No examination of author visits to schools and libraries would be complete without some mention of fees and honorariums. In Canada, fees naturally vary from one author to another and while writing organizations have recommended rates, usually calculated by the hour, its still wise to do your own research. Are other authors in your area charging by the hour, by the day, half-day or even per head? Prices also vary greatly from one province to another. What may be considered a fair rate for your time and services in Toronto or elsewhere in Ontario may appear expensive to a school in Alberta or British Columbia, or even in Calgary, Edmonton or Vancouver. It may also be completely out of the range of a school in the Atlantic provinces, Manitoba or Saskatchewan. The same differences in pricing and affordability apply to the United States, the UK and other countries where there are always going to be significant regional variations, between both urban and rural areas or simply when comparing different areas of the same country.
Make sure you always check that the school is in agreement about all financial matters well in advance. This is particularity true of mileage, which may not be possible to calculate until you arrive at the school. Yet you should attempt to give the school at least a rough estimate, since this will be an additional charge on top of your agreed fee. Should meals and accommodation be required and the school is expected to foot the bill, make sure this is all discussed beforehand as well. Some schools require invoices before they can release a cheque for anything, while others don't. It's important to remember too that not only do provinces vary in their policies and procedures, often school boards within the same province have different regulations about paying authors. Some require forms to be filled out for the payroll department, others require social insurance information. Authors fees are most likely to be paid from casino funds, parent associations, bank accounts used for school fields trips and so on, but it's still advisable to determine exactly what information the school may require to pay you at the end of your visit. Just as you need to be fully prepared for your audiences before arriving at a school, with the financial aspects of an author visit, planning and preparation in advance is always advisable.
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