Summer Camp The "Write Way" by Kathy Halsey

 

Welcome to nErdcamp!

As you look at your summer schedule, you might want to add camping to your bucket list for fun. Not just any camp . . .nErdcamp! Nerd camps have been around for quite a few years now, and they're a great way to connect with librarians, educators, other authors and illustrators in a more relaxed manner. After all you might run into a bear like we did last year at the inaugural nErdDCamp Ohio!

nErDcampOH features friendly bears!

From the officlal NerdCamp site, these “free professional development and literacy events” are held virtually or in-person. They’re “organized independently and they are hosted all over the country.” For authors they are a great way to soft launch a new presentation one might be tweaking, or a way to mingle and connect with dedicated educators and even pick up few school visits.

 

Perhaps one of the longest running nErdcamps is in Parma, Michigan. My partner in all things kid lit, Lindsay Bonilla and I have attended both the last camp in Michigan and Ohio’s first camp last summer. More established events attract hundreds of literati (We met Jason Reynolds, CeCe Bell, Josh Funk, Miranda and Baptiste Paul) while newer camps may suit first-timers better. Sadly, nErDcampMI disbanded but the crowds and energy were palpable! ( Shoutout to Colby Sharp and Donalyn Miller, the founders of  the MI event! Thank you for all the years!) All staff are volunteers and camps are usually located in larger school districts in the summer.

The Last nErDcamp MI

Besides the bear, Lindsay remembers “a special synergy that happens when so many people who love children AND books come together! Like a conference, there are many different sessions happening concurrently. But, at nErD camp, if you start in one session and discover it’s not a good fit for you or if there are two sessions happening simultaneously that you really wanted to attend, you are encouraged to leave, and no one is offended. There are usually SO many great sessions happening that this is very freeing!

Kathy and Lindsay & Photobomber Bear

Attendees Recall the Benefits of Nerd Camps

Patricia Newman remembers attending a Vermont nErdcamp where the participants voted on the topics in the morning. She says, “The sessions were informal - no slides, no panels - and all attendees contributed. I'd call each session more of a discussion than a presentation. For most of the sessions, we sat in a circle. I liked the whole vibe of a mutual sharing of ideas.”

Sherry Hyberger Howard shared her experiences, recalling,”a guaranteed audience of people interested in books and authors. Unlike, say, a bookstore event where you may get only a few people not even super interested. The enthusiasm is palpable with Nerd Camp—you’re with soulmates who love you.”

Ohio author Keila Dawson has presented at virtual nErDCamps in different states, but she plans to attend Ohio’s in-person this summer.  For virtual camps, Keila says, “ I've never received feedback from viewers, so there's no way to tell if educators found panels informative. However, organizers always send their appreciation! I do recall one of the camps shared a survey of topics educators were interested in before the event and that was very helpful for me as an author when assembling a panel.”

Nancy Churnin’s attended Pennsylvania's camp a couple of times and will be doing two panels for nErDCampPA July 14 (both online). She enjoyed nErDCampLI ( Long Island) in person, remembering “lots of fun, lots of camaraderie, a chance to bond and connect with educators and fellow kidlit creators in a relaxed and informal way!”

Have you attended a Nerd Camp yet? Or will you this year? Name the camp and share your experience in the comments below!

Part 2 - Library Visit from a Writer's POV - by Kathy Halsey

Today we'll focus in on one area of the school library program that most directly connects to the writer/author/illustrator to the librarian and school – the author visit. In the district from which I retired, author visits have always been big celebrations that are planned almost a year ahead with the school librarian being the point person. (If your school library does not have a certified librarian, the point person may be a reading teacher, English teacher, or even a parent group such as the PTO/PTA.)

When you visit your school library, look to see if there are clues that point to former author visits. Front and center at the Winchester Trail School library (3-5 building) is a wall that is signed by every author since 2004. 

How Are Authors Chosen?

Ask your librarian how they choose authors and how they plan to make the visit successful for the school, the author, and themselves.  Often, school librarians ask each other through social media if other librarians in their area have had a certain author for a visit or if another school/district would like to share an author and expenses. An author's reputation with school visits, his/her book titles and how they fit into the curriculum, as well as travel considerations are all factors in choosing authors. 

At Winchester Trail, librarian Janie Kantner has an interesting student population to consider, also: Third graders and fifth graders can be light years apart in reading and interest levels. This year an author who writes graphic novels is under consideration because his books are accessible to the youngest demographic and still "cool" enough for fifth graders. 

Other Considerations

 1. Librarians become super stars, too. With the right PR ahead of an author's visit, kids become enamored with the author and by association, the librarian. 

2. You may be surprised to learn that the school librarian's roll and visibility are heightened, too, with a successful author visit. Superintendents, school board members and local media are often invited by savvy librarians who need to build capacity and credibility in order to have funds for future author visits. 

3. Funds come from many sources: book fairs, grants,  and the book budget which keeps shrinking as book prices rise. As an author, think about how you can keep costs affordable. Could you stay at the librarian's house instead of a hotel the night before? Would a Skype visit be just as impactful? What value-added piece could you add without changing your price structure?

