How to Book an Author Talk

In the last publishing blog post, we coached you on the importance of preparing your author talk to be audience centric. Be sure you read the post as well as prepare your author talk before you begin the process of scheduling one. The reason is simple: when you know what you will be speaking about and how to reach the audience, you can share that with the event planner. Your confidence will soar, and they will be confident in you.

Venues

So, how do you book an author talk? First, you have to know what kinds of places host such events. The best way to research this in your area is to Google “author talk” and your city’s name. You’ll likely get a list of upcoming speakers in your area. Jot down the name of the venues that interest you and any other pertinent information. At this point, they all should interest you. Until you know more details, you won’t be able to determine if you’re a fit.

Right fit

There are a few factors to take into consideration when partnering with a venue. I say partnering because you are representing them as much as they will be you. Confirm that the venue fits your Core Values or aligns with your book’s message. Here are the other factors to consider as well:

1. Will they allow you to sell books? (Most will, that’s the point. Some won’t.)
2. Does the venue take a percentage of sales?
3. Do you need to provide books or are they ordering from your distributor?
4. Will they handle the check-out procedure or do you need to be prepared to?
5. Do the times and days they are available work with your schedule?
6. Do they have enough traffic during the times they are offering?
7. How much space do they have and will their audience have a place to sit during the author talk?
8. Do they provide a table to display books? Other display items?
9. Will you be the only author or will there be multiple over the course of the event?
10. What type of marketing will they do for the event?
11. Can you also market the event? Create your own marketing materials??
12. Is there a fee to enter the event?

As you can see, more goes into planning an author talk than just showing up. Well, you can talk about your books just about everywhere you go and even sign books. I’ve signed books in AirBNBs, from the back of my truck, in restaurants, and more—all on the fly. That’s another blog post, for sure, about how to protect books and take them with you everywhere. Either way, it comes down to preparation. The more you can prepare, the more successful the event will be. And to have an official author talk, you want to put in the work to best serve the audience and the venue.

Make the call

Now that you know what types of questions to ask, you know what kind of answers you need. You’ve written your author talk and know what you have to offer the audience. It’s time to pick up the phone and schedule. Remember, not every venue will be a fit for you. If you don’t have books on hand and the venue requires that, you can politely decline and ask if they know of other venues that might be interested in hosting you. Be sure to be polite regardless of the outcome. Event planners, bookstore owners, and/or librarians run in similar circles. Don’t ruin your networking opportunities just because one venue declines.

Test the waters

While scheduling an author talk can sound glamorous, the event takes work. You need to have your speech prepared but all the other details as well. If you don’t have a team supporting you, you’ll need to manage all the tasks. This isn’t for everyone. Public speaking isn’t either. An author talk as we mentioned in the last publishing blog post, isn’t just talking about you and why you wrote the book. It’s not your journey. While that has its place, you need to learn how to engage your readers. Schedule one talk at a time in the beginning to make sure you know what you are getting into. The last thing you want to do is have multiple scheduled and then have to cancel because you either decide it isn’t for you or don’t have the resources to pull it all together.

Rinse and repeat

Once you’ve had a taste, you’ll know if author talks and being on the road is for you. If it is, rinse and repeat. If not, check this off your book marketing plan and move on. There are plenty of other options for marketing your book. Be sure to subscribe to the Publishing Newsletter to get more marketing ideas..

If you haven’t already, grab the free Author Talk Checklist and the $7 Author Talk Guide (fiction or nonfiction), and you’ll be well on your way to a successful author talk!

Brenda Haire is the Co-founder and CEO of Joy of Pursuit, a consulting agency helping individuals and small businesses position or pivot—whether just starting out or having lost your way—by clarifying your purpose, creating better processes, or publishing your brand story all while experiencing joy in the pursuit. Brenda is the author of Save the Butter Tubs!: Discover Your Worth in a Disposable World, Worthy: Know Your Worth and Act Accordingly to Experience Freedom, Enjoy Fulfillment, and Live Fearlessly,? The Hiring Process: A Complete System to Save Time, Simplify Steps, and Strengthen Your Team,? The Onboarding Process: How to Connect Your New Hire and The Retention Process: Create a Culture of Worth in the Workplace.