Book tours are a great opportunity for writers to connect with their fans across the country. Scottish Friendly appreciate how inspiring this kind of personal connection can be and have helped facilitate a number of book tours throughout the UK. There are few things that can empower a school child’s mind then seeing someone who has created their own success in the flesh.
The 2014 Scottish Friendly book tour sees Jonathan Meres visit a number of schools and give presentations to over 1,500 students. They will learn about his interesting path to writing success, that was not as linear as one might assume. Jonathan joined the merchant navy after finishing school, which led him to sailing around the world a number of times. As you can imagine, this was a wonderful experience for him to see many different cultures and places. At one stage he even worked as an ice cream van driver. Jonathan’s award winning series of books, The World of Norm is perfect for children between the ages of 8-11, of those who are young at heart.
One of the strengths of Jonathan’s writing is that he appeals to readers who might otherwise not be particularly interested in reading, often referred to as those who are reluctant to read. Those who tend to avoiding reading, often fall behind in reading at school and need the most help and encouragement to foster a loving relationship with the written word. That’s why Jonathan’s books are so fondly regarded, as they provide kids with something they actually want to read. Jonathan’s even recorded a video of tips for how to encourage reluctant readers to read, in a bid to help parents and teachers of reluctant readers.
Scottish Friendly are committed to bringing inspirational authors to schools across the country, particularly rural schools that otherwise would unlikely be able to host such guests. They understand that education can be a key to success and inspiring a love of reading in children is a great way to get things started.
Book tours are not only a great way for an audience to connect with their favourite authors, but the inverse is true: book tours are a great way for the author to connect with their audience, to hear constructive feedback and to see what their fans really love about their stories.