August 12 @ 7:00 pm - August 14 @ 7:00 pm
Online
$59Overview
A Two-Night Mini Online Course
Whether you want to set up school visits, participate in literary festivals, and/or pitch your ideas to storyteller organizations, Alyssa Reynoso-Morris wants to help you “get the gig and get your bag.”
Alyssa booked 67 events in 2023, making an extra $19,000 in income. In 2024, she booked 48 events, making an extra $21,000 in income; despite having to turn down dozens of events while she was pregnant with twins and while she was on maternity leave. So far, she has booked over 30 events for 2025. Join Alyssa for this short course to learn about speaking opportunities, contracts, and designing materials that put you and your stories in front of audiences.
This program is a great fit if you’re looking for a short course of two, 75-minute sessions offering limited interaction with the community, and loads of information.
- Tuesday, August 12, 2025 (7pm – 8:15pm Eastern)
- Thursday, August 14, 2025 (7pm – 8:15pm Eastern)
- Webinar-style program with closed captioning available and limited interaction in the chat
- Both sessions will be recorded for those registered.
- Recordings available until September 30, 2025
Why This Workshop?
Communication is at the core of our work—sharing stories that reflect our communities, ourselves, and the wider world. As children’s book authors and illustrators, we do this not only through the pages of our books but also through the stories we tell during our speaking engagements.
Whether you want to set up school visits, participate in literary festivals, and/or pitch your ideas to storyteller organizations, Alyssa Reynoso-Morris wants to help you “get the gig!” and “get paid!”
Key topics covered during the program will include:
- An overview of possibilities (school visits, festivals, conferences, and more)
- Understanding your voice and story when engaging with an audience,
- What to expect (and ask for) when it comes to contracts and finances,
- How to position materials on your website, speaker one-sheet, and in-person to “get the gig”
- and so much more!
Feedback Expected
- There will be limited interaction in the chat feature of the webinar-style program.
- Alyssa will answer as many questions as possible during the webinar-style program.
- Optional consultations about speaking engagements and marketing are available on Alyssa’s website.
- Optional consultations on developing your speaker one-sheet and website to secure speaking engagements are available on Alyssa’s website.
It’s a Great Fit If…
- You would like to learn about paid opportunities that support your storytelling career. Speaking engagements are an excellent way to promote your books and earn extra income.
- You are a debut author or illustrator. Learn ways to get your new title into the hands of readers, including children, teachers, and librarians. Both authors and illustrators will benefit from the content in this short course.
- You’re looking for something short, sweet, and smart! This is not a full workshop; these are short sessions meant to engage and build an understanding of opportunities that are waiting for you as a children’s book storyteller.
Tentative Agenda
At registration: You will receive a Zoom link to use each night of the course.
IF YOU CAN’T ATTEND LIVE:
If you are unable to attend either session for any reason, you’ll have access to the recordings (with closed captioning) through September 30, 2025.
- Please note that if you cannot attend live but you’d like to receive recording links by email, you must register for this course. Recordings are not sold separately; they are only available to those who register.
- Please also note that if you register for the course after the start of the first session, you will not receive recordings immediately. You’ll receive both recordings after the close of the last session, usually within 24 hours.
Click on the headings below to explore the agenda in more detail.
All Times are Eastern Time.
Part 1: Tuesday, August 12, 2025 (7pm-8:15pm Eastern)
Part 1: Opportunities and You!
- Welcome and Introduction
- An overview of speaking opportunities for children’s book authors and illustrators
- Exercise: Brainstorm potential speaking opportunities (Bust out Excel!)
- Defining your why and what YOU uniquely bring to an audience
- Exercise: Brainstorm potential topics
Part 2: Thursday, August 14, 2025 (7pm-8:15pm Eastern)
Part 2: Finances, Contracts, Marketing Materials, and Q & A
- Getting Your Website to Work for You
- The Power of an Effective One-Sheet
- Finances and Contracts (yes, you need to be paid for your time!)
- Q&A with Alyssa
How It Impacts Kids
As Alyssa says on her website, “My main goal is to inspire children to read, write, and create.” Speaking engagements allow you as the storyteller to connect with children (and literary caregivers) in a meaningful way. This short course educates and encourages creators to develop a plan for their speaking engagements and “get the gig!”
Testimonials from Our Community
“I loved this presentation. Probably one of the best I have attended. It was very informative and I learned a lot. I have two PBs coming next year and this presentation has taught so much about publicity, school visits, contracts.”
“I enjoyed Alyssa’s energy, knowledge and encouragement!”
Related Resources:
- School Visits: 3 Authors Share What They’ve Learned Along the Way (Q&A)
- 3 Questions with Alyssa Reynoso-Morris and George Jreije About School Visits and Events
- Alyssa Reynoso-Morris website
- 3 Tips for Awesome Author Visits
