School Events

A full-day school visit typically includes 3-4 presentations of about 45 minutes each, plus a book signing. Four is the maximum number of presentations Rick can do per day. Rick's goals for these visits are to give the audience a behind-the-scenes look at the writer's life, to explain how one gets published, to stress the importance of reading and to inspire student writers. Presentations may include:

1) Large group presentation (50-500+ students). This is most appropriate for grades 4-8. Rick discusses how he became a writer, how a novel is written and published, and why he chose Greek mythology as the basis for the Percy Jackson series. The presentation includes "show-and-tell" items like an original manuscript, novel cover art, foreign language translations, examples of outlining and brainstorming, and Rick's rejection notes. Rick may give a short reading from The Lightning Thief and play a quiz game with the students on Greek mythology. About 45 minutes.

2) Writing workshop (10-30 students). This is most appropriate for grades 4-8. Rick will work with a classroom-size group, offering hands-on activities to increase writing fluency, develop characters and structure plot. This type of presentation offers a good chance for those students who are aspiring writers to ask questions and get answers from a practicing author. 45-60 minutes.

3) Storytelling from the Greek myths (20-200+ students). This is most appropriate for grades 2-4. Though he writes for older children, Rick is well-known for his dynamic storytelling for younger audiences. Rick will offer a quick introduction to the Greek myths, then share two exciting stories about heroes and monsters. Rick brings pictures and cover art to show the children, and encourages audience participation. About 30 minutes.

Exact details for each visit will be catered to meet the needs of each host school. Note: A day's visit should include at least one large group presentation. It is best if the large group presentation happens before any writing workshops, so the students have already been introduced to Rick. If a day is split between two schools, each half-day visit would consist of two presentations and a signing time. Rick does not generally present to children younger than second grade.

Rick visits Howells School, Cardiff, Wales

Rick conducts a writers workshop at O Henry Middle School in Austin, TX

ABOUT BOOK SALES & SIGNINGS

Selling books is an important part of an author's visit. It is a positive and motivational experience for children to have their own autographed copies. There is no minimum number of books to sell, but Rick does ask that each host school:

1) make books available for advance purchase by students and faculty.

2) have extra books on site for day-of sales.

Who handles the ordering and sales?

This varies from school to school. Some schools order directly from the publisher or a distributor. Rick can help answer any questions you may have about this. In many cases, a local bookstore will be happy to handle sales for an author visit if given enough advance warning (at least a month is preferable). When contacting the bookstore, ask to speak to their community relations manager or school sales specialist. Another common method is to sell the books and schedule Rick's author visit in conjunction with a school's annual book fair.

SAMPLE BOOK ORDER FORM. This is a template for a single-page flyer that informs parents of the opportunity to purchase books in conjunction with the upcoming author visit. Feel free to modify it to suit your needs. It is recommended that books be pre-sold (using a flyer like the one above) prior to ordering copies from the publisher or a distributor. You will also want to order a few extra books to have on hand for last minute purchases. Typically after students hear Rick speak, many students who did not pre-order decide they want to buy a copy.

Autograph sessions

You may choose to have your school's autograph session with or without children present. Having children present is more personal, but slightly more time-consuming. In either case, place a sticky note inside each book, at the top of the first page, with the first name(s) of the person or persons to whom the book should be autographed. (Feel free to indicate if the book is a gift in honor of a birthday or other special occasion. Rick will do his best to personalize his message accordingly.)

If you opt for the children to be present, a signing table should be set up for Rick. The children should be brought in with their individual purchases and lined up along the table so Rick can meet the children as he signs their books.

Normally, an author can sign about one hundred books per hour with children present.

Please make students aware that in the interest of time, Rick can only autograph his books. Otherwise, requests quickly get out of hand and Rick ends up signing hundreds of hats, arms, shirts, binders and small pieces of paper!

