So you're a kidlit author who has a book published. That's awesome! And you've already completed a few school visits. Or maybe you've completed a lot. But you haven't asked for payments yet.
But you know how much time you already invest in each and every visit. That time matters. Each time you visit a school, you're not working at your primary job whether that's as a writer, caregiver, or something else. Not only that, there's a lot of time invested just in communication (and not all communication leads to a school visit). You invest gas and mileage on your car. You might need a hotel room.
A note: Event coordinators also invest a lot into inviting authors to their schools. This article focuses on the author, but I just wanted to point out event coordinators do A LOT, too!
Do you offer a valuable program to schools which benefits the students and teachers? Do you get kids excited about reading and writing? Do teachers appreciate what you do? I've prepared some thoughts on getting started charging fees for school visits in Q&A format.
Are you ready to value yourself and charge a fee for your author events?
Good! Then read on.
If you are still developing your school visit program, you may want to start with my suggestions to Get Started with Author Visits.
Am I ready to charge for school visits?
Let's say...
1) You have at least one published book that has gone through a variety of professional proofreading at various levels. (If you are traditionally published, your publisher did this. If you self-published, you needed to pay for this--even for picture books.)
2) You are comfortable presenting to 100+ kids and give them big energy.
3) You have asked for honest feedback from at least three event coordinators and implemented feedback to improve your program.
4) Your presentations engage students at their grade level and meets curriculum standards. (Note: This does not mean you provide a one-size-fits-all program. Your programs for first graders and fifth graders should not be the same though it may cover much of the same content.)
If you have done all of these, then you're likely ready to charge. If not, work on it. Need support? Before you book a consultation with me or another person, I would suggest you check out Kim Norman's book called Sell Books and Get PAID Doing Author School Visits. (Affiliate link at no additional cost to you.) You might also want to check out my articles about school visits for authors.
Can I have a flexible fee?
Just because you post a fee doesn't mean you can't adjust it. I call that flexibility. (Some authors aren't flexible, but I am, especially since my fees are on the higher end of average.) I have donated* hotel stays, mileage, and even entire author visits to schools and libraries. If a school's budget is half the amount of my preferred fee, but they'll do a book sale, it might work out if my schedule allows and it's not too far away.
*I am more likely to donate the lodging or mileage than an entire school visit. Each year I keep track of what I donate because writing is a business. I need to make money to help support my family. I can't donate too much just in the name of kindness. For every day I'm at a school, I lose multiple days of writing.
What Annette does:
On my site, my fees are labeled as "Preferred Pricing for School Visits." Nearby I clearly say to talk to me about budget concerns (and elaborate). I state my price and say this typically includes three daytime presentations at one school. I also state that travel and lodging fees apply. Then I include a local author visit honorarium fee. My website also includes a discount for schools less than 60 minutes in morning traffic from me.
As a children's author, my busiest month of the year is March. (April tends to be busy, too.) I no longer offer discounted or donated programs during my busy season because I have had to turn down paying event hosts because my schedule was too full.
How much should I charge for a school visit?
It's hard to offer a suggestion without a personal consultation. But for a full-day visit, you might start at $400 or $1200. (I've heard some charge up to $5,000 for a single day. That is definitely not me, and I have ten years of experience. But a NYT certainly might) But it depends.
Factors to consider regarding how much you should charge for a school visit
- Nationally-recognized awards/nominations
- State awards/nominations
- Other awards recognized by the general public
- NYT best-seller recognition
- Starred reviews
- Personal experience with author visits
- Your author/illustrator career stage
- Your region
Don't let this list discourage you. You can have one book with no starred reviews and still provide great visits to schools and get paid doing it. Big awards and being on the NYT list is rare.
Where you live matters. Some authors report in the south and midwest, it's hard to get paid for school visits. (My personal county doesn't do much with school visits, but nearby counties do.)
Please explore the 2018 author visit pricing survey from Michelle Cusolito and Jeanette Bradley. It's eye-opening. Read part one and part two. But also note the cost of living has skyrocketed since then.
Should I publish the event fees on my website?
Yes. I have been told by repeatedly by event coordinators that if they don't see a fee listed they assume that author is too expensive to invite so they move on to the next author on their list.
Should I charge schools, libraries, community groups, and homeschool groups the same fee?
