From Publishng Perpectives:

By Turning Authors into Speakers, Publishers Profit, Even in Recession
By Karen Holt
NEW YORK:
US publishers' in-house speakers bureaus, essentially nonexistent just five years ago, are turning out to be surprisingly recession-resilient - one of the few upbeat notes in this overall gloomy time for the book industry. Publishers are splitting appearance fees of between $5,000 and $20,000 (sometimes more) with their authors, representing a welcome source of found money, and more and more publishers are jumping into the game despite - or maybe because of - the weak economy. And while the bureaus have concentrated most of their marketing efforts in the U.S., executives say the business transcends borders, reflecting the global reach of the publishing houses and the international appeal of many authors as speakers. (read on ...)


Bonus Material: The Gold Standard of Lecture Agents
By Edward Nawotka

Speaking can be a very profitable business for a writer. One novelist I spoke to - an author who had a book chosen for Oprah's Book Club as well a couple of other top ten bestsellers - admitted to me that in some years he's made far more money giving talks about his various books than writing them. He said that, since his Oprah appearance, he consistently earned close to $100,000 each year just from lectures. Of course, added the author, this requires him to spend 2/3rds of his time on the road each year, a sacrifice that has taken a toll on both his family time and his writing production. "It's a lot like holding down a second job," he warned. (read on ...)