Just about everyone is excited to meet an author, especially if it’s a book they've read. Those of us who write for kids love doing school visits. We get to meet the very ones we write for and they get to tell us what they think about our stories.Lately, there has been a reduction in school budgets, so paid visits are at a minimum. As a debut author, I don’t command the big bucks for a presentation opportunity. But the saying, ‘money isn't everything,’ is really true.
Earlier this month I was asked to present at one of our local middle schools, Glassford Hill Middle School. The best part was that ‘I’ was the reward for the kids that had met their reading goals for the year.
The kids were great! We had a blast laughing and talking together. At the end, several of the kids bought my books. There were some who had forgotten to bring their money, so the librarian, Ann Carey, asked if I would leave a few books for them to purchase within a few days. Of course I said ‘yes’ and they came back and bought them.
Now for the cherry. Without my knowledge, the librarian sent pictures of the presentation to the local newspaper and they printed the story! What a wonderful surprise! This was so much better than getting paid—I sold books and I got free publicity!
So fellow authors, the next time you’re asked to give a presentation, don’t let the money issue keep you from doing it. The moral of the story is, when we give, it comes back to us.
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