However, those are not the only reasons I visit schools. I also want to plant a seed that tells the students that they are all artists and writers. Below is a description of my program and details on how to arrange a visit..." ***The two I like best are Jan Brett's and Matthew McElligott http://mattmcelligott.com/authorvisits/index.php The only trouble with Matt's website is that it is SO good and so positive about great places he's visited, it's almost scary to think of having him at my school! He also has a fantastic newsletter you can sign up for. I'm sure others have mentioned Jan Brett's site - she also has a newsletter you can sign up for. ***(in response to the outdated question) Yes. We just had Harry Bliss come to visit and had to scramble for an overhead that worked. We could not supply him with the slide projector--luckily the company sponsoring his trip had one on hand. He took it in stride though, and laughing said he guessed it was time he got with the times. ***We just had Kevin O'Malley visit (wowed the kids with personality....but adults wished he talked more about his books and the writing process). Susan Stevens Crummel is on board for next year. What did I find helpful and engaging about her website? Hmm.... She showed pictures of presentations with younger grades using puppets. She had links for lessons ideas (across the curriculum) to use with her books. This is very helpful because my teachers often turn to the library looking for ideas to tie in the author books to classroom activities/topics. The website gave good descriptions of what she needs (so I know we can provide it), presentation outlines, and I appreciated letters from librarians where she had visited. Bryn Samuels Nashville, TN ~bryn scholarlybrio.blogspot.com -------------------------------------------------------------------- Please note: All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law. You can prevent most e-mail filters from deleting LM_NET postings by adding LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU to your e-mail address book. 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