One of the best bits of my job as an author and illustrator is visiting schools. I love to see the children’s faces light up as they get the idea, ‘I could do that!’ It’s great to watch them thinking, and imagining, then shooting a hand in the air, ‘I have an idea for a story!’ And it’s infectious, before you know it they all want to tell you their book ideas!

I have one simple message on school visits: ‘Be a reader!’

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

— Dr. Seuss

Reading gives you superpowers

Increases intelligence Diving into a good book opens up a whole world of knowledge.
Boosts brain power Just like going for a jog exercises your body, reading regularly improves memory by giving your brain a good workout.
Reading can make you a better friend By reading other people’s emotions, reading helps you understand what others are thinking.
Reading makes you feel better Research has found that people who read for 30 minutes a week are 20% more likely to report greater life satisfaction than those who do not.
Reading can help you relax It really doesn’t matter what book you read, by losing yourself in a thoroughly engrossing book you can escape from the worries and stresses of the everyday world.
Bedtime Stories help you sleep The Sleep Council say '39% of people who are in the habit of reading before they go to sleep, sleep very well.’

Mistakes are learning experiences

I like to show children my mistakes: the strories that didn’t go to plan, the drawings I spilt my ink on. I like to show that it’s OK to fail. You will write a million more stories, and make a million more pictures, so don’t worry. And sometimes a mistake sparks a new idea! I wrote my book ‘How to Hide a Lion’ after a terrible drawing day. I went to the zoo to draw lions, and the lion was sleeping behind a dead bush all day. I was really fed up, thinking about that annoying lion who seemed to be hiding from me. Then ta-dah! It sparked the idea… How to Hide a Lion!

Funding an Author/ Illustrator Visit

Author visits do cost money, there’s the fee and the travel, and sometimes the accommodation. And in these times of educational cut backs and tightening budgets it can be hard for schools to find the resources. Here are some of the ways schools can fund an author visit:

Sometimes the school asks the PTA or friends of the school.
Sometimes the council pays for an author/ illustrator to visit a few schools in their area.
Often a local business will support community projects, and pay for an author to visit a local school.
Schools sometimes use fundraising to pay for an author visit.
Some independent schools are willing to subsidise nearby state schools for visits e.g. offering half a day with the author they have booked.
Book Festivals will often pay for an author to visit a few schools as part of an outreach program.
A locally based author is often more cost effective, I charge on a sliding scale depending how far I have to travel, and I charge up to £200 less to visit schools near where I live.

If anyone has any further ideas for ways to fund school author visits then please get in touch, or add them via the comments section below.

Get in touch

Meeting a real live author and illustrator can increase children's interest in books. It can help them understand how books are produced, see that authors and illustrators are real people, and boost the confidence of any aspiring writers or artists in your school.

Read more about my school visits here

If you would like me to visit your school get in touch below and tell me a bit about your school. I’ll answer any questions you have.

If forms aren’t your thing, you can email me directly:

helens@helenstephens.com

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