Contact/Zoom Visits

UPDATE, JULY 2021:

I’ve recently been getting emails in the comments section of this blog. It’s an unwieldy system. Please direct any fan mail or general queries to me at Jamespreller@aol.com. Thank you so much for your interest and enthusiasm. 

 

UPDATE, JULY 2020:

 

I’ve enjoyed several Zoom and Google Meets Visits since schools were shut down. Some have been particularly meaningful, I think, making me a true convert to the value and impact of a properly structured Zoom Visit.

To me, the key figure in an online visit is the teacher. It is the teacher who inspires, who prepares, who builds anticipation, and who actively moderates (thank you, “mute button!”) an online visit. A Zoom Visit with one class can be a profoundly (and surprisingly) intimate experience. It is very much like stepping into a classroom for a loose, easy-going conversation between students and author. In addition, it can be specifically focused, tailored exactly to complement what is going on academically in that classroom (virtual or otherwise).

And guess what? In normal times, that never happens. There’s no time for a visiting author to move from classroom to classroom; instead, we present to entire grades or multiple grades: hundreds of students at one time gathered together in a big room. That’s awesome and powerful, too. But a Zoom Visit can be inspirational in its own unique way. A standard in-person presentation is a broadcast with a short Q & A tagged on at the end; a Zoom Visit is more interactive, featuring more of a direct one-on-one connection.

I recently heard from an enthusiastic teacher on Long Island who wrote to me after a visit with her class. She said:

“I had to share some more feedback I have received from parents . . . you truly have influenced many of my students. I realize the technology was a bit of a pain, but the outcomes are so worth it! I cannot thank you enough for your time and inspiring words!!”

She included some follow-up emails from parents:  

“Danny was so jazzed up after this he wants our whole family to write a book. He has assigned us all jobs to do and he is the author. I never would’ve thought that he’d be so into this. Thank you again. I haven’t seen him this excited about something in a while.”

Here’s another:

“Super inspirational!!! And so so patient. Like when they asked the author similar questions he just patiently answered! It’s inspiring us (at home) to maybe build a mini library!”

Illustration by R.W. Alley from THE CASE FROM OUTER SPACE.

Note: I believe I talked about my love of Little Free Libraries, which I featured in Jigsaw Jones: The Case from Outer Space. Pretty cool if a family reads my book and turns around to build one of their own. That’s the literacy connection, how books bring us together and help build communities.

My point here is not to toot my own horn (though, obviously, I’m doing that), but to express again that I AM SOLD ON ZOOM VISITS.

I think we’ve still got to figure out the money — it has to be very affordable, but at the same time “more than free.” We can individualize visits, or even create recurring visits, around concrete themes. For example: haiku poems. We could talk about them, share them, learn together. Maybe I could help inspire and guide the creation of classroom collection of haiku? I could see that working, serving as a springboard for a classroom project. Or writing mysteries. Last week I enjoyed a visit with a Texas librarian that centered around dialogue. 

In short, I think it’s more productive to think of a Zoom Visit not as “the James Preller show” but more of a unique way to bring an author into your classroom to directly connect with and inspire your students. 

Feel free to write to me at jamespreller@aol.com to discuss it. I’m open and flexible and eager to meet your students.

 

I enjoy getting email from readers — for me, it’s a faster, easier, and cheaper mode of communication than snail mail.

I can be reached at: jamespreller@aol.com

If you would like my autograph, a signed bookplate, or a reply to your letter, write to me with your request and ENCLOSE A SELF-ADDRESSED STAMPED ENVELOPE! This is important. If you do not enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope, I cannot absolutely promise that you will receive a reply. I will try my best, and I answer most, but in times of stress there has been slippage. My snail mail address: 12 Brookside Drive, Delmar, NY 12054.

School Visits

After answering a series of individual emails on this topic over the past two decades or so, I finally decided to get around to providing a general description of a typical visit. Hopefully it will help to answer questions in advance and give you some idea if I’m the right guy for your school.

If you want the best insight into how I feel about school visits, please read this: “An Author Confesses About School Visits.”

Before I go into more depth, please feel free to contact me directly. Shoot me an email. We can chat on the phone if you’d like. I’m glad to answer questions, discuss visits, and I’m genuinely grateful for your interest.

