Many schools book their author visits a full year in advance. Other schools book them on shorter notice based on funding and scheduling. The earlier you book your date(s) the better, but if you are flexible on the date, you can book on short notice.

Matt’s visits range from half-day programs for smaller groups or limited grade levels up to a full week (or more) for large schools interested in adding writing workshops to the visit. The average author visit is two days.

Yes. We send a book order form out six weeks before the event. The school can distribute the form to students and those wishing to purchase books can do so. All orders are collected two weeks prior to the visit so Matt can have the books with him when he arrives. All books are offered at a discount rate for author visits.

Yes, schools can order Matt’s books either directly through his publisher, or through the pre-visit order form. Also, with every author visit, Matt makes a donation of books to your school library and those are sent to you early so the students can enjoy them in advance of the visit.

One thing that makes Matt’s school author visits unique is there is no "typical" day. But, here are a few things you can expect: The students will be very active participants in the day. There will be lots of energy and excitement. Every student will have the opportunity to ask questions, and be part of the presentation.

Because each visit is customized in length, the cost varies. We are happy to provide a quote once you inquire and give us a sense of the length and time of year for your visit. We offer multi-day discounts and the quote you receive will include all materials, and Matt is yours for the full day. That includes visiting before and after school programs, having "lunch with the author," or any other activities you would like to plan during the day.

Funding for an author visit typically comes from one of three sources: 1) The school's PTA2) The school library budget3) Grant money. If you are in Matt’s home state of New York, there is an excellent program that many schools use to fund author visits. It's called "Arts in Education" and it is a program that offers grants to bring arts into the schools. You'll find more about the program here. The application for a grant is easy and can be completed by anyone in the school. You'll find the application for the Western New York Erie 1 BOCES here. Similar programs exist in most states.