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Finding Opportunities

While most of your bookings will come from institutions discovering your profile, bqqk also provides tools for you to explore opportunities proactively.

How Authors Get Discovered​

The primary way authors receive bookings on bqqk is through institution searches. When an educator searches for an author, they can filter by:

  • Location — Distance from their institution
  • Age Range — Target audience match
  • Price Range — Budget compatibility
  • Availability — When they need the visit
  • Presentation Type — Assembly, classroom, virtual, etc.

To maximize your discoverability:

  • Keep your profile complete and up-to-date
  • Set accurate availability in your calendar
  • Be clear about your pricing and travel preferences
  • Add quality photos and media to stand out

Institution Map View​

The institution map helps you understand the landscape of schools and libraries using bqqk.

Features:

  • Interactive map showing institutions as pins
  • Centered on your home location by default
  • Zoom in/out to explore different regions
  • Click pins to see institution previews (name, type, student count)

Uses:

  • Identify areas with active institutions
  • Plan travel routes for speaking tours
  • Understand which regions have more opportunities

Searching for Institutions​

Find institutions in specific areas:

  1. Search by city, state, or zip code
  2. Filter by distance radius from the searched location
  3. View the number of institutions in each area
  4. Save recent searches for quick access

Institution Type Filter​

Focus on the venues you prefer:

  • Schools — Further filterable by grade levels (Elementary, Middle, High)
  • Libraries — Public, school, and private libraries
  • Both — See all institution types

Booking Activity Indicator​

See which institutions are actively booking:

  • Active — Recently booked an author
  • Moderate — Some recent booking activity
  • New — Recently joined the platform
  • Inactive — No recent bookings

Focusing on active institutions may yield faster results.

List vs. Map View​

Toggle between two views to explore institutions:

Map View:

  • Visual geographic overview
  • See clustering in populated areas
  • Identify travel opportunities

List View:

  • Detailed information at a glance
  • Sort by distance, name, or activity level
  • Easier to scan and compare

Saving Institutions​

Track potential opportunities:

  1. Click "Save" on any institution profile or search result
  2. Access saved institutions from your dashboard
  3. Add notes to track your thoughts
  4. Organize into custom lists (e.g., "Spring Tour Targets")
  5. Export saved lists as CSV for offline planning

Regional Insights​

Understand booking patterns to inform your business decisions:

  • View aggregated booking activity by region
  • See which areas have growing demand
  • Filter by age range to find demand for your specialty
  • Identify underserved areas with potential
Privacy Protected

All regional data is anonymized and aggregated to protect institution privacy. You see trends, not individual institution details.

Tour Planning​

For authors who travel to do school visits, bqqk helps you plan efficient routes:

  1. Select multiple institutions for a potential tour
  2. Visualize the route on a map
  3. See suggested optimal visit order
  4. View approximate distances between stops
  5. Save tour drafts for future reference

This helps you maximize bookings while minimizing travel time and costs.