APPEARANCES

Ellen Hopkins School/Library Visit Info:

I wish I could visit every school for free, but unfortunately school/library visits are an important part of most authors’ income streams, and time spent in schools is time away from my writing. If budgetary constraints are a problem, I will do my best to work with you to create a mutually satisfactory arrangement. Please remember that I live in Missouri, so fly out of St. Louis. Most visits require a day of travel to wherever I’m appearing, a day there, and a day to travel home.

Although I’m best known for writing young adult fiction, I also write for middle grade and adult readers. Additionally, I was a freelance journalist, and have published twenty nonfiction books for young readers, short stories, and a lot of poetry. I can work with younger populations as well as high school students. I can talk about:

* The stories behind my stories, including the challenges involved.

* The writing/publishing process.

* Learning to write better, whether that’s poetry, nonfiction, fiction, or even journalism.

* Book bans and the Right to Read.

Together, you and I can create a program that suits your kids or events, whoever, wherever they are.

My regular honorarium is $3500 per day for up to three presentations (assembly, classroom workshops, or a combination), plus travel. If I can arrange more than one visit on a single trip, travel is negotiable.

It’s good to have books available for your kids to purchase, and my publisher offers a large discount for author visit copies. Or your local bookstores may offer discounts as well.

I realize author visit funding can be an issue. Here are some resources to help with that:

https://thebookingbiz.com/2016/08/21-ways-to-fund-author-visits/
https://www.donnajanellbowman.com/2019/03/20/finding-the-funds-to-pay-for-an-author-visit/

When we settle on the date for my visit, I’ll send you a simple contract. I’m not hard to work with, but if I put you on my calendar, it means I might have turned down someone else, so last minute cancellations on either side aren’t okay. Sometimes weather or events make them impossible. If that’s the case, we’ll work to reschedule.