Authors Booking Service

Marsha Skrypuch www.authorsbooking.com www.calla.com

Good point re videoconferencing, Anna. Starting this September, many of our authors will be offering virtual visits.
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Creating a buzz around reading and Canadian authors is part of a lively school program and we as librarians often trade names of authors who we've seen read publicly. I've used Authors Booking Service and taken advantage of the subsidy grant which helps to cover the cost of arriving authors. What a wonderful resource, so thanks for making a database in which we can find local, age appropriate speakers. Here are a few resources for RA (reader's advisory)which alert readers to authors who give book tours. They come from publishers from Random House's Vintage Books website. Unfortunately, there were few, if any, Canadian authors in this list. Also, the Behind the Books has essays written by authors on genre topics like crime, quite suitable for reading groups, tour diaries, content from the writer's notes and much more ephemera. http://www.randomhouse.com/vintage/catalog/ Most schools now have video screening that allows for a video of an author speaking about a book to appear. This site provides theme lists and something more, a taped author video. Viewers will see in the section BookWrapCentral the writer Ishmael Beah discuss why he wrote the novel, sharing his own experience, his writing process and the realities of today's child soldiers. http://www.bookwire.com/BookWirePresents.asp It would be a wonderful addition if videoconferencing were also available through Authors Booking too.