Testimonials

I will certainly be using Booked Out in the future and will recommend you to not only the junior end of the school, but also the senior end. Thanks [Simon] for being an excellent person to deal with. Looking forward to dealing with you in 2013.

-Wendy Ballard, Manor Lakes P-12 College

I have been with Booked Out ever since I was first published back in 1996. As a young and inexperienced author/illustrator, Booked Out were paramount in helping me connect with my readers as well as gaining support from teachers and librarians.

Booked Out also helped me supplement my then pitiful royalty earnings by finding me regular work, even at a time where author visits to schools were a relatively new phenomenon.

I am incredibly grateful to Lauris and everyone at Booked Out for supporting me over the years. Their knowledge, enthusiasm and professionalism is unparalleled and I couldn’t recommend them highly enough.

–Sally Rippin

Newington College began a very productive relationship with Booked Out in order to secure presenters for our biennial Literature Festival six years ago. We have had excellent service from them over this time.

They are efficient in keeping us up to date regarding possible presenters and offer very relevant suggestions for new presenters with each Festival. Their accounting system always runs smoothly and we are aware well in advance of fees for both presenters and the bookings.

Simon O’Carrigan has always established a clear line of communication between our Festival organisers and the authors and he has relieved much of the stress surrounding the organisation of such an event from our end.

I would thoroughly recommend Booked Out as an agency that provides a wonderful service in facilitating that special author for your own special event.

—Sue Richer, Senior Librarian, Newington College, Stanmore, NSW

Sue Richer will resign from her role as coordinator of the well known Newington Festival at the end of 2012. On behalf of all the authors that have attended Newington through our services, Booked Out would like to thank Sue for her patronage. Sue has engaged a vast number of authors to speak to the students of Newington, and in an noteworthy initiative also arranges for a series of public talks during the festival. She has done a great deal of good for our authors, and for their audiences.

You’ve always been a pleasure to work with Sue, and you will be missed! Luckily, students and authors will continue to benefit from the great culture and institution that has developed under your guidance over the years.

We have been using Booked Out for years, for adult authors and speakers, and in particular for authors during Children’s Book Week. This year we have used the services of Booked Out to book award winning author John Marsden, author of the Wonky Donkey Craig Smith [all the way from New Zealand!], Specky Magee author Felice Arena for a Read Like a Demon session, nutritionists Lola Berry and Arabella Forge, teen authors Lili Wilkinson, Cath Crowley, Jack Heath and Scot Gardner. I have found all the speakers to be of high quality and the website is terrific for searching authors by state age or theme.

Bec and Simon have been fantastic at sourcing speakers on a particular theme, or trying their hardest to fulfill our wishes (e.g. John Marsden). [Booked Out] are always prompt and efficient and very flexible. I particularly like the personal touch…if someone becomes available from interstate they’ll email out an expression of interest to Libraries.

—Cenza Fulco, Community Engagement Librarian, Casey-Cardinia Library Services, Victoria

You guys do a fantastic job. Every author we have booked through you has been brilliant. At all times Simon and Bec have been extremely helpful and professional.

Thank you all so much for making this such a great Book Week for us. Engaging authors, flexible with their needs and easy going.

Well done!!!

—Fran Penfold, Sacré Cœur, Glen Iris, Victoria

I have had a wonderfully fruitful relationship with Lauris Pandolfini and her team at Booked Out since the mid-1990s. Over that time, I have received regular invitations to conduct talks and workshops in schools, libraries and seminars in Queensland, where I live, and also in Victoria which I enjoy visiting. All have been well organised and I can’t recall a dispute over payment or a crossed wire about times, venues or transport details. The team are friendly and I look forward to meeting up with them every August at the Book Week party. In fact, it has been a welcome highlight of my year, for more than a decade now, to spend the last two weeks of August in chilly Melbourne visiting schools and libraries on an itinerary organised by Booked Out. I wholeheartedly recommend them to writers, illustrators and public speakers seeking to build a profile and earn part of their living through similar work.

James Moloney Brisbane, 2012.

As an author and comedian, I am fortunate to be able to visit schools to educate, inspire and entertain kids all around Australia. Booked Out have made this possible, they have always looked out for me, taking care of every detail of my tours. They allow me to concentrate on my talks and workshops, and I’m thankful for their dedicated and friendly team. Booked Out make scheduling and planning a breeze, you can rely on them for unique and motivational sessions to make an impact in young people’s lives.

–Oliver Phommavanh

I don’t know what I would do without Booked Out. As my books are on high school curriculums, they’ve helped me balance my part-time legal work with my speaking engagements, and sent me to schools all around Australia. Their exemplary level of service and loyal representation of authors is unparalleled. Lauris and her team really care about education. I am grateful everyday for Booked Out, they’ve given me an opportunity to teach and hopefully inspire students.

I’ve been proud to be part of the Booked Out family for almost 20 years now. Without Booked Out’s help recommending and connecting me to schools in the early lean years I’m not sure I would have survived the slings and arrows of a fledgling writers' life. Have always appreciated the enthusiasm, care, knowledge and passion that Lauris and her team bring to everything they do.

–Andy Griffiths

Booked Out managed school seminars for me for almost a decade. We reached thousands of teachers and received wonderful feedback all across Australia. They are an ethical and thoughtful speakers' bureau with a personal touch, and know the education world inside out.