Author Visit Service
Author visits are a valuable support to the livelihoods of the 1000 literature professionals that can be found in the Finnish Reading Center’s Author Visit Service. The Author Visit Service consists of literary professionals who have published in Finland or otherwise operate in Finland.
The Finnish Reading Center takes care of the essentials, such as scheduling, agreements, invoicing, and technical support. These services are utilized by schools, libraries, private and cultural events. The events are held by authors, illustrators, poets, screenwriters, and translators – all according to needs. By facilitating the visits, we provide a reliable method for audiences to get excited about reading because the best literacy promotion takes place through exceptional educational experiences.
For Clients
Inquiring about an author visit usually takes place through registering at our site, choosing an author, and then filling in the order form. This procedure is currently only available in Finnish and Swedish. We still encourage people interested in an author visit to inquire via email, at kirjailijavierailupalvelu(at)lukukeskus.fi, about which authors are ready to present in English or other languages.
There are a few things worth knowing before contacting:
1. The initial inquiry for an author visit should take place no less than four weeks before the planned event.
2. When inquiring about an author visit, do not hesitate to share information. This includes details such as the age group of the audience, characteristics of the event, themes for discussion etc. Based on all the available information, a producer from the Finnish Reading Center will be in contact with the specified author or otherwise find the most suitable candidate for the event.
3. The typical fees the Finnish Reading Center adheres to are 240€ for a 45-minute virtual visit, or 275€ for a 45-minute live visit. There is an additional 60€ service fee when the contract is finalised. Keep in mind, the total cost presented in invoicing is also subject to change by factors such as audience size, number of appearances, location, travel costs, or technical support. All fees are instructive and subject for negotiation. The total cost will be clarified before the binding contract is provided.
4. Streaming, recording, and transmitting the visit is not permitted under the standard contract but is negotiable under a separate contract between the author and client.
5. In standard procedure, the Finnish Reading Center will produce a contract for the visit, pay the author’s fee, and invoice the client after the event.
For Authors
Schools, libraries, cultural organisations, etc., book literary professionals to perform through the Author Visit Service. The Finnish Reading Center handles negotiations, contracts, and payment transactions with the client. When the order arrives, we will be in contact with the author. Details of the visit are agreed upon case-by-case. The author can use the Finnish Reading Center in contractual matters even when the order has come directly to the author, for example from abroad. In our author visit service, we have more than 1000 different literary professionals, and we deliver about 1800 visits annually.
If you would like to join the Author Visit Service, please check that you meet the following conditions:
1. Professional authors who have exceeded the publication threshold are accepted for the Reading Center’s author visit service.
2. You have published a work within five years. Due to the large supply, self-published and hybrid published authors cannot unfortunately be added to the database.
3. You are available for author visits and respond to the Reading Center’s contacts and keep your author presentation page updated.
4. The Reading Center acts as an intermediary for visits. To get visit requests, you need to advertise yourself.
For authors who wish to join the author visit service, we kindly ask you to send all available information about your authorship to kirjailijavierailupalvelu(at)lukukeskus.fi. This includes information such as the title of your book(s), publishers and publishing years. All potential authors that request joining the Finnish Reading Center’s Author Visit Service are reviewed as individual cases and will be asked for more information if accepted to join.
For updating your information in the Author Visit Service, send email to kirjailijavierailupalvelu(at)lukukeskus.fi. We update incoming information once a month.
The typical compensations the Finnish Reading Center adheres to are 240€ for a 45-minute virtual visit, or 275€ for a 45-minute live visit. If desired, the author can define another sum for compensation.
We compensate you as soon as possible after the visit, and no later than three weeks after the receipt of the compensation form. It is currently only available in Finnish and Swedish. If you have trouble filling in the required information, you can contact our administrative director Maija Nybäck via email, maija.nyback(at)lukukeskus.fi, or by calling 050 410 7988. The pay slip can be found in your online bank by the name of our payroll service supplier Apix.
Even if you don’t have travel reimbursements, you still need to send your information through the form for payment. To be compensated, the Finnish Reading Center needs the payment information that is provided by the author, as well as the receipts from possible travel and accommodation. Travel expenses are reimbursed primarily according to public transportation. The use of your own car, taxi or plane must be agreed upon before the trip.
FAQ About Virtual Author Visits
What are virtual visits?
A virtual visit is an author visit that takes place remotely. Both the audience and the author can meet each other without being in the same physical space through applications such as Zoom, Teams and GoTo.
How does a typical virtual visit look like?
In a typical virtual visit, the audience is participating within a shared physical space and communicate with the author through a digital display board. Alternatively, each audience member participates through a personal device, such as a tablet or personal computer. The author on the other hand, is usually in one’s own usual workspace.
How many can participate in a virtual visit?
Depending on the location and age group of the audience, we recommend different amounts of maximum participants. If the event is planned to take place in one or more classrooms or auditoriums, we do not recommend more than 300 people joining in. If there are individual devices joining the virtual visit, we do not recommend more than 60 people participating. It is also good to note, that the younger the audience’s age group is, the fewer participants should be included. These recommendations come from years of successful implementation of virtual visits by the Finnish Reading Center and are due to technical and practical limitations.
How is the virtual visit organised?
There are two ways for the virtual visit to be organised. Either the client has a more independent role in communicating with the author, sends the link to the author, and moderates the event. Alternatively, the Finnish Reading Center organises a technical support person for the event, who is more actively engaged in creating the event, assisting, and possibly moderating the event. In such a case, there is an added 100€ fee per visit, and the application that is used is called GoTo.
What does moderating the event mean?
Moderating the virtual visit is an easy, but important aspect of a successful virtual visit. It includes things such as creating the virtual meeting room, sending the link to all participants on time, keeping track of the time, as well as saying the greetings and farewells at the beginning and end of the visit.
Does the tech support person need any info, and can all participants receive tech support?
If the Reading Center’s tech support person is needed for the virtual visit, all the participating email addresses should be sent to the tech support person no later than two weeks before the event. The participating email addresses are those teachers, or other individuals, that will use a device to join in the visit. This is needed so that all participants have the chance to test their equipment and get the relevant info on time. Tech support is provided before, during, and after the meeting. However, if there are multiple participants with multiple co-occurring technical difficulties during the visit, tech support might be delayed as the problems are solved case-by-case.
Can all participants have their cameras on?
Depending on the nature and size of the event, the cameras can be held on. If there are multiple devices present, we recommend that one device keeps its camera on. This is both to ensure network stability and to provide the author a visual contact to the audience. If there are multiple classrooms present, the teachers should decide amongst themselves which classroom is the one that keeps the camera on. If only a few devices are used during the visit, then all cameras can be turned on. The microphones should be turned off throughout the visit and only turned on when interactive parts take place.
How interactive are virtual visits?
If only one, or a few, classrooms/devices join in, then the virtual visit can be a lively discussion. However, the larger the classrooms and the more devices that join in, the more one-way it is. Questions can be asked in the chat, one room can take the responsibility of having the microphone open, an interviewer can be organised for the event.
What can the author show during a virtual visit?
The author can for example share the screen and show videos or PowerPoint presentations. These are however functions that should be tested with the author on beforehand to make sure that the functions work properly during the visit. This testing-phase is also a service that is included when the Finnish Reading Center’s tech support is ordered.
If you did not find what you were looking for, please contact us at kirjailijavierailupalvelu(at)lukukeskus.fi.