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KateMessner is the author of THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z. and SUGAR AND ICE (Walker/Bloomsbury, Dec. 2010), the MARTY MCGUIRE series with Scholastic (Spring 2011), and two forthcoming picture books with Chronicle Books.
"The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z" - Gianna Zales is a star runner with one more hurdle to jump before she goes to cross-country sectionals – a monster leaf collection project. To get it done, she’ll have to survive a rival who desperately wants to take her place at sectionals, a grandmother who leaves her false teeth in the refrigerator, and a best friend whose feelings about her are changing like the leaves. Gianna Z needs a stroke of brilliance to make it work!
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Hi Shelli, thanks for having me!
You asked me to talk a little about Skype tours and why I find them useful use.
When my middle grade novel THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z. came out in September, one of my goals was to make a personal connection with as many teachers, librarians, and young readers as possible. In addition to writing for kids, though, I’m also a middle school English teacher, and spending too much time out of my classroom at the beginning of the school year was out of the question. Thankfully, technology came to the rescue!
If you’re part of the online children’s literature world, you’ve probably already heard a thing or two about Skype author visits – a low-cost or no-cost way for classrooms, libraries, and book clubs to connect kids and authors. As someone who wears two hats – both author and teacher – I’m a huge fan of this new kind of author visit for a few reasons.
- Flexibility. Though I love visiting schools in person, I spend a limited number of days out of my own classroom each year and get more requests than I’m able to accommodate. Skyping with some schools allows me to connect with kids, librarians, and teachers I would have missed otherwise. I can Skype with a classroom on the other side of the world during my 40-minute lunch hour or after school, and hang up in time to teach my afternoon class or make dinner.
- Cost. While traditional author visits are amazing opportunities, they are cost prohibitive for many schools. If you know an educator, you probably know that many schools are facing dire financial situations right now – the worst they’ve seen in years. Enrichment activities like author visits
16 Comments on Skype Book Tours: Guest Post by Kate Messner (author of The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z), last added: 4/28/2010Display Comments Add a Comment
I am not familiar with Skype but it sounds great! Another interesting way to network and market!
Love the book cover!
I just started using Skype a few months ago. I love it! It's so wonderful to actually see the person I am talking to.
I would totally use it for class visits when i get to that point!
A Skype tour sounds great to me too. Like Kate, I work full time and couldn't take much time off for author visits. This sounds like a great way to connect with teachers & students. I like the 20 minute free Skype visit because it would be a quick way to answer questions about your book without too much advance preparation.
I hear about Skype last month. Haven't seen it in action, though. Sounds like a great idea.
Thanks for this great post!
If I had a book published, it's totally something I would consider doing. Great idea.
If I had a book published, it's totally something I would consider doing. Great idea.
Shelli--thanks for having Kate here--I met her at a book signing last fall, and she is so wonderful--and I have to give a shout out about her book, The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z.--It's wonderful. My ten year old son and I are both big fans!!
And, I love to Skype. My writing partner and I meet each week to chat on skype, and I'm thrilled to know that my skyping skills will come in handy when I'm a famous author, like Kate!! :) Thanks Shelli! Thanks Kate!! Great pointers today!
Quite a lot of people use SKYPE here in Greece and surprisingly few use TWITTER ...I understand that in USA it's exactly the opposite.
YES - it's a great way to talk to your audience - especially if there's a huge distance involved!!
Another advantage is that you can wear your comfy pj bottoms and just wear a decent top...It's seriously a super concept!
10 out of 10 from me.
A innovative use of technology. Like the idea of still wearing PJ bottoms and slippers. :D
What a great idea! Love the whole concept. I haven't used Skype yet - my family and friends all live in town - but this is a fabulous idea!
In person visits are certainly more fun, but I think Skype is a great alternative.
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I think they're awesome for international schools who have a greater expense flying authors overseas. Kate has really put together a great blog entry and the skype an author program is awesome!
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When I get a book published, I'll love school visits since the teacher in me misses the kids. But in reality, since getting around to places can be an issue for me, I think Skype will be a fabulous alternative.