January 2003

How Much Should I Charge For Author Visits?

I am a newly published author and my children's book "Doris, The Polka Dot Tortoise" has been released and the sales are great. I have been invited to host story time at two elementary schools and a request to be a keynote speaker for an association in my hometown. How much should I charge for hosting story time? How much should I charge for the keynote speaker engagement?

Congratulations on the release of your book!

The decision about how much to charge is ultimately up to you. There are some guidelines you can use to determine your own rates.

According to The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Children's Books, by Harold Underdown and Lynne Rominger: "Considering the time involved to prepare and travel, even as a beginner you should charge two to three hundred dollars for a one-hour presentation, and several hundred dollars for a full day at a school."

In his book, The Business of Writing for Children, Aaron Shepard recommends, "For a full-day visit by an author with a major publisher, a typical starting fee is $500 plus any long-distance expenses." That's a little more than $60 per hour (based on an 8 hour day).

Another way to determine your rates is to check out other authors' web sites to see what they charge. At Visiting Authors.com you can find links to authors who do school visits. Go to the Authors' Presentations page and click on the authors to find more information about their rates.

In her article, "Questions You May Have About Planning an Author Visit," Verla Kay says, "An average pay range for authors for one half-day visit is from $100 for a brand new, inexperienced author's first visits up to $1500 or even more for a big-name author."

At the Writersinkville Author Visit FAQ you'll find this advice: "The amount an author charges is usually based on experience and publishing history. A well-published author may charge $700 to $2,000 for three or four presentations a day. Beginning authors who have published their first book may charge $200 to $300."

As for keynote speaker fees, there are no standard rates, so you would use the same criteria for determining your rate as you would for school visits. My research shows that $200 to $500, plus expenses, seems to be the going rate for new authors. A lot depends on what the organization is willing or able to pay. In my own experience, I've found that the organization usually determines that rate. On average, that's about $300 per speaking engagement.

How Do I Construct a Rebus Reader?

I'd like to know how to correctly construct a rebus reader. I'm having a problem locating information on format submission.

Rebus, or word substitution, stories and books show children how words represent a concept by including illustrations of concrete nouns within the text of the story. Some rebus stories include the noun and the illustration; others replace the noun with a single illustration.

Rebus stories should be submitted like any other story: typed, double-spaced, name and address on the top left, word count on the top right. The magazine, or book editor, will pick which nouns to illustrate. If you want, you can underline or highlight the words you think would make good pictures.

The Institute of Children's Literature web site contains an excellent article, "Nuts and Bolts of Rebus Writing." Marianne Mitchell offers a step-by-step approach to writing a rebus story plus four children's magazines markets: Ladybug, Highlights, Turtle, and Humpty Dumpty. Submission guidelines can be found at the magazines' web sites.

How Can I Find a Literary Agent?

I am a University professor with a lot of professional publications under my belt. Children's stories and poems are a new genre for me (although I have been writing them since I was 12). I am asking for your advice on how to find a literary agent to break into the children's market, since many of them have such a requirement. Can you advise me on this?

Finding an agent is a real Catch-22 for writers. In his comprehensive discussion, "Agents: A Primer," Harold Underdown advises, "The best method seems to be to get published, and then approach agents. Indeed, by the time you have had a few books published, they will be coming to you. You'll meet agents at conferences, or hear about them from other authors and illustrators."

It can be difficult to find an agent to represent you without a published book. Unfortunately, those agents who do consider new writers also charge fees. Consider joining the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators. Members are invited to submit their manuscripts directly to publishers, without an agent. SCBWI publishes a bi-monthly bulletin with market news and also an annual publishers update. As a member you can send for (or download from the web site) their Guide to Agents.

The 2003 Children's Writers and Illustrator's Market includes a chapter on agents, along with tips and how to contact.

For more information:

Visiting Authors.com

http://visitingauthors.com

"Questions You May Have About Planning an Author Visit"

http://www.kidsbooklink.org/success.html

Writersinkville Author Visit FAQ

http://www.writersinkville.com/about/faq.php

Ladybug Writer Guidelines

http://www.cricketmag.com/flash.asp

Highlights for Children Editorial Guidelines

http://www.highlights.com/about/contribGeneralGuidelines.html

Humpty Dumpty and Turtle Magazine Submission Guidelines

http://www.cbhi.org/cbhi/writersguidelines.shtml

SCBWI

http://www.scbwi.org

Agents: A Primer, by Harold Underdown

http://www.underdown.org/agents.htm

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