If you are a NYT best-selling author or illustrator and won the Sibert or Caldecott Medal, then you might.
What Annette does:
As noted above, I have preferred fees listed for schools. Libraries, community groups, private schools, and homeschool groups I talk to individually. They have very different budgets than public schools. And even from library to library (even within the same state) budgets vary greatly. I've noticed some organizations use grants to bring in a person for specific topics. (For me it's usually STEM or history (Laura Ingalls Wilder) related.
I have provided my kids' schools and my local library free programming. I've given steep discounts to very local schools, too.
How much should I charge for travel and lodging?
I hope you'll typically get your costs covered. Don't forget travel time.
Some authors have their honorarium and travel costs as just one fee. I don't do that since some hotel rooms might cost $145 and others might be $325. But one fee does seem simpler.
What Annette does:
I charge what the IRS standard mileage rate for miles. In 2026, that is $0.725 per mile. I don't charge mileage for schools that are within an hour of my home. (Don't forget to calculate round-trip miles.)
I donate tolls. It's simpler that way, and it's a tax write-off.
Before I send a contract, I ask for recommended hotels in the area. I choose one and add the cost (with taxes and fees) for that date to the contract. I don't book the hotel until after the contract is signed though.
Also, if I donate mileage or the cost of the hotel or tolls, I note that in the contract.
I love author visits and just want to share my passion and book with kids. Should I still charge?
Yep.
That's my opinion. You might not charge as much as me or another author, but I think you should charge something unless it's part of your community such as your kids' school, your alma mater, or your library.
(Perhaps a relevant idea: If my construction worker friend helps my family out by doing a house project, he or she should still be paid--but it might be discounted.)
Should I require a certain number of books to be sold?
No.
Once again, that's my personal opinion. I want to be paid for my author visits. And I want to be paid for books. (Actually, I rarely sell the books myself, but I am hoping for potential royalties with book sales at school visits.) And I get paid for both.
I never want to tie my school visit to a book sale requirement. I want my author visit to stand on its own and the books to stand on their own. Both can be valued.
Actually, I don't require a book sale.* In my ten years of author visits, I have had two or three in-person visits where the school wasn't able to do a book sale for various reasons. (Some are not allowed to.) I've sold just a handful of books through pre-orders at a school. And I've sold more than 300 books at a school visit. (THAT is not normal! But it did happen!)
* If I am providing a heavily discounted author visit, then I would likely require a book sale.
I've heard from multiple event coordinators how they have a closet or box full of books because a previous visiting author/illustrator required a certain number of books to sell. And the school had to buy the books even though the families weren't interested. I do not want my unwanted books to fill a closet
Should I require a contract for my author events?
Yes.
Let me tell you a story because I didn't want to be formal and have a contract.
I used to have a letter or expectations instead of a contract. I didn't require a signature. The first time I was burned with those expectations not being met (and clearly the letter not being read), I included the word "Contract" and required two signatures.
Now, the week before our visit, I remind the event coordinator to review the contract and ask questions while also asking about the parking situation.
What should I include in my author visit contact?
I have an example author event contract on my website with details. This author event contract is short and to the point. It includes simple wording of expectations for both parties as well as a cancellation clause.
Should I charge for book festivals and book store events?
Probably not.
Book stores are your friend. They rarely pay though they support authors in the most important way by getting books to readers. (And unlike online retailers, book stores care about every purchase! And they care about authors! I've even had multiple school visit invitations because of bookstore recommendations.)
Book festivals sometimes require authors to pay for a table. (I never attend those because I'll never earn back the money through sales!) Some book festivals invite authors or allow authors to apply to be at the festival. Others, who invite you personally, might be able to pay a stipend (which may or may not cover your travel expenses).
What Annette does:
For book festivals, I do them for free unless it's really far away. Then I would hope my travel costs would be covered (especially the hotel).
I know it can be awkward to talk about finances as a kidlit author, but I hope you value yourself and the presentations you have created enough to charge for them. My income--all of it which includes writing, presentations, and consultations--is not a livable income. Author visits make up more of my income than my writing. Most kidlit authors don't make much, so I'm grateful I can provide high-quality presentations to schools, writers, and community organizations to earn a better income. If you're still looking for more guidance with school visits, I do provide consultations.
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