Is Your Book Perfect for the Classroom?
Part 2
The Gatekeeper at the
Desk:
5 Strategies for getting
your book past the School Secretary!
Making a ‘cold call’ at an elementary school can be tricky. Your
goal? To get your book into the hands of the media specialist, the one person
who can order dozens of copies resulting in great sales for you. When my first book came out, my husband and I
drove all over south Florida, stopping at every elementary school along the
way. If I got to see the media specialist, I’d give her my contact information,
a bookmark with my webpage address, and a copy of my precious book.
However, there were times when I wasn’t granted access to the media
center. Instead, I was blocked by (notice the capital letters to show respect) The
School Secretary. This lady was hired to maintain order in that front office
and to keep the school running interruption-free. Her job is to protect HER
teachers and HER students. She’s no soccer mom and she’s nobody’s nana. In her eyes,
I was an interloper, an intruder, an interruption! I was not getting into that media
center without her approval, and neither are you.
So, here are 5 suggestions for getting past the gatekeeper at
the desk:
·
Present
yourself as a professional. Do not wear flipflops, shorts or torn up jeans.
Pluck out the earring if you’re male, and easy on the makeup if you’re female.
Schools are still made up of fairly conservative people. When in Rome….
·
Timing
matters. Visit the school after the students arrive in the morning OR
before they leave in the afternoon. 7:30
am to 8:30 am is chaotic in the school office. Everyone is helping tardy
students check in, lunch reports are being completed, parents are everywhere,
and your presence would just make things worse. The same conditions exist in
the office between 2:00 pm and 3:00 pm, except now everyone is exhausted and
grouchy from the school day. Not a good time to sell a book.
·
Have a
picture ID ready. School officials have to be very careful about who they
let in the door. Wear a professionally made nametag, and present your identification
at the front desk. Sign in at their computer or guest book, smile, and slap on
the ‘visitor’ sticker they require you to wear.
·
Do NOT
interrupt. If the secretary is on the phone, wait patiently. If she’s in
the middle of a conversation, smile and wait patiently. If she’s eating lunch
at her desk, she’s already had a rough day. Eating at her desk means she was
too busy to join the teachers in the lounge. Try to find someone else to help
you, or just wait patiently until she acknowledges you between bites. Remember,
she’s the queen of the land, and you’d better be nice or you’re out.
·
Know the
name of the person you want to see. This earns you some credibility with
the people at the front desk. If the Secretary tells you the media specialist
is available, you’ve just struck gold. If not, have a brochure or card ready to
hand the Secretary. Leave a bookmark just for Her, and then ask to leave a
message for the media specialist. Don’t leave your book. You need to put that directly into the hands of the media specialist.
Selling your book to an elementary school can open lots of
doors for you. News about your books will spread quickly through the district
or county. Soon there will be requests from other schools for more books and
author visits, and then you're on your way!
A little nervous about talking to 150 fifth graders? Don’t
be! I’ll talk about creating and presenting memorable programs in my next blog!
