motivate young authors  °  improve student writing skills  °  promote arts & academics  °  raise funding for your school  °  promote self-confidence young authors school publications student publishing childrens' art & writing make-a-book
 

CLASS ACT CREATIVE

PUBLISHING PROGRAMS
FOR SCHOOLS, CLASSROOMS & KIDS


PUBLISHING  °   PRODUCT  DETAILS   °   FUND  RAISING   °   SCHOOL VISITS   °   FAQ'S   °   BOOKSTORE   °   ABOUT CLASS ACT   °   HOME


           
COVERS AND SAMPLE INTERIOR SPREADS FROM A CLASSROOM BOOK WITH FORMATTING PROVIDED BY CLASSROOM VOLUNTEERS. CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE.



 

Class Act Creative Publisher
BARBARA JEAN HICKS
is the award-winning author of five children's picture books. She has worked as a copywriter, editor and teacher and holds a current California credential
in Language Arts.

www.barbarajeanhicks.com
 

BARBARA'S BOOKS

Image from I LIKE BLACK & WHITE
Illustrated by Lila Prap



CONTACT
CLASS ACT


 

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FAQ'S:

Please contact us if your question is not addressed below.

General Questions
Questions about Content
Questions about Format
Questions about Shipping
Questions about Cost
And one FINAL QUESTION...

 

GENERAL QUESTIONS

The Literary/Arts Yearbook... Bottom line... How much work is it going to be for us as a school?

The student work itself can be as simple or as complex as an individual teacher makes it. Teachers are also responsible for collecting parent permissions, book order forms and payment.

Beyond that, one staff person or PTA representative will act as the Class Act Creative liaison for all communications with us, to make sure all student work and permission information get to us, to collect book orders and payment and remit to us, and to distribute purchased books in your school.

Okay, so the liaison is going to have to be organized. And yes—put a little time in. But think of it this way: young authors will be inspired. You might very well raise money for other school projects. And you'll feel such a sense of pride in your students' work.

Not much more effort than selling cookie dough—and in our opinion, infinitely more rewarding.

What about the Classroom Book?

Simpler. Again, the student work itself can be whatever the individual teacher decides. Teachers collect parent permissions, book order forms and payment, and distribute purchased books to students. That's it.

Do we have to book a school visit in order to publish student work with Class Act Creative?

No, but your school gets a FREE or significantly discounted Literary/Arts Yearbook™ or Wise Words for the World package if you do! If you schedule an event with children's author and Class Act Creative publisher Barbara Jean Hicks for the 2009-2010 school year, or you hosted a full-day school visit for Barbara  in the last two years, your school is eligible for this program at reduced rates.

If we do host a school visit, does the student work for our book have to be created then?

No, unless you opt for the Project Arts RESPECT program, which guides the content of the book. Otherwise, you may choose student work created before, after or during the visit.
 

QUESTIONS ABOUT CONTENT

For the Classroom Book, can our students write about any topic?

Yes! Topics can reflect writing across the curriculum and take the form of poetry, imaginative or fact-based stories, autobiography and biography, reports, travel writing, sports writing, A-B-C books, advice or how-to books, etc. It's nice to choose an overall theme, but a showcase of student work is fine too. Individual Books, also, may be any genre, from picture books to chapter books to collections of poems, jokes or stories to fact-filled nonfiction books.

What about the All-School Book?

The Literary/Arts Yearbook™ provides an opportunity for students to focus on self-exploration through writing and the visual arts, but schools or individual teachers get to decide how that is done. As long as each student produces a full-color drawing and a related sentence or two, whatever you decide is good. We have some ideas here. Likewise, if your school chooses to publish a Wise Words for the World book of student advice apart from the Project Arts RESPECT program, the content must be advice from students about how to make the world a better place. How teachers get that from their students is up to them.

What media can students use for their illustrations?

The only media we request your students not use are chalk, pencil, charcoal or anything else that could easily smudge during scanning or shipping. Bright colors reproduce best for illustrations. Poster paints or colored felt tip markers work great. So does cut paper appliqué and collage. If students use crayons, watercolors or colored pencils, they should outline their drawings with a black marker. Line drawings should be rendered in black felt tip marker and text should be typed or written with a black marker.

