author visit
Help the students you care about fall in love with reading and writing.
An author visit with Carmen Allen is a sure way to inspire your students to fall in love with reading and writing in a fun and interactive way. You’ll feel supported in your mission to teach these valuable skills to the children you care about.
Author presentations are age-appropriate, fun, interactive, fit seamlessly with your school’s curriculum and timetable, and are extremely affordable.
Dear Friend,
If you’re looking to book an author visit, that’s hassle-free, budget-friendly, and inspires a love for reading and writing in your students, then this is going to be the most important message you read all day.
Meet Angela,
Angela is a Teacher Librarian at a small school with just over 100 students. She highly values Author Visits.
Unfortunately, her boss, the school principal, doesn’t.
At least … the library budget doesn’t reflect that.
Over the past few years, students have missed out on the joy of having an author visit, tell their stories, and motivate them to read.
But this year, Angela did something different.
Instead of using an agency to book an author, she turned to the school portal and her librarian colleagues for recommendations.
That’s where she found Carmen Allen - a middle-grade author who had successfully run five author presentations at a larger school in her area.
What really sold Angela on the idea was Carmen’s fee.
Angela’s budget was $1,000 per year. That had to stretch to purchase new books, covering and repair materials, stationery, subscriptions, never mind an author visit.
There was no way she wanted to lose $700 or more of her budget by booking an author through an agency.
Carmen’s fee was extremely affordable, and Angela’s colleagues said she’d provided highly engaging presentations.
Angela booked an author visit with Carmen and was thrilled with the results—she got more bang for her buck than she’d expected.
Each presentation was fun and interactive, supported the school’s literacy curriculum and was pitched just right for the audience’s age.
Carmen was well prepared, brought her own props and there was minimal set up required by Angela on the day. She could sit back and enjoy the visit along with the children because Carmen was at home in the library classroom.
You see, some authors make the visit all about them, rather than the children. They spend most of their time talking about their own books rather than motivating and teaching kids how to write a great story.
Their presentations are like lectures sprinkled with sales pitches, not to mention way too long and throw the school’s timetable out of whack.
Nor do they have a clue how to handle interruptions from students.
Angela, like many other Teacher Librarians, discovered that Carmen’s visit was everything she was looking for, and she hadn’t needed to book through an agency.
I’d Like To Introduce You To…
An Author Visit with Carmen Allen
I’ll inspire your students to fall in love with reading and writing in a fun and interactive way.
Here’s what life looks like after an author visit…
Your students are keen to create their own little book out of sheets of paper and write a story.
You’re confident the money you spent was well worth it because the children have learned key components of good story writing, have been encouraged to persevere with their reading, and have been entertained along the way.
Here’s HOW it works…
Author presentations fit within your timetable and include:
A book reading.
An interactive lesson teaching the key components of storytelling…
“The Power of An Inciting Incident” (Stage 1)
“How to Write a Good Story” (Stage 2)
“How to Create Tension in Your Story” (Stage 3)
The importance of reading, writing and editing.
A brief look at the author’s writing journey.
Question time.
Here’s WHY it works …
Presentations are educational, interactive, fun and tailor-made to each stage.
It’s extremely affordable.
You’ll experience good communication before the visit.
Minimum set up is required by the librarian. I get how busy you are - not only are you running a library, but you’re also on the roster for RFF. Most days you struggle to finish a hot cup of tea or coffee.
Here’s what’s also included…
Printable puzzle sheets for students to complete as a follow-up activity.
Writing exercise if requested by the librarian.
Pre-order forms for students.
An order form for library/teaching resources.
Librarians are lovin’ it!
“Carmen is fantastic! She had the students from both Infants and Primary engaged the whole session! I loved how she made the session very personal and shared stories about her life. The students learnt a lot in a short time about writing exciting stories and were very eager to read her books afterwards. I highly recommend Carmen to speak at your school.”
— Megan Bakewell (Teacher Librarian), Holy Cross Primary School
"Carmen's visit to Irrawang Public School did not disappoint. From her storytelling alongside Molly, her childhood toy, to teaching others how to bake a story using the finest of ingredients that transformed into a lemon coconut cake, our students all had a point of interest and were able to connect with something Carmen had shared.
Not only were the learning experiences enjoyable, engaging and educational, her stories were relatable and thought provoking, leaving a lasting impact on our school community.
— Michelle Lynch (Teacher Librarian) Irrawang Public School
So you’re probably wondering how much this costs.
Well… the industry standard price for an author visit is $350 per session.
But, I charge $165 per session.
If you’d like to avoid agency fees and give your students an engaging and educational lesson, then make an enquiry today.
P.S. Your students will learn the value of reading, writing and editing. They’ll be encouraged and inspired to do their best, through interactive lessons that don’t cost an arm or a leg.
Still need more information?
Grab a copy of my Fees and Inclusions sheet and/or visit the FAQ page.
students are inspired!
“Thanks Mrs Allen. You’ve really inspired me today. I’m going to go home this afternoon and write a story!”
“I love your books Mrs Allen. You’re a great writer.”
more teacher librarian testimonials
“Carmen is absolutely wonderful! Our children were absolutely captivated with the fantastic "Molly" during storytime and all were left wanting more. We hope to see you back again Carmen!”
- Joshua King (Teacher), St Philip’s Christian College, Cessnock
“Thanks for giving such a professional, yet personal presentation and for inspiring the children.”
- Michael Matthews (Teacher) Saints Academy, Gosford
“Carmen shares a genuine and relatable journey from her enjoyment of her own childhood books to writing her adventures portrayed in her Molly Greenwood series. She encourages her audience to consider that when they are confronted with rejection, as she has experienced, they should not give up but keep trying. All have something special to give and share with the world.
There was a good level of student involvement in her presentations. Students loved the stories she told. Teachers were inspired by her great teaching ideas for writing.
This teacher librarian was motivated to buy and read her books, then introduce her readers into Molly's world of adventures. It was also impressive to see the support resources available for personal development related to Carmen's books.”
- Rhonda Creasey (Teacher Librarian), Merewether & Wallsend Public Schools
“Our school was especially blessed to be the audience for Carmen’s first ever author talk. She was a natural! The students were engaged throughout the presentation and her storytelling talent was evident as she inspired and encouraged us all with her expertise and experiences. Carmen put a lot of time and effort into preparing activities that would help the students with their own writing, too. Students and staff alike were grateful for all of the ‘delicious’ tips and encouragement she shared on the day.”
- Janelle Moore (Librarian), Maitland Christian School