I enjoy speaking to children in schools and libraries. I also speak to grown-ups from time to time, at writing workshops and conferences. Note that my new novel is up for Connecticut's 2009 Nutmeg Book Award and Maryland's 2007-2008 Black-Eyed Susan Book Award, and was honored by a place on the master list for Arizona's 2007 Grand Canyon Reader Award. For a full bio, click here.
Writing: Think of It as An Adventure!
Do
you dare become a writer? I talk about inspiration, the journey to complete
a novel, and how writing can take you to places you never dreamed of.
I ended up halfway around the world, in Nepal! I tell my story and the
amazing stories behind my books -- yes, Pippi Longstocking really did
try to kill my daughter -- while weaving in humorous anecdotes and writing
tips for authors in training. I like to leave time for questions
and answers.
Children come away from my presentations with renewed excitement for reading and writing. Read comments about past appearances.
Planning and organization make for a successful author visit. Children need to know who I am and why I am coming in advance of my visit. Even if it's only first chapters, they should be introduced to my books through classroom reading. Sufficient copies of my books should be purchased in advance for the library, so that students who may read them ahead of time.
I need to know the schedule in advance, how many children and what grade levels I will be talking to in each session. I like to have at least a 10 minute break between session.
Although
my books are more appropriate for children in the third through seventh
grades, I will happily speak to kindergarteners and first and second graders,
too. I love 'test driving' some of my picture book manuscripts. Sessions
will be shorter. I suggest 20 minutes for kindergarteners, and 30 minutes
for first and second graders.
I will speak to small groups, large groups (I've spoken to over 700 children), and groups somewhere in between. Please email me at jennifer@jenniferjstewart.com or call me at (520) 749-4519 if you have questions, and I can also send you more information about preparing for a school visit. These pictures were taken by Felicia Grandi when I visited her classroom in 2004.
It is also possible to have a virtual visit, live in cyberspace. Please contact me if you would like to set one up. I can provide signed personalized bookplates, so that children can still have autographed books.
What does it cost?
My rates are listed below. Fees are negotiable, depending on circumstance and location (Might there be a friend I want to visit close by? Can I do interesting research there? Do you live in Hawaii?) -- please call me at (520) 749-4519, and we'll talk about it. Rates for Connecticut and Maryland -- because my book is nominated for the 2009 Nutmeg Book Award and the 2007-2008 Black-Eyed Susan Book Award -- are the same as my "Elsewhere in Arizona" rates.
Please note that a full day entails four 45 minutes to one hour long sessions. A half day is defined as two 45 minutes to one hour session. Take an average for three sessions. Travel expenses may include lodging, meals, airfare, and/or mileage charges. Note, for Phoenix, I often ride the airport shuttle up and back, currently running $60.00. That requires someone to pick me up and drop me off at Sky Harbor.
2007-2008 Rates
Tucson, Arizona |
Full day: $600 | Half day: $300 |
| Elsewhere in Arizona | Full day: $750 + travel expenses | Half day: $500 + travel expenses |
| Outside Arizona | Full day: $1,000 + travel expenses | Half day: $700 + travel expenses |
Equipment and facility-wise, here's what I need:
-
A microphone for large groups, especially if you put me in the cafetorium. It's best if this is a walking around, clip on my shirt type mike, as I like to move around
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A room that can be darkened
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A screen or blank wall to project onto
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A rolling cart on which to set my reliable slide projector and its spare bulb
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An extension cord that reaches all the way to the outlet
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Water
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Lunch
If you have access to an equally reliable slide projector, I will leave mine at home. I use a standard KODAK carrousel slide tray. Please email me if you have any questions.
How do I order your books?
You
get the best deal by ordering directly from my publishers, Holiday House
and Scholastic (If That Breathes Fire, We're Toast! is available
in Scholastic trade paperback). This is a great way to help fund
a school visit, if you buy books at a substantial discount, and then sell
them at full price. Or you may choose to discount the books for
your students.
For the hardcovers and the paperback of Close Encounters of a Third-World Kind (available February, 2008), it is best to email Kathleen Morandini or call her at Holiday House -- the phone number is (212) 688-0085 -- and she will take it from there. For the paperback, call Scholastic at (800) 724-6527, and then press a random number like "1" or "3," until you reach a real live person. Remember to say the books are for an author visit, so that you get the discount.
To see a sample pre-visit book order form, which you may modify to suit your needs,, and send home with your students, click here. It seems to work best if you send it out a week to 10 days in advance of my visit. Books make wonderful souvenirs!
If you are in Tucson, Arizona, where I am, Kid's Center will happily supply my books. For more information, please email Retha Davis or call her at (520) 322-5437.
If you are elsewhere in Arizona, I can also suggest some book services, another convenient way to get books. PLEASE ORDER EARLY -- six weeks ahead is not too soon -- and if the books are not there 10 days before the school or library visit, call and find out why, while there is still time for a rush order.
And, yes, I do keep a secret stash of books in my closet, so I can supply them, too.
Why is your middle initial "J" so enormously important?
There is another children's author named Jennifer Stewart without that crucial middle initial "J," and it is embarrassing when we get confused. Also, there is an 'actress' who is Jennifer Stewart without the "J," and although I've never been confused with her, if you leave the "J" off my website address, you may see some things you did not want to see, if you catch my drift. Remember the J!
Are there other authors and illustrators who visit schools?
Get a list of other terrific Arizona-based authors and illustrators, plus meet a few of my friends around the U.S.