Middle-grade readers can be a tough audience for authors to reach because they aren't active online like young adult and adult readers. Former seventh grade English teacher and author Laura Martin has found school visits to be one of best ways to create awareness and build a readership for her middle-grade level books. Martin’s inside knowledge of how author visits are secured and executed has benefited her greatly, and she sees a large number of opportunities come about through word of mouth. Martin also uses postcard campaigns when she launches a book to create awareness and promote to the schools. Debut authors are more likely to get opportunities locally, she says, because you are more affordable. For Martin, the school visits are critical to her overall marketing efforts and provide a very authentic and tangible experience for both her and the students.