4. A vist begins long before an author sets foot in the door.  A librarian usually buys multiple copies of the author's books for the collection, reads them all, and book talks them through class visits. They create lesson plans that harried teachers swamped with tests and mandates can use before/after the author visit. Simple evaluation tools and feedback forms may be used to see if the visit was successful. Data talks these days. The school librarian becomes a "jobber" and secures books for students to buy and sends letters home to parents regarding the book buying procedure. 

If you have book flyers already created, evaluation sheets made up, a teachers' guide of your books, you have made the librarian's job much more efficient. Author Miranda Paul has great tools on her web site already in place. Check them out here to get ideas of your own. It is no coincidence that Miranda visited the Canal Winchester K-2 building last year. Miranda was traveling to an Ohio SCBWI convention, stayed at my house overnight, reduced her fee for a half day visit and sold a ton of books. (I was Miranda's escort to the SCBWI conference so this was a special circumstance, but Miranda's flexibility made this event possible.)

5. With a great visit, the author's impact is felt long after. As I shelved books this past Friday, many books by Blue Balliet were on the cart, They fly off the book shelves still because Blue was our featured author last year. Today when checking the library catalog, most of multiple copies of her many titles were on hold or checked out. ( I counted 36 books by Blue Balliet in the collection.) She did large group and small class visits. Students were inspired to write plays from her MG works, discover the writing process from a published author's point of view, and create word mobiles of their favorite words from her books.

Next Steps

1. Ask your local school librarian if you can visit and help out during the next author visit. You could organize the stacks of books to be signed, help set up an author luncheon, ferry the author to and from the school if the librarian is busy. 

2. Take your writer's notebook and shadow the author if possible, but be discreet. Note how the author introduces him/herself, how they interact with students and adults, how they personalize books, what added value they bring to the visit. 

3. Even if you are pre-published, you can interact with students in small ways now. Offer to read at story times periodically at your school library, help out during book fairs, suggest sharing how you conduct research as a "real" writer when the librarian conducts research units with teachers. Make sure to have permission from administrators and teachers before you plunge in. I've been lucky enough to interact in all these ways the past two years at Winchester Trail. 

4. If you have no real connection or feel shy about approaching a school librarian, maybe one of your published author friends will let you tag along on a visit. The more you can connect with schools, school librarians, and students before you conduct your own author visits, the more confident you'll feel when you make your debut. My very first pre-pub writer visit was with a middle school student writers' club after school. They treated me as a true author and even gave me roses. You never know what is possible unless you put yourself out there and create opportunities that benefit students, teachers and you!

If you have questions on visiting your school library that I haven't answered in Part 1 (here) or Part 2 of this series, leave them in the comments and I'll answer them or do another post. 

   

Peek Inside: School Librarians: Gatekeepers & Book Buying Part 1 by Kathy Halsey

I was a teacher-librarian for 15 years. Confession #1: All that time I had no IDEA I was a gatekeeper, like that fellow in The Wizard of Oz. "NO, you can't see the wizard, no way, no how." I learned of this title once I became a writer. Confession #2: School librarians are too busy to keep anybody out of their spaces. Actually, good librarians are happiest when the library bustles, books fly out, classes come in and we teach & plan with teachers. 

So when do we buy books? Off hours, before and after school, during lunch, on the weekend. We read journals, we attend review groups (much like writer critique groups), we thumb through catalogs that pile up on the desks we never use; we go to bookstores and have book reps visit us. Confession #3: I have actually read catalogs while in the bathroom. SHH, don't tell anyone. 
Librarians DO know that they practice "collection development." This is a science, a Master's level class, and a way to "buy books." It never stops. Our first mission is to "support the curriculum" and then "provide for pleasurable reading." Nonfiction writers? YOU support mission statement #1. Fiction writers? You usually fit our #2 mission. However, the library budget trumps all of this and budgets have been slashed since the early 2000's. 

So, what does this mean to you as a children's writer? 
1. Your school librarian is your partner. We love writers and author visits. It gives us a chance to look like rock stars, too. My street cred w/middle schoolers skyrockets before and after a good author visit. So, give your best and librarians will appreciate it. If possible, give us a break on honorariums (remember budget...).
2. Get to know your library partner, a lit lover, just like you. Call your local school and set up a visit to meet the librarian. Many times, you'll find him/her at several buildings because certified librarians have been cut drastically due to budgets. 
When you visit, immerse yourself in our world:
1. Offer to shelve books-you'll see what kids enjoy reading, since these are the books that circulate.
2. Take a tour and see what sections of the library are messy and have empty spots- kids decimate the areas they love. You should be writing these books. See what books are featured or displayed. Note the topics when you need a new idea.
3. Talk to the kiddos tucked into a corner reading-they are the avid readers and your personal focus group. 
4. Read a journal or flip through a catalog-see what resonates with you as a writer, a reader. Ask the librarian for what appeals to them.
6. Make a date to come back again, offer to talk to a group of avid readers on your next visit; buy the librarian a cup o'joe.
Oh, wait, the wizard will see you now...you have successful entered the library and made friends with a "gatekeeper" who will sing your praises and tell his/her colleagues about you. Best PR ever.
I'll cover more on collection development in part 2 later in October. Stay tuned.