Simon Rose's Blog, page 240

Author Visits, Presentations and Workshops - Book Sales

Author visits can be a lucrative source of book sales, but it's wise to ask if such activity is even allowed at the school ahead of time. Most schools are delighted that you will be bringing books to sell and sign for the children while you are there. If you send order forms or other paperwork prior to your arrival, teachers often collect the money for you and everything can be extremely well organized. However, some schools do have very strict policies about selling anything to the students...

Manuscript Evaluation and Editing Services

[image error] Have you written a novel, picture book or short story? Have you shown it to every one of your family and friends, who have all given their wholehearted endorsement? Are you now wondering if your work will appeal to a publisher, looking to take that next step but in need of professional advice? I offer a variety of services to writers, such as online workshops for adults, online workshops for children and young adults and manuscript evaluation. I will evaluate both full manuscripts or just a...

Author Visits, Presentations and Workshops - More Money Matters

When planning author visits to schools and libraries make sure you always check that the school is in agreement about all financial matters well in advance. This is particularity true of mileage, which may not be possible to calculate until you arrive at the school. Yet you should attempt to give the school at least a rough estimate, since this will be an additional charge on top of your agreed fee. Should meals and accommodation be required and the school is expected to foot the bill, make...

Creative Writing for Home Schoolers at Cardel Place, North Central Calgary - May and June, 2010

[image error] Join me for classes in creative writing, especially for home school children from the northern part of the city of Calgary and in the surrounding area, at Cardel Place. The next set of classes take place every Thursday, from May 6 to June 24, with registration commencing on March 29.
Ages 11 to 16 - Time Travel Tales
In these sessions, children create their own time travel stories, complete with a time machine, method or device. We will discuss their time travel methods, the time period...

Author Visits, Presentations and Workshops - Money Matters

No examination of author visits to schools and libraries would be complete without some mention of fees and honorariums. In Canada, fees naturally vary from one author to another and while writing organizations have recommended rates, usually calculated by the hour, its still wise to do your own research. Are other authors in your area charging by the hour, by the day, half-day or even per head? Prices also vary greatly from one part of the country to another. What may be considered a fair...

Interview at The Absent Willow Review

Check out the interview posted today at The Absent Willow Review - Tales of Horror Fantasy and Science Fiction.

Magic in Stories for Children: Part One – Fairy Tales and Familiar Faces - This month's teleclass at the Children's Writers' Coaching Club, Wednesday, February 17

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Join me on February 17 at 7 pm, Mountain Standard Time
at the Children's Writers' Coaching Club at the National Writing for Children Center. In this month's class, entitled Magic in Stories for Children: Part One – Fairy Tales and Familiar Faces, we explore the use of magic in stories for children, ranging from early chapter books, through middle grade to young adult. Learn and discover how magic is a large part of many children's lives as they grow up, how writers employ magic in stories...

Author Visits, Presentations and Workshops - Scheduling and Equipment

In addition to planning your workshops and presentations before your arrival at the school, make sure you discuss a schedule for your visit with the teacher making the arrangements as well. Let them know how long your sessions usually run for, the audience sizes you prefer, and any audio-visual requirements you have. If you are uncomfortable being photographed or filmed, make sure that the teachers are fully aware of that too.

At a school familiar with author visits, everything is usually...

Creative Writing Classes for Home Schoolers @ South Fish Creek Recreation Centre, Calgary - March & April 2010

Join me for classes in creative writing especially for home school children at South Fish Creek Recreation Centre in SW Calgary. The next set of classes take place every Tuesday, from March 2 to April 20, 2010. Registration details are available here.
Junior Adventures in Creative Writing Ages - 6 and 7
Things That Never Were - In these classes, we examine the elements of fantasy and the many creatures and characters that inhabit the fantasy realm. Most children are very familiar with monsters...

Author Visits, Presentations and Workshops - Planning Presentations

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Once you have been invited to visit a school, the organizers may only be looking for an author to read their books to the students, but mostly teachers expect something more. If you are planning to conduct school visits on a long-term basis, you should have a well thought out set of presentations, workshops and other material. You also need to not only discuss the subject matter of your own books. Teachers are always interested in their students learning about editing and revision, for...