*If you would like each student to get an autographed memento of the visit whether they bought a book or not, here is one idea from a resourceful librarian. Make one reproducible sheet of bookmarks with a Percy Jackson book cover and the date of the visit, i.e. "Rick Riordan visits _____ Middle School; April 12, 2008." Rick will be happy to sign the master sheet during his visit day. You can then run off as many copies as you like, either on cardstock or paper to be laminated, then hand these out to students.

Rick with the students of Pebble Hills Elementary School in El Paso, TX

PRICING DESCRIPTION

For the fall 2008- spring 2009 school year, Rick's standard honorarium is $2500 per diem plus travel expenses. It is also possible for two schools to share a day (two presentations each) to make the costs more affordable. Half-day presentations work very well if you can find another school close by to "buddy up" with. Multiple day visits are possible. However, since Rick does a limited number of visits which must be spread geographically across the U.S., and since he prefers not to be away from his family for an extended period, three days is the maximum amount of time he can commit to any single trip or any single school district.

Rick is happy to provide an invoice in advance for host schools. Payment is due on the day of the visit.

Rick with the students of Pilton Community College, Barnstaple, England

PUBLISHED WORKS

Rick Riordan has published eight mystery novels for adults. His first novel, Big Red Tequila, won the Anthony Award for Best Paperback Mystery of the Year and the Shamus Award for Best First Private Eye Novel. His second book, The Widower's Two-Step, won the Edgar Award for Best Paperback Mystery of the Year. His latest adult title is Rebel Island from Bantam Books. His first book for children, The Lightning Thief, was published June 2005 by Hyperion Books for Children. The sequel, The Sea of Monsters, published April 1, 2006, was a BookSense Top Ten Summer Pick for young readers, as was the third title The Titan's Curse, May 2007. His most recent Percy Jackson book is The Battle of the Labyrinth, May 2008. Rick's short fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and Mary Higgins Clark's Mystery Magazine.

Rick with the students of Brandeis Hillel School in San Rafael, CA

SOME OF THE SCHOOLS RICK HAS VISITED

Rick at Annunciation Orthodox School in Houston with librarian Dorcas Hand (note the fashionable Camp Half-Blood T-shirt) and fellow authors Kathy Combs and Patricia McMahon.

Rick's Tips for a Successful School Visit

Before the visit:

1. Be sure you can make the experience a success before pursuing an author visit.  Will you have the space? Do you have the funding for both the honorarium and the travel expenses? Will your schedule allow for special assemblies like the ones described above? Will your administration and faculty be excited and supportive? Can they spare the time to prepare students for the visit? If not, it is probably better not to do an author visit.

2. Introduce the students to the Percy Jackson books and Greek mythology. This doesn't have to be terribly time-consuming, but it makes a huge difference in the students' enthusiasm for the visit. Here are some ideas:

    a. Have students visit Rick's website. This can be done as a group in part of one class period, using an LCD projector, or if you have access to a computer lab, have students explore the site individually. Have students try the Greek mythology game page, the Half-blood quiz and the tour of the Camp Half-Blood cabins to learn about the different Greek gods. There is also an on-line interview with Rick.

    b. Pick an activity from Rick's teacher guide to The Lightning Thief. There are many to choose from! Students particularly like the Greek gods chart, the Greek alphabet writing activity, and the Greek artwork. These take very little time to do in class or at home.

    c. Have students complete this Greek mythology word search and submit it for a raffle drawing on the day of the visit. Let Rick know if you plan to do this, and he will provide two prizes per presentation group.

    d. Have students listen to the first chapter of the The Lightning Thief. A teacher or librarian can read it to them, or you can use the audio CD from Listening Library, or you can listen to Rick read it from the website.

    e. If you have time, let students do a project on Greek mythology. Some examples are below.

3. Take preorders for the book. This is best done after students have been introduced to the book so they will be more interested! See the section above about book orders for more information.

4. Brainstorm questions. Have students brainstorm questions they want to ask Rick, either about the books or about being a writer.