I very much enjoy speaking with students at any grade level, though, of course, the content of those talks varies according to age level. Fortunately, I’ve written a range of books that are appropriate for kindergarten up to middle school, almost all of them available in paperback at affordable prices.

Typically, I’ll do three 45-50 minutes presentations during a full-day visit. In addition, schools sometimes like to set up lunches with a small group of students, and I’ve always enjoyed that. Lately I’ve come to prefer a shorter, 25-minute Q & A session with a select group of motivated students over a full-blown lunch (and all that chewing). I am also very happy to sign books. It is understood that the sponsoring organization will handle all book sales.

For the best results, I’ve found that it makes a huge difference when students are familiar with my work and have thought about questions in advance. Like just about everything else in life, what you get out of it is in proportion to the energy that’s put into it. If the school leaders are excited and enthusiastic, that energy transfers to the students –- and we all have a terrific, rewarding experience.

I don’t juggle, blow bubbles, or stand on my head. I’m an author talking about what I do for a living, reading a bit, answering questions, all (hopefully) in an authentic and engaging and inspiring fashion.

Fees are available upon request. I do try to be flexible to the specific needs of each individual school. For schools that require serious travel, it works best for me if 3-5 days worth of visits can be arranged with different schools in your district. Sponsors should plan on paying for travel expenses, which can be shared with other area schools. I can’t tell you how often I am asked to visit a school in, say, Montana. For one day. And sadly, that just never works; there has to be more of a coherent, cohesive plan to get me from here to you, way out there. That said, in the past I’ve been to SC, FLA, CT, MA, NJ, PA, IL, MI, OH, OK and more. But my real dream is a week in Hawaii. So come on, folks, let’s make that happen!

Please Note, A Word About “Scary Tales” Series

July, 2013, saw the launch of a new series of books for me, called SCARY TALES. I am proud of these books, and I’m confident the books will reach even reluctant readers. They are best for grades 3-5, but these things are hard to pin down. As a visiting author, I fully recognize and respect that distinction between, say, a parent-purchased book in a store compared to a guest author in a school, where children do not have choice. If I do touch upon the series during a presentation, it will be in terms of using the imagination, asking “what if?” questions, story-building and characterization. I do not dwell on anything scary. Mostly grades 1-3 tends to focus on the Jigsaw Jones books, which are now back in print with more to come!

New Series: “The Big Idea Gang”

January, 2019, will see the launch of two books in a new chapter book series, “The Big Idea Gang,” for grades 1-3, possibly 4. The books feature four central characters who use their powers of persuasion — at times, gently guided by their teacher, “Miss Zips,” to make a positive difference in their school community. So far, those changes amount to a new school mascot, a buddy bench in the playground, and a “bee friendly” garden behind the school. The stories are intended to be light and entertaining — even funny, hopefully — while quietly demonstrating the key qualities found in persuasive writing as it is taught today in elementary schools. So far, three titles are planned for “The Big Idea Gang”: Everybody Needs a Buddy, Worst Mascot Ever, and Bee the Change! My wild hope is for teachers to see these stories as mentor texts, and that they might inspire young people to become actively engaged in making a positive difference in their world.

Middle Schools, Bystander, The Fall, Anti-Bullying

The popularity of the book, Bystander, opened up new worlds to me, specifically middle schools. In many schools around the country, Bystander has been widely read and shared, sometimes with an entire grade or school, featured in a “One Book, One School” context. The idea is that it can serve as a positive, educational springboard for conversations and activities about the dynamics of bullying, and the various roles we all play in those situations. But I stress: it’s a story, a work of fiction, and I have been a published writer of children’s books since 1986. (You remember ’86, don’t you?) So while I am thrilled and honored to speak to large and small groups about this book, and the issues within it, I am not an anti-bullying presenter. I don’t offer ten easy steps for bully-proofing your school. I don’t climb on the soapbox. I love to visit middle schools, I am fascinated and inspired by this age group (today, 2012, I share my home with a 6th-grader and an 8th-grader), and I care about this issue very deeply. But I approach it as a writer, if that makes sense.

Oh, please, just write to me and we can chat about it in more detail.

