Speaking engagements and selling books go very well together, which makes public speaking a great marketing tool for authors. When conference-goers listen to authors like they’ll relate to your topic and be eager to learn more from your featured book as well as others you have written. Write non-fiction? Be prepared to be thought of as the expert, and be prepared to see your books fly off the selling table. And if you think this only works for non-fiction authors, think again. If you write in the fiction genre s like Mystery, Young Adult, Sci-Fi, Romance, and more… YOU can also leverage speaking. Regardless of your genre audiences will line up to hear about your writing process, the life lessons you learn while writing, how to be more motivated and more.
Marketing through speaking works well for non-fiction books, especially in the areas of self-help and motivational themes. When people seek help from books to solve their problems, you may find you’ve chosen your subject matter wisely and lucratively.
Topics you might not think could relate to speaking may surprise you. For instance, if you have written a cookbook, you can find conferences and events for cooking, baking, foodies, kitchen tools, and more… and these are great audiences for talking about cooking methods, how to modify recipes, the importance of cooking as part of family heritage, or even history of the recipes. The key is to tie your book’s topic and your area of expertise to the needs and interests of the audience.
You can sell fiction books this way, too. Novels tend to be more genre specific. For example, if you have a zombie novel you could present at a horror event and talk about how to surviving a zombie apocalyptic attack is a lot like surviving parenthood or corporate America!
Speaking engagements at conventions and other events are great for expanding your audience base, too. When choosing where to speak, make sure you find the best market for your book. Spend some time researching and uncovering opportunities. Plan ahead and things will go well for you as an author and for your writing.