During the visit:

1. Arrange the presentation groups by age. As much as possible, age groups should be similar in each separate presentation group. Putting 4th graders and 5th graders together is fine. Putting 4th graders and 8th graders in one group does not work very well.

2. Seat the students so that the younger groups are in front, oldest groups in the back. This is very important. Not only does it make it easier for the younger children to see, but the enthusiasm of the younger students tends to energize the older students behind them.

3. If there are many books to sign, have sticky notes available. Students (or a teacher) can write each child's first name on the sticky note and put it on the book before Rick signs it. This saves time and makes sure Rick spells each name correctly!

4. Water is good! That's really all Rick needs to drink during a visit. He usually prefers not to eat during the school day.

5. Prepare a long table in front for the presenter. Rick will set out many show-and-tell objects like manuscripts, rejection notes, foreign language translations, etc., to show the children.

6. If possible, set up a projector, screen, and computer for Powerpoint. For large groups, Rick has a Powerpoint slideshow. He can present without this, but setting up for a Powerpoint is helpful if students at the back of the audience would have difficulty seeing a book cover held up at the front of the room. Just let Rick know in advance one way or the other. He can bring his file on a flash disk, or project it from his own laptop, whichever works best for your school.

6. Wireless lapel microphone. Rick can project fairly well, and does not use a microphone for groups up to 75-100 unless the acoustics of the room are problematic. For very large groups, it is best to have a wireless microphone available (the kind that clips to a lapel). Rick moves around a lot and uses his hands as he presents! Second best is a wireless hand-held microphone. Microphones with cords are not as maneuverable, though sometimes unavoidable. The least desirable are wireless headset microphones. Rick doesn't do a very good Britney Spears impersonation! Please, no chair or lectern. Rick's presentation is very active with a lot of movement. He won't be standing still or sitting!

7. Where to meet. By far, the best space to hold large group presentations is the school library. A theater space like an auditorium, black box, or lecture hall is also very good. The most difficult spaces are gymnasiums and cafeterias. They hold more students, but the acoustics are poor and the environment is not one that students associate with reading or good audience behavior. Rick has, however, presented in just about every imaginable venue and can make do if need be.

7. On the best school visits:

A. An administrator takes the time to welcome the author to the school. This sends a huge message that reading is important at this school, and the priority starts right at the top.

B. The teachers set the example for appropriate audience behavior. They refrain from grading papers, chatting, leaving to do other things, etc.

C. Kids and teachers know why the author is there. They have been introduced to the books in the classroom and spent time preparing questions and thinking about the visit. 

Rick at Saint Martin's College, Malta

After the presentation:

1. Letters to the author. Letters to the author may be sent to:

Rick Riordan

c/o Hyperion Books for Children

114 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10011

2. Book reviews and student reporting. Have a student write a review of the book for the school website or newspaper. Alternately, a student can do a news report about the author visit.

3. Turn your students into authors! After hearing about the career of a writer, have your students do a creative writing piece. This can be based on Greek mythology or not, as you please. Create a classroom anthology, make copies, and hold your own author signing event where the students autograph copies of their work. You can also publish the works on line. This can be a empowering experience for the students.

4. Rick welcomes your feedback. Let him know what you thought of the visit and if you have any suggestions!

5. Please don't feel obliged to give a parting gift, like a school coffee mug, T-shirt, etc. While Rick appreciates the sentiment, it's sometimes difficult to fit one more thing in the suitcase!

Other helpful resources on author visits:

These sites offer a wealth of information and advice on how to arrange a successful school visit:

Expert advice on author visits. Great tips from leading authors on what makes a successful visit.

How to arrange an author's school visit

Everything You Need to Know to Set Up an Author Visit in Your School - Random House Children's Book Author & Illustrator Appearances Kit (Adobe Acrobat format)

The Perfect Author Visit - by Dan Gutman

Preparation Checklist for Author Visit - by the San Diego County Office of Education School Library Service

Timeline to a Successful Author Visit - by Marian Creamer, school librarian, and Laura Kvasnosky

Back