Book Fair Timeline and FAQs
Book Fair Timeline
Two-Three Weeks Before Your Book Fair:
Start Recruiting Volunteers, if using Depending on when you will be holding your Book Fair, we suggest 2-3 volunteers per shift. Use your volunteers to accept payment (if allowed), to straighten shelves & tables, and, most importantly, to help kids find the books that fit their needs.
Start Working on Decorations We will provide signs and colored tablecloths but you can enlist the art teacher and kids to get creative!
One Week Before Your Book Fair:
Do any Necessary Printing Flyers and Wish lists will need to be printed. Wish Lists can be found at the bottom of this page and flyers will be emailed to you.
Confirm your parent volunteers Call or send reminder emails so that any questions can be handled ahead of time.
Get all the accounting guidelines Each school is different, but be sure that you are aware of guidelines for accepting cash and issuing receipts.
Send home the Book Fair Flyers Hang any posters in hallways and send printed flyers home with your students. Use the digital flyers in newsletters, on social media, or in emails to the families this week.
Make sure you have change Some schools require for you to submit a request for change well in advance of your event. We suggest in the neighborhood of $100 cash drawer with a mix of small bills and change.
Start decorating
Involve kids; they love to be part of making the decorations as well and hanging them.
Book Fair Week
Have a preview for students and teachers Wish lists templates are provided for students and teachers alike. For young students, note the color of the tablecloth to help them locate the books they want when they come back with money. For teachers, hold a coffee morning and let teachers make wish lists for their own classrooms.
Have parent volunteers restock and straighten Books sell better when the shelves are straight and neat, plus it’s easier for kids to find books. You can also have a volunteer who watches the kids arriving to make sure nothing leaves the area without being paid for. (We suggest no backpacks in the book fair area)
Keep track of what is selling and call The BookHouse We can help restock some items, just give us a call if you notice an item is low or is on everyone’s wish list.
Look over the books If you are aware of the books available, it will be much easier to help students and parents find the right book!
Wander around and talk to the parents and kids You may be the one to help them find just the right book and at the same time boost sales.
After the Book Fair
Let us know when you're fair is ending and we will come pack up the boxes .
Check to make sure all payments are in and all books are sent back (ensure all books are sent back if held for a student that didn't end up purchasing).
If teachers or librarians have kept books, acquire either payment or a list of the books to provide billing (extra order forms are perfect for this).
Talley your final cash sales and email or call The BookHouse. Each school/organization has a preferred method of handling the cash sales and we will work with you to ensure we are following their policies. We can pickup the cash for all cash sales and take care of depositing it directly into our account or we can invoice for the cash sales. Once we are done scanning the books back in and getting all sales reports, we will check back with you.
Turn in your remaining cash to your account. This should be the exact amount you received for your cash drawer if we are doing the depositing. If we are invoicing for the cash sales, this amount will be for both the amount you received for your cash drawer as well as the amount taken in for all of your cash sales.
Re-Evaluate Get your committee together and decide what worked and didn’t work to help with planning next year. Also, please fill out our evaluation form so we can best serve your school or organization in the future.
Relax… and get ready for next year. Book early some spots go fast!