How many pages of student work can we have in our book?

Individual Books: 24-36 full color pages.
Classroom Books: 24-36 full color pages.
All-School
Literary/Arts Yearbook™: 24-110 full color pages.
All-School or All-District
Wise Words for the World Books:
        100-200 b&w pages.
 

QUESTIONS ABOUT FORMAT

Does student writing need to be typed?

Text for all books may be typed or hand-written, but copyediting will be done only on typed text submitted by e-mail or CD in Word 2003 format. (Copyediting available only for Individual Books.) All handwritten text will be reproduced exactly as received.

Does student work have to be prepared in any special format?

Submit all original writing and artwork on standard 8-1/2" x 11" paper. Paper even a half an inch larger in either direction is incompatible with our equipment.

Submit any photographs to be used in the publication by e-mail or on a CD as high resolution JPEGs (4x6", 300 dpi).
 

QUESTIONS ABOUT SHIPPING

How should we send our student work?

USPS, UPS or FedEx all work fine for shipping.

Will original student work be returned to the school?

Yes. Original work will be returned as soon as Class Act Creative has approved the printer's proof of your book.

How long does it take after you get our student work for us to have a finished book in hand?

The design, prepress, printing and shipping process can take up to 12 weeks. You may have your book within 8 weeks, but plan for the longer time.

 

QUESTIONS ABOUT COSTS

How much do you charge for the publishing package?

Individual Publishing Package: $250
Classroom Publishing Package: FREE!
All-School Publishing Package: Depends on number of pages*
All-District Publishing Package: Depends on number of pages*

*(fee reduced with author visit)
 

How much is the visiting author fee?

School visit fees vary by program and location. Full-day visits run from $900 to $1500 in the Lower 48. For a quote, please send an e-mail with "Program Enquiry" in the subject line and let us know in which CITY, STATE and COUNTRY (if outside the U.S.) your school is located.

Our school doesn't have a lot of money. Do you have any special rates for school visits and student publications?

Yes! If you can find four other schools in your area to join with you to host a week-long District Visiting Author Program (see School Visits), each school's visiting author fee is reduced by almost half. In addition, the publication Fund Raising Option gives your school the opportunity to earn back the publication fee, offset some or all fees for the author visit, and even earn extra cash for other projects!

We have also put together a Grant Funding document with live links to many organizations that offer grants for school arts and literacy projects. Schools with a high percentage of students on the free and reduced lunch program often have an advantage over more affluent schools in obtaining grants.

How many books come with the publication program?

Individual Publishing Package: 10
Classroom Publishing Package: 1
All-School Publishing Package: 1 per classroom + 2 library copies
All-District Publishing Package: 2 per participating school + district copy

Additional books may be purchased at retail price through the Class Act Creative Bookstore or at amazon.com. Books may also be purchased in bulk by schools or parent support organizations at special rates. Bulk rates are available only by special arrangement with Class Act Creative.

Are we required to purchase additional books?

No. Individuals, schools and districts may order additional copies but are under no obligation to do so. All we ask is that teachers send order forms home with students so parents have an opportunity to purchase books if they wish to. Schools with orders of 100 or more should take advantage of the Class Act Creative Fund Raising Option.
 

AND ONE FINAL QUESTION

We're excited! How do we get started?

Send us an e-mail! Type "Student Book" in the subject line. We'll send you a survey to find out exactly how you envision your student book. Before you know it, the publication process will be under way.
 


CONTACT CLASS ACT

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

VISITING AUTHOR SERVICES ° PROGRAM DETAILS

PUBLISHING SERVICES ° PRODUCT DETAILS

BARBARA'S BOOKS ° ABOUT CLASS ACT ° TOP OF PAGE

FUND RAISING ° BOOKSTORE ° HOME

All text and images on this website © Barbara Jean Hicks 2005-2009 unless otherwise identified. Text and images may be used for educational and other non-commercial purposes if copyright and website information are clearly stated. Commercial use of all text and images is strictly prohibited.