Behind the Scenes of a Children’s Book Tour

Visiting schools - and sharing a love of books with kids - is one of the best parts about being a children's author. Ever wonder what a school book tour involves? Well, here are a few glimpses of what happens behind the scenes of a children's book tour.

Get Packing

My suitcase is always jam-packed in preparation for a tour. This is mainly because school visits start early and end later, so layering my clothing is key.

Other essentials include:

• My laptop 

• Two USB flash drives with my PowerPoint (You won’t believe how often I forget them at schools. Fortunately, the sales reps remember!) 

• Books!

  
  

I always chuckle when a school gifts me a memory stick - it’s as if they know (ha, ha). 

Memory sticks gifted from schools

On the Road

Depending on the destination, I fly or drive and meet with a sales rep. The sales reps at Penguin Random House are the absolute best. From the minute I’m in their company, they look after me and make me feel like a VIP.

I usually spend the night at a B&B or with a friend and make sure to get a good night's sleep, so I’m all set and ready to start the next day early.

Early Bird

My alarm pings super early and I hustle to get all my ducks in a row. I’m not a morning person (or a breakfast person), but I try to eat to keep the energy up as we visit three to four schools daily.

Warm Welcome

On arrival, we attempt to find a parking space as close as possible to the entrance, sign in, and then head to reception, where the teacher in charge meets us. Next, it’s off to the venue. This could be a hall, church, library, classroom, or even outdoors on a netball court or field. It really doesn’t matter to me. I love the variety!

The welcome is always warm. Sometimes, the principal pops in for a chat, and teachers are genuinely happy to have me there. I always make a point of thanking the teachers for giving up their precious class time. 

We set up the tech, do a quick sound check if time allows (a mic is a lifesaver), and lay out the books.

Showtime!

I kick off by asking a few questions like, “Who loves a book that makes you laugh?” Then I introduce my books and try to say something fun about each of them: “Deedee sneaks animals into her bedroom!” or “For the rest of Thabo’s life, he won’t have Wi-fi!” (That always gets a reaction from the kids).

Next up, I hold an interactive story creation session. Oh, my goodness, this is always such a hit. With my help, the children try to see if they can come up with South Africa’s next bestseller. I provide writing tips such as, “A good way to keep the action ascending is to use the word: suddenly!” It’s full of laughs.

As a former teacher, I want the 30 minutes to be as educational as possible, kind of like an English lesson that comes alive. So I throw words like ‘protagonist’ and ‘antagonist’ into the mix.

The Q&A is one of my favourite parts. Kids are keen to learn and ask questions like, “How long does it take you to write a book?” or “How do you publish?”

Collection of Lori-Ann Preston Books

Wrapping Up the Children's Book Tour & Behind the Scenes

Afterwards, I often get rather emotional from the heartfelt thank-yous. What can I say? I’m a big softie.

To end off, I’m always delighted to sign preordered books from excited readers. 

I wish I could donate books to every school, but selling books is what allows me to continue doing this. I’m simply delighted when schools invest in books for their library or buy them as readers or setworks. What a celebration! This way, every child has access to them.

Goodbyes are said, pics are taken, and vrooooom … off to the next school.