Requesting an Appearance

Getting the Best Results

Now that you know whom you want to invite and have the budget estimated, it’s time to make contact! Write to the author/illustrator in care of Publicity at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Children, 222 Berkeley St., Boston, MA 02116. You can also email the Children’s Publicity Department or send a fax to 617-351-1111. At this point, it’s critical that you have all the necessary funding approvals from within your organization.

Get your request in as early as possible; many schedules are booked six to 12 months in advance. Late spring tends to be particularly busy. If the requested author/illustrator is unavailable at that time, we will do our best to suggest a similar speaker who would fit the needs and interests of your group. Your letter should be as specific as possible and should include the following information:

• The preferred date(s) -- please offer several possibilities -- or month
• The number of days you require the author/illustrator AND how many presentations they would need to make per day (3–4 maximum)
• The size and grade levels of each group
• An acknowledgment that you will pay the author’s/illustrator’s honorarium fee, as well as all travel, lodging and miscellaneous expenses
• A contact name, return address, email address and phone number

Once we receive your request, we will forward it to the author/illustrator for consideration. The author/illustrator will then correspond with you directly. Please keep in mind that the particulars of your request (dates, number of presentations, etc.) are subject to alteration by the author/illustrator.