Book Availability, Beginning September 2020

Yes, it’s time to start planning for the 2020-21 school year. Here’s a list of 23 core books that will be readily available through my main publisher, Macmillan:

A Pirate’s Guide to First Grade (K-1, paperback)

A Pirate’s Guide to Recess HC (K-1)

NEW! All Welcome Here HC (pub. date June, 2020)

NEW! Jigsaw Jones: The Case of the Hat Burglar (1-3)

Jigsaw Jones: The Case from Outer Space (1-3)

Jigsaw Jones: The Case of the Bicycle Bandit (1-3)

Jigsaw Jones: The Case of the Mummy Mystery (1-3)

Jigsaw Jones: The Case of the Smelly Sneaker (1-3)

Jigsaw Jones: The Case of the Glow-in-the-Dark Ghost (1-3)

Jigsaw Jones: The Case of the Buried Treasure (1-3)

Jigsaw Jones: The Case of the Disappearing Dinosaur(1-3)

Jigsaw Jones: The Case of the Best Pet Ever (1-3)

Jigsaw Jones: The Case of the Million-Dollar Mystery (1-3)

. . . and more (there are 14 revised and updated Jigsaw Jones titles currently available)! 

The Big Idea Gang: Everybody Needs a Buddy (1-3)

The Big Idea Gang: Worst Mascot Ever (1-3)

The Big Idea Gang: Bee the Change! (Spring, 2019, 1-3)

Scary Tales: Home Sweet Horror (2-5)

Scary Tales: I Scream, You Scream (2-5)

Scary Tales: Good Night, Zombie (2-5)

Scary Tales: Nightmareland (2-5)

Scary Tales: One-Eyed Doll (2-5)

Scary Tales: Swamp Monster (2-5)

NEW! Blood Mountain (4-8)

The Courage Test (4-7)

Six Innings (4-7)

Better Off Undead  (4-8)

Bystander (5-8)

The Fall (6-9)

Before You Go (7-10)

 

Click here for information of book-specific, Q & A-centered Skype visits. This is a good option for passionate teachers from far-flung locations where it’s unlikely I’ll be able to visit.

More Info

For more on a James Preller-styled school visit, plus some advice of running a successful author visit, you should click here. Really, that will tell you all you need to know. But if you really dig research, go to the “School Visits” icon on the right sidebar, under “Categories,” and click madly, deeply.

Here’s one particular post you might find instructive.

So, there it is in a clamshell. I look forward to hearing from you!

Thanks!

 

29 comments

  1. Marie Piccoline says:

    Hello! Looking for a super author for a school visit–and your name popped up first! Timing-next school year, anytime from January-June. we are a K-6 grade charter school located in Paterson , NJ. Are you available to visit our school?
    Marie Piccoline, MLIS

  2. Alexsis says:

    L am making a post letter and l need your address

  3. Dain Park says:

    Hello! I am a Korean girl who got impressed after reading your book “bystander”! I’d like to send a letter and i need your adress! Could you let me know your adress?:)

  4. Martin says:

    Hi big fan of the books but I have read them all =/ could you possibly make more please this is such a good book series !!!!!

  5. Robyn says:

    Hi James,

    I was introduced to your work by my daughter Emily, who at the time was a Hamagrael student. I am also a neighbor of yours, but we’ve never formally met. I’m am the Director of a local literacy program and I’m looking for a speaker for a speaker for an event. I was hoping I could walk down and drop some information off in your mailbox today. Please contact me at your earliest convenience so we can talk further. Thanks so much.

  6. Eddie Guzman says:

    Awesome books and site. Wish I would have found it when my kids were still in school.

  7. Mrs. Morrow says:

    Dear Mr. Preller.
    Thank you for visiting our school today. It was really nice to meet you. We have read many of your books in class and we have enjoyed them. We especially liked the “Scary Tales.” We are looking forward to your next book.
    Thank you,
    Mrs. Morrow Third Graders

  8. Hannah Campa says:

    Hi we are reading your book in class, great job by the way, but we are kind of having a debate on the dramatic irony on page 143 and 144. My teacher thinks it is how David doesn’t know what group he is getting into. We think cause it says nothing about it, it is that the bullies didn’t know Mary was watching because they left. I couldn’t research anything on this, but I wanted to come prepared. Can you share your point of view on this?

