Welcome to the Author Skype Tour Blog, a place where authors, teachers, and librarians can connect to help readers discover great new titles and learn more about writing. There are already great Skype-author resources like the Skype-an-Author Network and Kate Messner's list of authors who do free, 20-minute chats with classes & book clubs that have read their books.  But sometimes, teachers & librarians may want to connect with an author whose books students haven't read yet...and sometimes, authors may want to talk with groups that haven't read a book yet, to help get the word out about a new title. That's what this site is for.

Note for Teachers & Librarians: We have more listings than can appear on one page, so when you scroll to the bottom, be sure to click "Previous 10" to see the next page of offerings!  You can also click on any of the tags on the left to search tours by age levels, themes, and curriculum topics.

This blog is hosted by Marjorie Light and Kate Messner. We're enthusiastic readers, writers, and English teachers in Upstate NY. If you have questions or comments, our email is authorskypetour at gmail dot com.



Marjorie Light is a National Board Certified middle school English teacher and the author of several yet-to-be-published middle grade and young adult novels. She's always at work on her next project and also facilitates the Northern New York SCBWI group. She's @marjorielight on Twitter.



Kate Messner is an author and National Board Certified middle school English teacher. Her titles include 2010 E.B. White Read Aloud Winner THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z. and SUGAR AND ICE (Walker/Bloomsbury), the forthcoming MARTY MCGUIRE chapter book series with Scholastic (May 2011), a first-day-of-school picture book called SEA MONSTER'S FIRST DAY (Chronicle, July 2011) and a teacher resource book called REAL REVISION: AUTHORS' STRATEGIES TO SHARE WITH STUDENT WRITERS (Stenhouse, Spring 2011). Learn more at her website: www.katemessner.com. She's @katemessner on Twitter.






So how does this site work?

Simple, really. Authors who are offering limited-time Skype book tours to teachers and librarians free of charge can list them here. You can offer read-alouds, behind-the-scenes stories, show-and-tell, writing activities...whatever sounds like fun. Teachers & librarians can search the listings to find opportunities for their students. We're just making the introductions. Authors and teachers are responsible for working out the details via email.

How do authors & publishers benefit?

A limited-time Skype book tour is a great way for an author to get the word out about a new book release. You'll have opportunities to show readers your book, share an excerpt, answer questions and become a part of the reading/writing journey for the students with whom  you connect.  Plus it's free.

How do teachers & librarians benefit?

Connecting students with authors can be a powerful way to introduce them to new titles and provide real-world writing mentors. Author Skype Tour offers are tagged with age levels, themes, and writing topics so that you can find titles and authors to match your curriculum needs. And did we mention they're free?

Is there a charge to be listed or to be included on an author's tour?

Nope. We're doing this because we're writers and teachers, and we like other writers and teachers a whole lot. We think more of you ought to get to know one another, and we hope this will help.  It's a free service that we'll continue as long as it's helpful to people who love kids and books.  If you find the site helpful and want to say thanks, we'd love it if teachers & librarians would share our books (and forthcoming books) with your young readers. As for authors and publishers...we never say no to middle grade and YA book donations to our classroom libraries. :-)

Where can I learn more about Skype author visits?

Check out Kate's School Library Journal technology features on this topic:

• Met Any Good Authors Lately? (Sept. 2009)
• An Author in Every Classroom (Sept. 2010)

Information for Authors & Publishers

Eligibility:
This resource is limited to traditionally published children's and YA authors, with publishers recognized by the Children's Book Council. To keep the scope of the project manageable, we're not listing tours for e-books, print-on-demand, or self-published authors at this time.

Publicists: We appreciate the work that you do and would love it if you shared this site with your authors. However, since authors need to commit to availability, we'd ask that all listings be sent to us by the authors & illustrators.

Suggested Skype Tour Agenda for a 20-minute chat:
* Short reading from the book (2-3 minutes)
* Discussion of the story's background (origin of the idea, research, revision, etc.)
* Show and tell. Students love to see research materials, marked-up manuscripts, and other props.
* Special interest topics you've discussed with the teacher/librarian and/or writing activity with kids.
* Questions & answers

Author commitment:
* Download,install, and test Skype on your computer.
* Correspond with teachers/librarians to arrange date/time for visit. Share your Skype name and a contact phone number in case there are any problems.
* Before your visit, send (or have your publisher send) one or more ARCs or finished books to the teacher/librarian host. (recommended but optional)
* Sign on to your Skype account five minutes before your visit and connect with the teacher/librarian at the arranged time.

How to list an Author Skype Tour:

Write to us at: authorskypetour at gmail dot com. Put AuthorSkypeTour in the subject line.

Please copy and paste ALL of the following information into your email:

Author's Name:
Website:
Book you're promoting (choose one):
Publisher:
Release Date:
Best for Grades: (K-2, 3-5, middle school, or high school)
Themes/topics for discussion: (i.e. Revolutionary War, autism, internet safety, etc.)
Writing Topics you like to discuss: (i.e. brainstorming, revision, research, editing, illustration, etc.)
About the book: (50 words or less)
Available days/times for Skype chats: (i.e. weekdays at noon, Mondays from 12-3, etc.)
Tour Dates: (i.e. February 2011, March 1-15 2011)
Number of Books/Visits Available: (i.e. 10, 20, 50 - If books are coming from publisher, please confirm the number they are willing to provide.) Email: (This is the email address teachers/librarians will use to contact you to set up Skype chats.)

Note: We're busy people, so if you don't include all of the above information, we can't post your tour, and we won't have time to chase you down. Please be thorough!

Information for Teachers & Librarians

Browse through the list of offerings to find authors/books that would be good matches for your students and your curriculum. Author Skype Tours are tagged by grade levels, themes, and writing topics to make it easier for you to meet curriculum standards. When you find a tour that you'd like to participate in, use the author's listed email address to send a request. Write "Author Skype Tour" in the subject line and include the following information:

Your name:
Grade level/subject:
Your Skype username:
Contact phone number:
School address:
Best times/days for Skype chat:
Feel free to include a note about why this author/tour is a good fit for your students and/or what you hope will be discussed. The author will then be in contact with you to respond to your request. Please understand that many Skype tours have limited availability, so the earlier you make your request, the better.

Teacher/Librarian responsibilities for Author Skype Tours:
* Download, install, and test Skype on the computer you'll be using with students.
* Correspond with author to set date/time for visit. Share your Skype name and a phone number with the author in case there are problems.
* Before your Skype chat, prepare your students by sharing an excerpt from the book if possible, visiting the author's website, and having students write down questions they'd like to ask.
* Sign on to your Skype account five minutes before your scheduled chat, and connect with the author at the arranged time.
* Share your Skype tour experience with your colleagues in school and online, via blogs, Twitter, or Facebook.