Check out the Video of 'Treasure Kai' at the bottom of this page! Author Visits - Schools and Groups
Presentations - other
Book selling process at an Author Visit
Signing books
Basic needs
Fees
Testimonials
Hints for a successful school or group visit
Scheduling a visit
- Author Visit - Delight your school or group!
Hi! It's Karen here... The most magical part of being the author of 'Treasure Kai' is sharing the book with kids. And I've been told by many teachers and librarians that my talks are quite unique because the reading experience is so interactive and I talk about aspects of creating a book that many authors don't talk about.
I'm flexible with how many kids I speak to and the number of sessions I do.
My preferred talk length per session is 45 minutes or more.
And if you have access to a Smartboard, I have the book and presentations online so kids can all have a good view. If you don't have a Smartboard, I'm set up for that too so no worries. About the talk itself: I am happy to customise my talk to the school's or group's needs. Otherwise, this is how my talk usually works: 1. I read the book
I usually start by reading the book so kids get a feel for how the book works.
- With younger groups (K-2), I read the whole book
- With older groups (3-6), I read four of the stories
It's such a fun book to read to a group because eight kids get a chance to open a chest to find a clue that progresses the story. And one will find the gold! No two readings are the same because the chests can be opened in any order! 2. Q&A
I usually then open up the floor for questions as the kids have so many!
3. The illustration process
After I've answered some questions, I discuss what has proven to be an absolute favourite for kids of all ages - the illustration process.
Unlike most authors, I was very involved with the illustration of my book. I take kids through the brief that I originally gave to the illustrator (Victor Guiza). I then show them the pencil drawings that Victor did and show our journey to get to the final approved illustration. And lastly I show them the final colour illustration used in the book.
4. Character development
I discuss how Treasure Kai got his name (he had a lot of names before Kai!) and show the kids how Kai came to look the way he does. Again, I show Victor's magic work.
5. Editing
If there is time, I show kids how I edited a couple of the stories. Kids are usually shocked (and frankly a bit horrified) to learn that there were about 100 versions of the book before it was final. And at one point, I actually re-wrote the entire book to make it a stronger concept.
Kid's questions usually cover everything from where my ideas come from, what my writing process is, how a book is made, have I always been a writer, how old I am, why I started writing, you name it, I think it's been asked! :-) The school gets two FREE copies of the book- the Treasure Hunt and Library versions When a school visit is confirmed, I gift two copies of the book to the school.
Many librarians like to share the book with students prior to my visit so they are familiar with it.
Kids can get the book at the LOWEST POSSIBLE PRICE I offer a special for kids when I visit schools and groups.
They can get a copy of Treasure Kai for just $25 ($10 off retail) AND they get a FREE extra set of toys as well.
Schools get 10% of sales
And I gift 10% of sales revenue to the school or group hosting the author talk. - Presentations - others I'm also available for other types of presentations and speaking engagements.
Please contact Karen through the Contact Us page - Book selling process
Please let me know if you have a preferred way of handling book sales. I've found the best process has been for me to send the school or group an order form. They then put it in their newsletter and/or hand it out a day before the visit. I bring pre-signed books with me on the day to fill those orders. What I've found though is that about half of sales occur AFTER my visit, once the kids have seen the book and want one for themselves. So most librarians hand out the order form to kids immediately after my talk so they don't miss out. I then deliver the second pre-signed books to the school. - Signing books I pre-sign the books with my signing phrase (Treasure reading!) and my name.
I usually don't personalise a child's name to the book due to time constraints. However, if you'd like me to personalise the books, please arrange the time to do so and I'm very happy to do that! - Basic needs
Karen will need:
- A chair
- An easel or book stand if you have one
- A microphone if the room is really big
- Smartboard with internet access is a huge bonus if you have one! - Fees
For book sales as part of an Author's visit in Australia:
There usually aren't speaking fees when there is an opportunity to sell books. For book sales as part of an Author's visit for overseas:
Please contact Karen via the Contact Us form. - Testimonials "I highly recommend having Karen visit your schoool to deliver a unqiue author talk. She came to our school and spoke with our students in years K-6 (over 600 kids).
Her talk was very educational and the students found it entertaining because she not only involved them in reading the book but also she discussed writing and editing, character development, illustrations and book production.
The Q&A could have continued for hours!."
Ellen Lo, Teacher-Librarian, Manly West Public School "My students thoroughly enjoyed reading Treasure Kai. The toys in the chests involved them instantly in the hunt for treasure and the fantastic, colourful illustrations held their attention as well."
This is a good book for reluctant readers as it allows them choice within the story. They can read one spread as a complete short story or read the whole book.
Its interactive nature is a plus for both boys and girls. I would recommend this book as a great read-aloud story as well as for the individual reader."
Anne Scrivener, Teacher-Librarian, Balgowlah North Public School “Karen visited my Year 4 class three times in November and December 2007 to share the prototype of the book and explain the illustration and editing processes to the kids. The kids absolutely loved Karen’s visits. They had numerous questions for her and she answered them happily.” Mrs. Gaye McNaughtan
“Karen read Treasure Kai and the Lost Gold of Shark Island to my Year 1 class and the kids were so excited about the story and the toys. The kids took turns opening the treasure chests to determine which story would be read next. They loved that they had a say in how the story progressed. And of course they wanted to read it again! Miss Sheridan Cooper "Karen read the book to our Cub Scout troup (girls and boys 8-10 years old) as part of our Literary badge and the kids LOVED the book. We can't wait to have her back next year." Leanne Cresswell
- Hints for successful programs Here are some tips for making an author visit as successful as possible:
- Make sure the kids are prepared before the author visits. If possible, let them see the book prior
- Consider a related classroom activity. For example, each story in the book starts with a 4-lined riddle or clue poem. Maybe the students could write their own poems the book or their favourite story in it, etc. Or they could draw pictures. Children's work can be submitted for possible inclusion on our website. Another fun game is treasure hunting. Kids can divide into groups. Each group hides a treasure and then draws a treasure map for another group to find.
- A teacher should sit in on the session so that kids can have a follow-up discussion with him/her if they wish
- Other faculty, parents and siblings are welcome to attend the session
- Scheduling a visit
Karen is based in Sydney Australia. For visits outside of Sydney, Karen is happy to consider visits but would like to coordinate multiple schools or groups from the same area to maximise the value of travel time. Karen is happy to do overseas visits – particularly to New Zealand (because it's close) and the U.S. (because it's home!).
To check availability, please contact Karen via the form below. Include your preferred dates and any questions you have in the Comments box.
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