School Visit Information
Testimonials:
Contact me at sjkincaidbooks at gmail
“Engaging and entertaining are two words to best describe our S.J. Kincaid experience! She forged a connection with our students by sharing her personal stories and how her life transferred to her writings. Our students raved for days about their experience, and she has inspired some of them to pursue their dreams of becoming published authors. She is so down to earth and has such a sweet spirit. The S.J. Kincaid experience is a must for all young adults, even if they are not avid readers and writers. Her energy just might spark the fire needed to begin a love for literature.” –Pamela Smith, High School Teacher-Librarian, Riverview, FL
“Miss Kincaid, a sincere thank you for your visit to Bak Middle School of the Arts. Our sixth graders were mesmerized by your presentation; it is not an easy feat to keep sixth graders on the edges of their seats! As wonderful as the whole group presentation was, the small group lunch and learn was even more special. Those children will never forget the day they got to have lunch with and learn from a real author. You were an inspiration to everyone.” –Jennifer Gardner, ELA Department Instructional Lead, Bak Middle School of the Arts
“Arranging for SJ Kincaid to visit several of our middle schools and high schools was one of the best decisions we made programmatically this year! The students were so excited to meet the author of the books they love but also to hear her message of how she became a published author. Her personal journey resonated with our students. She is engaging, funny and honest. Her message of perseverance is inspirational! We truly hope she visits Tampa again – and we excitedly await the release of her next book!” — Caroll Vik, Arts Council of Hillsborough County
“S.J Kincaid came to Hillsborough High School and did three presentations with our high school students. She did an amazing job! She related really well to the students and they were engaged in the conversation. Some students also received signed copies of books and I heard from teachers that they were so excited to get a copy and some of them were not strong readers but they told their teachers they enjoyed the book. I definitely wish we could bring her back to our school for more presentations.” –Barbara Magee, Media Specialist, Department Head(Media, Art, Music, ROTC)
General Information
I can speak to groups of variable sizes, and a maximum of four groups in a day. For an idea of the general format I use by default (unless educators have something else in mind), here is how it goes:
- Students see Insignia or The Diabolic’s book trailers
- I read the first scene of Insignia or The Diabolic, depending upon the age of the students
- A talk about my own road to publication and the way my life lessons learned might aid students in reaching their own goals in the future. I am very adept with this by now, and can vary for time depending upon the responsiveness of the students/their eagerness to ask questions. (For more information: this is a motivational talk of sorts. I touch upon the origins of this subject in this article on Mackin if you are interested: On Fear and School Visits by SJ Kincaid)
- Q&A Session
- Signing and/or photos at the discretion of the educator
VIDEO VISITS
I will visit a classroom for free, however I no longer use Skype as Microsoft has ruined the interface, sadly. I am open to alternatives.
IN-PERSON VISIT FEE
In the past, I’ve considered many factors with regards to school visits such as
- The financial situation of the school and/or district
- Whether multiple schools in the geographic proximity are involved, or whether it is a single school
- The involvement of independent bookstores
For local schools within two hours’ drive of the San Francisco Bay Area, the going rate is $500/day (flexible depending upon the school’s situation).
For non-local schools, the fee is $750/day + travel + lodging. Multiple schools will be accorded the local school rate. That’s the minimum for a trip to a single school that involves flying in a plane, but if there is more than one school and day involved, I charge $500/school, and again, am flexible depending upon the school’s situation.