We are delighted to inform you that the authors available to visit schools, colleges and universities are listed below.
Much as we would love to find an author for every school, there are more schools than visiting authors. We try incredibly hard to be fair and accommodating, balancing the preferences of authors with the requests of the schools.
We would like to hear how your students and your school would benefit from a visit from a particular author. For your first choice author, we would like you to explain this in 150 words please. While we cannot accept photographs or videos sent to us directly, we are delighted to be sent links to your YouTube videos and external websites supporting your request. For your second and third choice authors, we are happy that you simply make a request.
We will begin considering the Author School Visit requests on Monday 9th January.
Author School visits normally take place in the morning. Typically an author will deliver a one hour session, which includes a talk or workshop and a book signing. The host school is responsible for collecting the author from the InterContinental hotel, taking them to school for their session and returning them to the hotel after the session.
You will be provided with Author Visit Guidelines so that your school is aware of the commitment that they make to both the Author and the Festival.
Author School Visits can only be requested through our website. Please read our Author School Visit Guidelines.
Once you have read and agreed to our Author School Visit Guidelines, you will be directed to read a list of available authors and make your online Author School Visit Request.
Author School Visit Guidelines
Please read our Author School Visit Guidelines carefully and click to confirm that you have understood and agreed to them.
Marketing and Promotion
Please help to build up student excitement well in advance by communicating the visit and promoting the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature.
Authors love a mention on your social media before they even arrive in Dubai! Tag us and we will ensure they see it.
Help us promote the Festival to students, parents, colleagues and friends by sharing our links on your communicator, newsletter and communications:
Website: litfest-archives.com/2017
Facebook: facebook.com/emirateslitfest
Twitter: twitter.com/EmiratesLitFest/
Instagram: instagram.com/emirateslitfest/
YouTube: youtube.com/user/EmiratesLitFest
Please note – the visit should not be seen as a chance to market the school. The authors are with you by kind arrangement of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature; this should always be acknowledged, and any media involvement MUST go through the Festival and be pre-approved. The event is for students and teachers, not for a wider audience
Before the Visit
Please note the age group, suggested audience size, topic and equipment required in the confirmation email that you have been sent. If it is not possible to meet these requirements, or there are any changes, please consult with a member of the Festival Education Team well in advance of the author’s visit.
Please do not contact the author directly unless otherwise agreed. Authors have full schedules whilst here for the Festival and any questions regarding their visit can be directed through us.
Please make sure students are prepared for the visit and have thought of some relevant questions. In previous years, schools have successfully prepared for author visits by displaying the author’s books or creating displays about their books. They have focused lessons around the author’s books before the visit and prepared questions, written book reports, produced creative writing and art work inspired by the author’s work.
Collecting your Author
Each author should be collected from the InterContinental hotel or other agreed location at the time arranged, by a designated member of staff. The person collecting must be a teacher, not a driver alone or a taxi, unless an alternative arrangement has been agreed with the Festival (for example, if the author is providing their own transport).
The person collecting the author should use valet parking at the InterContinental Hotel. They should report to a member of the Festival Education Team in the foyer who will stamp the parking ticket.
The Festival Representative will introduce you to your author and the Festival Volunteer accompanying the author in the car and during the visit.
The drive to the school is a chance for you to give some background on the school and students, and resolve any queries about the session
Author Session
Sessions are for your students and teaching staff only and should not be open to parents.
Please do not leave authors waiting around to start their sessions or let students leave before the session is over. Timings will have been communicated through us in advance.
Should you wish to take any photos or videos, please check with the author in advance and respect their wishes.
We ask our Festival Volunteer to take a few photographs of the session for our media team to publicise the event. Before the session, please make the volunteer aware of any relevant school policies regarding photography.
Please make sure that the audience has researched the author and read any relevant material communicated in advance by the Festival. All authors have a brief biography on the Festival website.
When you introduce the author, please acknowledge the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature.
While the author gives their talk or workshop, teachers in attendance are expected to fully engage in the presentation. The author is not a substitute teacher, the talks are not an opportunity to do marking, lesson planning or prepare emails. Furthermore, by showing interest in the talks (not difficult, as they are fun and engaging!) this sets the perfect example to students of all ages
Refreshments and restroom facilities should be offered.
A microphone and PA system should be available, along with facilities for PowerPoint, should the author have requested this; please test it beforehand to ensure that it is all working correctly. If the author has any special requests we will pass these on well in advance.
The session should last around 45 minutes, unless otherwise specified, followed by Q&A and a book signing opportunity. The book signing should be controlled and managed by your staff, with an orderly queue and pens provided.
Book Sales
Once we allocate an author we pass your contact details onto the bookseller, MaGrudys, who will be in touch with titles and prices of available books for you to promote to your students and staff.
If the books are not age appropriate for your students, please at least ensure some teachers buy a copy and have it signed; authors want to sell their books, this is how they make a living and we want them to feel appreciated.
Students wishing to have a book signed should have their name on a sticky (Post-it) note on the front of the book to show the author. No long dedications please.
End of the Session
The author should be accompanied back to the hotel by 12.45 unless another time has been communicated to you.
Please don’t ask the authors to do anything extra – they all have very full schedules that have been planned in advance!
Click here to learn about the authors available for the school visits.
Thank you to the Schools, Colleges and Universities that have requested Author Visits. As ever, our Author School Visit programme has proved extremely popular and unfortunately we are not able to accept any more requests. Please be patient with us, we are working through those requests already submitted and will be back in touch no later than 20th January. Please note, we still have Paid Student Session tickets available but these are also selling quickly. Please click here to book now to avoid disappointment.