Thursday’s author profit tip

Many authors augment their earnings from publisher’s advances and royalties, as well as profits from direct sales of their book, by speaking and presenting. Given the high income potential of speaking and presenting, authors–and the back-of-the-room profits that follow–authors need to pay special attention to the effectivness of their online and print speaker marketing materials.

Before authors can “wow!” their audiences, they have to convince association and corporate event planners, as well as the speakers bureaus who serve them. Speaker marketing materials have to be concise, and well-written. They also have to project an appropriate image. Here are some of the things that event planners and speakers bureaus are likely to want to know:

• Topics. Do your web pages and downloads clearly specify the topics you enjoy presenting? Do you have separate pages for the major topics you speak on or present?
• Qualifications. Do your speaker’s materials accurately describe your knowledge and background?
• Testimonials. Do your speaker’s materials contain credible quotations from previous hosts and event planners, as well as a sampling of attendee comments?
• Preferences. Do your speaker’s materials spell-out the types of event you like to speak at, as well as your travel and lodging preferences?
• Contact. Is it easy for those interested in learning more to contact you by phone or e-mail?

The time that authors spend reviewing, and improving, their speaker’s materials can big dividends in terms of increased earnings from speaking and presentations in the coming months. It’s never too early, or too late, for authors to increase the selling power of their speaker marketing materials.