    • jimmy says:

      Interesting question. You got me to pull out that book, not sure I’ve read that section in quite a few years. I hate to side with a teacher, naturally, but in this case . . . for me, at least . . . that was the key to that scene. How David Hallenback had “found a way to belong.” Because of course he didn’t, and the very attempt betrayed everything he should have held onto as a good person in this world. He wants to belong to a group. But at what cost? On Mary, it’s complicated. We are beginning to see her shift. At same time, she wasn’t quite all the way there yet. Didn’t warn Eric, wasn’t able to go that far. She watched.

      • Hannah Campa says:

        Dear Mr.Preller
        When were asked to answer this question about dramatic irony we all knew that David finding a way to belong was a BIG part of the story (even if it wasn’t the best choice for him) my teacher thinks that because David doesn’t know what he is getting into its dramatic irony, but we think that the bullies didn’t see Mary so they didn’t know she was there that was dramatic irony. Thank you for your earlier feedback I had a pleasure talking to you hope I convinced you.

  9. Hannah Campa says:

    Also, what is your favorite part of the book?
    Mine is when Eric gets the satisfaction of taking back his CD.

  10. Christine Dunne Romano says:

    Hi James,
    Will you be in Poughkeepsie area any time in 2020? Thanks

    Chris Dunne Romano

  11. Andrew J. Lehr says:

    Thanks, James for Signing Your Name & Giving These Scary Tales: I Scream, You Scream, & Home Sweet Horror!

  12. Julia says:

    I have been reading my son your books, he loves them!! We checked out a book from our community library. The case of the Secret Skeleton. My question is…on the inside page it mentions something about a spy ear clue finder. It is supposed to play a secret audio clue. Where could we find the Spy Ear Clue finder?

  13. Hi Jim! This is Liz from Normanskill walk with my crazy pup Stella! I looked up the bird and I noticed it had a striped neck so I’m fairly positive this is it https://ornithology.com/the-cool-killdeer/ I also saw a black with purple sheen bird with a fanned tail that I need to look up. I’m looking forward to reading your blog!

    • jimmy says:

      Thanks, Liz! Killdeer do lay their eggs on ground nests at Normanskill — you can often see them by the substation — but I don’t think that’s the bird I saw on the rock on the water. But it’s possible! I hope see you and Stella again someday!

  14. Azra Alkış says:

    Dear James Preller,

    First I want to introduce myself. My name is Azra Alkış. I’m a 10 year old girl, who lives in Turkey, Istanbul. I study in Hisar School and I am in 5th grade. I play piano and I have taken ballet classes since I was 4 years old.

    I have learned from your resume that you live in New York with your family. That makes me excited. I was born in New York, too. I didn’t stay there so long but I used to visit your city before Covid -19. I hope these strange days will pass quickly and I can visit there again. 🙂

    I have loved to read books since my childhood. Nowadays my passion is to write my own little stories. This semester, I got my school project from English and guess what, we need to read one of your books from the Jigsaw Jones series and write you an e-mail regarding our opinion about your book.

    Jigsaw Jones Mysteries, The Case from Outer Space, is the book I have chosen to read. When I was younger, I was very interested in space and I wondered if there were any aliens. I was almost sure, we were not alone in the Universe and one day aliens would come to visit us. So, whenever I saw the title of your book, I was sure it was a perfect choice for me.

    I know there is no need to give you a summary of your own book.I am pretty sure you remember every single detail of it. But I need to say that I am very impressed with your character building. First of all, Jigsaw Jones, the main character of the book is a clever and curious boy, who is a very funny detective. His best friend and his partner Mila May is as clever as Jones. They both enjoy solving mysteries and they work compatibly together. Although they are eager to solve the mysteries, they are not selfish or mean to people. They both know their friend Joey is not very resourceful but they give him a chance to help them.

    Also, I like the detail that they accept the case without taking any money. They give more value to solve the case rather than earning money.

    Furthermore, I wish Mrs. Gleason was my science teacher.
    She loves her job and she tries her best to make the lessons more fun by finding interesting guests. Wow, a real live astronaut! The class of 201 is very lucky!

