Thank you for your interest in my presentation! I hope this page will help you decide if it might be a good fit for your audience and with preparing for a successful visit.
Presentation
I enjoy sharing the stories behind my books with kids, parents, teachers, librarians, and anyone else interested in writing and illustrating. I hope to interest an audience in how stories they've read have been created, and in how they might tell stories of their own.
I start by showing a few childhood drawings: cars, monsters, dinosaurs, Yoda. I show how I kept drawing through school and how a class in college lead to a career making books.
Then it's on to working as an author and illustrator. I share the sources of inspiration for books, and what it takes to turn an idea for a book into the finished thing: sketches, storyboards, writing, rewriting, and book dummies. (An example of one of my book dummies is on YouTube, here.)
I talk in particular about making nonfiction books. I hope to help students see the creative process as a something that can help them see and learn about the world around them.
I talk about working with an editor and I show students something most of them will recognize: work marked up with someone comments and questions. I hope the show the value and importance of revisions (and revisions of revisions). I try to convey that making art is rewarding, exciting, fun — and that it's work, too.
I share pictures of the studio I'm lucky to share in Brooklyn with five fellow author/illustrators. Videos help me explain the tools I use to make the pictures in my books: paper, pencils, nib pens, waterproof ink, and watercolor paint. Finally, there is a glimpse of the people, production work, and machinery that turn writing and piles of drawings into books.
I give the presentation with humor and energy, and work to keep the audience’s interest. The slide show clocks in at thirty to forty minutes, which typically leaves fifteen to twenty minutes for the Question and Answer and sketching period. Timing can be adjusted to fit a school's needs. If the school can provide an 18" x 24" (or larger) drawing pad, I'll do some drawing during the Q&A part of the presentation. All drawings stay with the school.
For What Ages?
The pace, depth of information, and length of the presentation can be adjusted to fit the audience, from first graders to professionals interested in the field. (For kindergarteners I'm happy to do a short session of reading and drawing.)
Preparation for a Visit
Please note that my presentation focuses on how my books were made, but is not a reading of or an introduction to the books. (You don't need me for that.) The presentation assumes some familiarity with, in particular, Locomotive, Moonshot, and The Racecar Alphabet. When students have been made familiar with the books before a visit, presentations become more enjoyable, relevant, and rewarding for them and for me and for you. Presentations are available that focus solely on the creation of a particular title, including Lightship, Moonshot, Ballet for Martha, Locomotive, and Keeping the City Going. Please let me know if there are other titles of special interest and I will be glad to emphasize that material in my presentations!
A/V Setup
I bring and use my own laptop for my presentations. My presentations are built using Apple's Keynote presentation software, and I've found that using my own laptop eliminates a lot of possible font, formatting, and software compatibility complications. For connecting to your projector, my laptop has USB-C and HDMI ports, and I'll bring a VGA adapter, too.
I won't need to stand right at the computer while presenting, but will want to be able to see the display on my laptop.
A sound system or speakers can help with a couple of video clips in the presentation, but aren't necessary.
At the risk of stating the obvious, please be sure the projector is bright enough and the room lighting can be made low enough that the presentation can be seen.
Book Sales and Signings
I'm happy to sign and personalize any of my books you'd like to sell or have sold during the visit, but I don't have the means to sell them myself. Sales can be coordinated through the bookseller or wholesaler of your choice, or directly through the publishers, some of whom offer a discount for author visit sales. Several of my books are published by Simon & Schuster; information on ordering S&S titles is here.
Fee
The fee for a school visit is $2500 for a full day, which can include up to three presentations. After three I begin slurring my words.
About the fee: over the years, and to my disappointment, I've learned that when I'm at work, I'm making a living, and when I'm not, I'm not. If my fee isn't a good fit with your budget you should be able to find someone whose honorarium works for you. A list of other Simon & Schuster authors who do school visits is here. (That said, if you are looking on behalf of a Title 1 school or some similar situation, send an email and we can talk.)
Transportation and Lodging
For visits outside New York City, transportation and lodging in a hotel for the night preceding the visit must be provided. I don't own a car — an idea that would boggle the mind of my younger self, but that's Brooklyn — and so transportation usually means a train, a plane, or renting an automobile.
Questions?
Still reading? Thank you! Have questions? I'd be happy to try to answer them! Please send an e-mail to brian (at) brianfloca.com. It will help me spot your email amid the spam if you please include “school visit query” or “mail from brianfloca.com” in your subject heading.
Thank you!
“Brian took our students on an exciting journey through his creative and writing processes with his lively presentation. He brought us up close and personal into his New York City studio. He delved into the intricacies of his research by sharing his travel experiences and how they influence his artwork. Brian had each and every student in the palm of his hand with an intimate portrait of his life and work. His presentations are extremely entertaining and he related as beautifully to our first graders as he did to our sixth graders.”
Barbara Burns, Lower School Librarian, Norfolk Academy, Norfolk, VA
“Brian Floca captivated students with his good humor and inventive presentation. Whether connecting the beginnings of his career to childhood drawings of dinosaurs or describing how being curious—about race cars or ships or space—can to lead to a book, Mr. Floca emphasized that the passion a writer needs lies in everyone. His impact was lasting: for weeks after his visit, students chose to write their own books during playtime and recess.”
Liz Leyden, St. Clement's School PTO, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
