The organizations contacting him didn’t have speaker budgets, but they hoped they could compensate for that by making it possible for him to sell books after his presentation.

He wasn’t sure that was enough of an incentive for the time involved.

It’s a business decision

I can relate.

After my humor book that explained male behavior to women, WHY CAN’T A MAN BE MORE LIKE A WOMAN?, was published, women’s groups all over the country asked me to speak at their meetings. Because of the time and expense involved with traveling long distances, I could only present to organizations with a budget for travel expenses, at a minimum.

It was a business decision. The investment involved was greater than the potential reward.

On the other hand, I happily accepted all invitations to speak within 90 miles regardless of the budget because doing so served more than one purpose.

First, they gave me opportunities to sell books to women hungry for what I could offer. In addition, I always learned from audience members when I asked them to share their stories and experiences.

What’s right for you?

I can understand any author’s reluctance to spend time on unpaid speaking engagements, even if they’re local.

There really isn’t a right or wrong answer in this situation.

You have to do what’s best for your career. What works for me, and what works for the author I mentioned who expected to be paid, might not work for you.

Even so, I encouraged the author in the group to be open to speaking for free.

Here are five reasons why.

1. Unpaid gigs often lead to paid gigs.

I’m Exhibit A for this.

A Fortune 500 company headquartered near where I live paid me to be the keynote speaker at an employee conference because several people on the planning committee heard me speak for free locally.

This happened after the book my presentations were based on had been out of print for almost a decade! Still, they remembered me and tracked me down. And, with my permission, the organizers scanned and reprinted my book, giving a copy to each of the 300-plus attendees.

I was well-paid and had a great time with a group of smart, fun, and engaged women.

2. Presentations can generate book sales and consulting income.

When I had several traditionally published books in print, I bought them at a discount from the publisher and sold them when I spoke. I always earned enough to make it worth my time.

In addition, the speaker, media spokesperson, and consulting fees I earned from my book on the lighter side of gender differences have far exceeded what the publisher paid me to write it.

That also applies to the speaking fees I earned from my third book, Publicity for Nonprofits.

3. You can expand your “database” of anecdotes and get new perspectives on your topic from your audiences.

One reason I get my audience involved in presentations is that I learn from them. They enhance my knowledge of the topic and how it’s relevant to them.

And, when I was still speaking regularly on the lighter side of gender differences, I always came away with pages of funny anecdotes I could use in my radio interviews.

When I talk about book promotion topics at writers’ conferences, I ask attendees to tell me about their struggles so that I can continue to provide them with relevant, helpful information in my newsletter, on this blog, and in training programs.

4. You will expand your reach.

Most of us write books to entertain, educate, or inform, whether we’re novelists or nonfiction writers. We can’t do that unless people are exposed to our books or how we think.

There is no better way to do this than by engaging with people face-to-face.

People support those they know, like, and trust. Connecting with your target audience in person helps you get to know each other better.

5. Speaking for free gives you the experience you need to become a paid speaker.

If you’re not already an accomplished speaker, you have to start somewhere, right?

Meeting planners who aren’t paying you a fee are far more forgiving than those who have written you a check, so use unpaid engagements to practice your presentation and speaking skills. (And be sure to read Betsy Fasbinder’s guest post here, “6 things every author can do to captivate an event audience.”)

You will also discover what works and what doesn’t with your audience. You’ll see when your attempts at humor fall flat, or when people start taking notes because what you’re saying is so important they want to make sure they don’t forget it.

Get feedback

To transition from speaking for free to speaking for a fee, use feedback from the audience to help you improve.

When I first started speaking locally, I always tried to plant an honest (and gentle) friend in the audience to give me feedback about my content and how I presented it.

I’ll never forget the input from one of them after my first-ever presentation on the lighter side of gender differences. She was appropriately honest, explaining why a different approach to my content was a good idea.

I was a little embarrassed, but I was also grateful. She was right.

Ask the organizer to share results of the speaker evaluation forms with you, too. Anonymous feedback is often the best kind.  (Pro tip: Toss out the best and worst evaluations and focus on what’s in between.)

Give it a try

Even if none of these reasons resonates with you, I hope you’ll be open to speaking for free.

You might find that what you receive in terms of information or connections is worth more than an honorarium of any amount. I certainly have.

Do you speak for free? Why or why not?

(Editor’s note: This article was first published in October 2013. It has been updated and expanded.)

Virtual library tours for authors

By Elaine Wilkes

Did you know you can speak to groups at libraries all over the country—without leaving your home?

Virtual library tours are the latest thing. Like virtual book tours, you don’t have to pack and travel. You just need a computer, a webcam, and a smile.

3 libraries host 1 author

Adriana Trigiani, author of The Shoemaker’s Wife, enjoyed the benefits of a virtual library tour in suburban Chicago when three libraries simultaneously used an interactive webinar to host her book talk.

Here’s how it worked: Adriana and the libraries used webcams so that each library was able to see and hear all four camera images on one big screen at the same time. Adriana could interact with patrons at all three libraries at once from her home in New York — how cool is that!

Adriana — and any other author making a virtual presentation to a library — could see, hear, and speak to them, but couldn’t shake their hands. To make it feel even more real and in-person, the libraries offered Italian refreshments to go with the theme of the book. As a result, each had a waiting list for the book.

Library coordinator Laura Birmingham of the Indian Prairie Library in Darien, Ill., said this was actually better than an in-person event because the large screen made it possible for everyone to see the expressions on the author’s face “up close and personal.”

And . . . the technology they used was free. The Illinois libraries used GoToMeeting.com’s free 30-day trial, but some use other options that include Google Hangouts and Skype.

Success tips

The New York Library System has similar programs that uses webcams to connect patrons with authors in sessions that resemble large book club meetings.

The potential to be seen all over the country, but without leaving your home, is huge if you know how to do it. The trick is knowing who to contact at the libraries and how to approach them.

Once you snag your first virtual book talk, keep these tips in mind:

• Do a test run with the library
• To make sure your book is described accurately, give the library the press release that announces your book.
• Ask the host library if it would like others to participate, too.

What are you waiting for? Fire up that webcam and start contacting libraries now! And just think — you don’t even have to select cities where you’ve got a friend who will house you for free!

Note from Sandra: Elaine spent more than 120 hours putting together her comprehensive new online training program, “How to Get Your Book and E-Books into Libraries,” with much of that time spent developing a database of library contacts for you to use. I’ve been reading the material and listening to the audio files and have to say that anyone who’s smart enough to know that it’s important to get into libraries so you sell more books, reach more readers, and create more fans, should definitely check it out while Elaine’s offering a sale price on the training. Learn more on the e-course website. 

Do you have a question about virtual library tours or how to get your book into libraries? Ask it here and Elaine will respond.