★ Scribe Author Playbook
How to Get Speaking Opportunities From Your Book
A book is the fastest way onto a stage. Below is a real playbook from Scribe authors who did it, in their own words, on video, with the results their books produced.
The book is what got them on the stage
Every clip below is a Scribe author explaining, in their own words, how the book itself is what put them in front of an audience, and what it did for their speaking business.
Why listen: Matt built M&E Painting from his last $100 into a company that has done more than $40 million in revenue, and now speaks to companies around the world in English and Spanish.
His book landed him his first five-figure speaking gig
"That was when I pitched my first five-figure gig and landed it. And then landed another one, and then another one. So the book really helped elevate the speaking."
— Matt Shoup
Clip · Matt Shoup on his first five-figure gig · 0:18
Why listen: David is a Columbia University professor and Thinkers50 speaker whose TED talks have more than 4 million views. He has worked with organizations including PepsiCo, Adobe, and NASA.
His books turned speaking into 85% of his revenue
"Seven years later, speaking is the predominant revenue, probably 85% of my inventory. I originally was a professor who wrote and occasionally spoke, and now the business model is: I'm a speaker, and writing feeds the demand gen for that speaking."
— David Burkus
Clip · David Burkus on turning a book into a speaking business · 0:14
Why listen: Robin has delivered more than 250 keynotes across 16 countries, for organizations including The White House, DARPA, and Stanford Healthcare.
She needed the book to get on stages
"I realized immediately, when I decided to become a professional speaker and thought leader, that I needed a book. It wasn't an option, it was a requirement."
— Robin Farmanfarmaian
Clip · Robin Farmanfarmaian on why a book was non-negotiable · 0:11
Why listen: Paul is a Houston entrepreneur and investor, founder of the private-equity firm Genesis Park, former CEO of Texas Monthly, and past chairman of the Greater Houston Partnership.
His book got him invited to new stages
"I've been invited to speak to some clubs that I wouldn't have otherwise been invited to, because somebody read the book and said, the guy's positive, he's not throwing bombs or calling names. So it's been a good thing in terms of people's willingness to hear the argument, without the reflexive defensiveness that we find all around us."
— Paul Hobby
Clip · Paul Hobby on getting invited to new stages · 0:24
Why listen: Cameron grew 1-800-GOT-JUNK from $2 million to $106 million as COO, founded the COO Alliance, and has keynoted in more than 26 countries.
His book took his speaking fee from $3K to $40K
"When I wrote my first book, I was getting paid about $3,000 an event. I then went to 10, then to 15, and now I'm 40,000 for an in-person event and $10,000 for a 60-minute keynote."
— Cameron Herold
Clip · Cameron Herold on his book raising his speaking fee · 0:13
Cameron Herold's step-by-step playbook
Cameron took his own speaking fee from $3K to $40K and has referred dozens of leaders to write books. When Travis asked how a new author should get booked, he gave away the whole system.
Why listen: Cameron grew 1-800-GOT-JUNK from $2 million to $106 million in revenue as COO, founded the COO Alliance, and has keynoted in more than 26 countries. A single Cameron Herold keynote now runs $50,000 or more, and his book is what took his fee from $3,000 to that.
1
Build a very basic speaker page. It does not have to be fancy. Put up testimonials, photos of you speaking, and videos of you speaking. You can build it with AI or hire a teenager to put it together.
2
Speak for free at local groups to fill that page. Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Clubs, Vistage or EO chapters, your industry events. Every free talk earns you testimonials and footage.
3
Capture video every time. Hire a 16-year-old with a DJI or an iPhone to film you on stage. Pull it together slowly and do not worry about it being perfect.
4
Always pitch two topics, not one. Give the organizer option A or option B, so the decision is which talk, not whether to book you.
"Offer to speak for free in exchange for testimonials and video. Hire a 16-year-old to come in with a DJI or an iPhone and get some footage of you on stage. And come up with at least two speaking topics, so you give them option A or option B, not a yes or a no."
— Cameron Herold
Clip · Cameron Herold on building your speaker portfolio · 1:01
Give away the secret sauce
"When I wrote the book, I put everything there. Every system, every cheat sheet. And what ended up happening is they hire me to speak about the same content that's in a $25 book, or they pay me $50,000 a year to coach them on it. Even by giving away the secret sauce, it built that credibility."
— Cameron Herold
Clip · Cameron Herold on giving away the secret sauce · 0:46
The takeaway: Holding back your best material to "save" it for paying clients is backwards. The book that gives everything away is the one that proves you are worth paying to hear in person.
More ways authors actually get booked
Beyond Cameron's system, here is how other Scribe authors landed the gigs, in their own words.
Why listen: Rachel spent 30 years in retail operations, including running transformation for a $4 billion company, and turned that experience into a book, a consulting practice, and paid speaking.
Tactic: Mail the book to your prospects
"Now I've got people I've mailed a free copy to. It's not that big of an investment. I've had a couple people I sent a free copy to who have booked me for two different things. One to talk at an event that they're hosting and giving away books, and the other is a consulting project that's coming up."
— Rachel Williamson
Clip · Rachel Williamson on mailing the book to get booked · 0:27
Why listen: Matt built M&E Painting from his last $100 into a company that has done more than $40 million in revenue, and now speaks to companies around the world.
Tactic: Sign with a speaking agent
"I ended up landing and working with a speaking agent. She was booking me these small gigs, kind of testing me out, before I had Painted Baby, the book. She said, once you land this book, I'm going to put you out there more."
— Matt Shoup
Clip · Matt Shoup on signing with a speaking agent · 0:17
Why listen: David is a Columbia University professor and Thinkers50 speaker whose TED talks have more than 4 million views. He has worked with PepsiCo, Adobe, and NASA.
Tactic: Market yourself with video
"We started creating a lot more content. We started a YouTube channel in mid-2020. Those little micro-videos are like little marketing pieces, solving individual problems that then get found. So think video-first in your marketing, and be willing to put out your own content."
— David Burkus
Clip · David Burkus on video-first speaker marketing · 0:42
More Scribe authors who turned a book into a stage
More examples from Scribe authors. Click through to their full stories.
Sparrow in the Razor Wire
A friend invited Quan to speak at an entrepreneurial event called One Last Talk. That talk helped lead to his Scribe book deal, and his book was later approved for every California prison library.
Read the story →
Ignite Your Career
Kris was invited to speak at Washington University's business school, using her book's material on resume writing and interview preparation to reach a whole new audience of students.
Read the story →
Give
"I'm not an entrepreneur or a speaker first. I'm an author." A 160-page book reset how people saw Nic, and became the platform his speaking grew from.
Read the story →
Author Hour
We are adding more authors and clips to this playbook. Browse every Scribe author success story for more speaking, lead-gen, and book-marketing tactics.
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