What to Charge for Author Visits
As an author, I am sure you are hoping to schedule school visits or other book readings. And one question I receive from authors all the time is, “How much should I charge for an author visit?”
It’s a great question! And it probably won’t surprise you to know that there isn’t just one answer.
How to Determine What to Charge for an Author Visit
When you are scheduling school author visits or other book readings, it’s important to have an understanding of payment options before the event.
I don’t have a standard fee for author visits. So how do I determine payment for my author visits?
I first ask the school or venue, "What is your budget for an author visit?" Usually, they will have something in mind and that helps me not over or under-price myself.
I’ve done author visits where I have been paid anything from $0-$250. Even if I am not receiving a payment, there are still ways that the school or venue can promote my book and make the visit financially successful.
4 Questions to Ask Before a Book Reading
Payment isn’t the only thing you should ask of a school or venue. Some other ways that I ask them to provide compensation or promote my books include:
Will they buy a set number of books for their school library or other location?
Will they send home backpack fliers or parent letters with my book info?
Will they send out a parent email/newsletter with my book info?
Will they post about my book on social media?
Remember, young people aren’t usually the ones who are going to buy your books. Getting information out to parents and caregivers is incredibly important!
And even if you don’t receive payment, I think it is still incredibly important to ask. It helps set the norm that schools and other venues should plan to pay authors for our time!
How have you handled author payments in the past? What do you charge for school author visits? Share in the comments!
Are you looking for additional support in publishing or marketing your books? Let’s schedule an author coaching call!