    Last but not least, I have to say I was expecting that we would face an alien at the end. The tension of the book is very high and forces us to imagine hundreds of different endings for the book. Also, when Mila passes an encoded note to Jigsaw, he explains the substitution cipher she used, and then lets us decode it on our own. That was a gripping challenge!

    I want to conclude my email by saying that I am very happy that my semester project brought us together. It gave me the opportunity to discover the Jigsaw Jones Series books. I am looking forward to reading my next book from these series. I have already chosen one, The Case of the Mummy Mystery. I hope you can add some more fun books to the series soon…

    Sincerely yours,
    Azra Alkis

  15. Kayl Taş says:

    Dear Mr. Preller,

    My Name is Kayl and I am a student in Grade 5 at Hisar Schools. I like reading books in English and enjoy sharing the books with my friends.

    I read the “The Case of Hermie the Missing Hamster” from “A Jigsaw Jones Mystery” series. I liked the book because it was very exciting. My favorite character was Jigsaw Jones because he loved solving mysteries. I liked him finding clues about mysteries. I was shocked that he had a treehouse. He was good at both solving mysteries and solving jigsaw puzzles at the same time. I thought you gave the “Jigsaw Jones” name to your main character because he liked jigsaws.

    I liked this book because I really enjoy reading books about mysteries and adventures. I feel excited when I read about finding clues to solve the problems. My favorite books are Narnia, George’s Marvellous Medicine, Beast Quest.

    I am wondering about your thoughts on some points in the story. First of all, why didn’t you choose another pet in your story? Do you really like hamsters? Another point I wonder why you used a vacuum cleaner in your story.

    I really enjoyed reading the book. It was very very adventurous and interesting. I will recommend the book to my friends.

    Warm regards,
    Kayl

  16. Defne Çeçen says:

    Hi Mr. Preller.

    I am Defne from Hisar School.I did a project about your book, The Kidnapped Candy. It is a great book. I loved reading it. I feel like sometimes I have to be Sherlock Holmes. Sometimes I can’t help laughing.

    I have a few questions to ask you about your book. In the book are there any experiences that you lived in the past? I decided to read your other books too. The main character of the book was Jigsaw. I wonder if Jigsaw is you? I think Jigsaw is a very intelligent and smart character. And I’m wondering why you added the Mila character. I wonder why Jigsaw can’t solve the problem on his own.

    Thank you for your interest.

    Defne

  17. Sener says:

    Dear Mr. James Preller,

    My name is Sener Mustaoglu. I’m 10 years old boy and I live in Istanbul, Turkey. I’m a fifth grade student at Hisar School.

    I’ve got a english lesson project to read one of your books and express my thoughts. As a devoted animal lover, I am extremely happy to have had the chance to read your book “The Case Of Hermie the Missing Hamster.”

    After I completed the reading, I can say that it was a stressful and exciting story. While I was reading the book, I felt like I was one the characters there, because I would also like to mention that I have 2 guinea pigs and one poddle dog and I know how it would felt if I lost one of them. Since guinea pigs and hamsters are closely related animals, I had the opportunity to empathize while reading the book. It’s very upsetting to lose an animal that you value so much.

    I really like the characters in the book, especially Jones. I am also very curious and like to research. While reading your book, I was both worried and excited until the end.I didn’t know that it would be possible to find an animal like Hermie just by sneezing which is the most interesting part of the story.

    If I were you I could have ended the book with a different conclusion. As an action lover, wouldn’t it be more exciting to catch the Hermie when the snake just trapped in its net, or to find and rescue the Hermie from snakes hiding place? But the happy ending you wrote is extremely impressive. I want to say that I would like to read more books written by you. I can’t wait to read your next adventure.

    Yours Sincererly,
    Sener Mustaoglu

  18. Fran lewis says:

    I am a reviewer and a host a radio show : MJ network on blog talk radio. My nephew told me about your series. He’s loves books and is reading all of yours. I’d love to review one or more and speak about this vital issue: bullying on my radio show. Fran Lewis just reviews

  19. BooksShelf's Team says:

    Hello,

    We officially invite you to be part of BooksShelf.com platform for authors and readers!

    We welcome you to have your own page filled with your books and short stories, we welcome you to be interviewed!

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