Appearances · Less obvious
School and library visits
A day's work, a room of readers who have not yet learned to be jaded, and a fee that is not a royalty statement.
Schools and libraries hire writers to talk, workshop, and (if you write for children) to be living proof that books are made by people. The work is performance plus pedagogy. It is also one of the most reliable day-rates in a writer's year, provided you can hold a room of Year 8s on a wet Thursday.
- Typical pay
- Typically several hundred pounds a day in the UK, more for a full day with workshops; the Society of Authors publishes suggested rates. Plus travel. Some virtual visits pay less and cost you no train.
- Ceiling
- Solid ceiling
- Speed
- First money in weeks
- Effort
- A real extra job
- Needs
- Needs a book
How it works
- 01
A school, library, or agency books you for an assembly, a set of classroom workshops, or a public library event.
- 02
You deliver a session you have run enough times to survive the fire alarm.
- 03
You invoice, you sell copies if the school has arranged it, and you hope the staff room has biscuits.
How to start
- 01
If you write for young people, this is almost part of the job description. Prepare a session, not a speech.
- 02
Contact schools through local authority lists, library services, or specialist agencies. A one-page offer helps.
- 03
Get public liability insurance. It is unglamorous and occasionally essential.
Watch out
- 01
Unpaid 'inspiration visits' are still work. If a school has a budget for a juggler, it has a budget for you.
- 02
Disclosure checks (DBS in the UK) take time. Do them before the first booking, not after.
- 03
Do not improvise with teenagers. They can smell it.
I write for children as well as for adults, and I can tell you that a school visit is both exhausting and clarifying. You find out, in real time, which bits of a story actually land. You also find out that a Thursday in a gymnasium can pay better than a paperback that took three years.