The Author's Edge: Issue 12
The Book + Speaking Package That Doubles Your Fee and Your Sales
There is a version of your speaking career where you show up, give a talk, and go home. And there is a version where you show up, give a talk, sell 200 books to the event organizer at a bulk discount, and build a pipeline of follow-up consulting work. The difference is packaging.
Most authors treat their book and their speaking as separate offerings. The book lives on Amazon. The speaking lives on a website with a "Book Me" button. They rarely intersect in a way that creates leverage. But when you bundle them together into a single package for corporate clients, conference organizers, or association event planners, something changes. You are no longer selling a speech. You are selling an experience that includes a tangible takeaway every attendee brings home.
Event organizers love this because it adds perceived value to their event without increasing their workload. Attendees love it because they get a physical book signed by the person who just inspired them on stage. And you love it because it increases your per-event revenue, moves bulk copies that boost your Amazon ranking, and turns every audience member into a reader who may hire you for consulting, coaching, or a follow-up engagement.
Let's look at how two very different authors would run this exact play.
How a corporate-training author would run it: Dr. Mark McBride-Wright
Dr. Mark McBride-Wright MBE is a chartered chemical engineer, the founder and CEO of EqualEngineers, and the author of The SAFE Leader. Mark's book explores how the principles and practices of diversity, equity, and inclusion can close the engineering skills gap and create workplaces that are physically and psychologically safe. The SAFE framework stands for Share, Act, Feel, Empower, and it is designed to replace caustic leadership styles with inclusive leadership traits.
Mark does not just write about safety culture. He has built an entire training program around the book. The SAFE Leader training course is a CPD-certified series of modules that guides engineering professionals from understanding DEI basics to applying safety engineering principles to psychological safety and leadership. Each module maps directly to a section of the book.
Here is where the packaging works. When an engineering firm, a construction company, or an energy corporation brings Mark in for a workshop, they do not just get a speaker. They get copies of The SAFE Leader for every participant, a structured curriculum that extends the learning beyond the event day, and a framework their teams can reference for months afterward. The book is not an add-on. It is the backbone of the engagement.
Mark's MBE for services to diversity and inclusion, his role as a Visiting Professor of Inclusive Engineering Leadership at University College London, and his Rooke Award from the Royal Academy of Engineering give him credibility that makes corporate buyers comfortable writing larger checks. The book plus the credentials plus the training package turns what could be a one-hour talk into a multi-touch engagement worth significantly more.
Website: https://equalengineers.com
How a leadership author would run it: Derek Deprey
Derek Deprey comes at the "book plus speaking" package from a completely different angle. Derek is the author of Everyday Leaders: Small Actions, Big Results and SHIFT: Move from Frustrated to Fulfilled. He is the founder of Fit to Lead, a coaching and speaking company that helps managers become the leaders they would want to follow.
Before building Fit to Lead, Derek spent twelve years at the Wisconsin Athletic Club as director of people and service, director of training and development, and general manager. He is also a certified speaker and coach with the John Maxwell Team and spent eight years as an adjunct professor of leadership at Wisconsin Lutheran College. Earlier in his career, he worked in NCAA and NBA basketball operations, including roles as a video scout for the Milwaukee Bucks and Director of Player Development at the University of Utah.
Derek's background gives him something most leadership speakers lack: range. He can speak to a room of corporate managers about accountability frameworks and pivot to a story about coaching college athletes through failure. His Fit to Lead keynotes and workshops cover self-leadership, people leadership, and team leadership, with each topic anchored in chapters from his books.
The package Derek offers is clean: a keynote or workshop, bulk copies of Everyday Leaders for every attendee, and an optional follow-up coaching engagement for the leadership team. The book travels home with the audience and sits on their desks as a daily reminder of the talk. The coaching follow-up converts the one-time event into recurring revenue. And the attendees who read the book after the event often become the people who recommend Derek to the next organization.
The contrast between Mark and Derek is the difference between compliance-driven corporate safety training and people-focused leadership development. Mark's package includes a CPD-certified training curriculum and maps to regulatory and professional development requirements. Derek's package includes a high-energy keynote and optional coaching that maps to talent development and retention goals. Both are effective packaging strategies, and both turn a single speaking engagement into a relationship that generates revenue long after the event.
Website: https://www.derekdeprey.com
Your 15-Minute Action Step
Set a timer. This should take you no more than 15 minutes.
1. Decide on your signature package: a keynote (45 to 60 minutes), a half-day workshop, or a full-day training. Most speakers start with the keynote.
2. Price your package. A common structure: speaking fee plus a per-attendee book cost at your bulk discount rate. Example: $5,000 speaking fee plus $15 per book for 100 attendees equals $6,500 total. The organizer pays one invoice.
3. Create a one-page "Speaker Package" PDF with three tiers. Tier 1: Keynote only. Tier 2: Keynote plus bulk books. Tier 3: Keynote plus bulk books plus a follow-up virtual workshop or coaching session.
4. Add a "Book Me" page to your website with your package tiers, a short video clip of you speaking (even a one-minute selfie video works to start), and a contact form.
5. Email three organizations that have booked speakers in the past year: a local industry association, a corporate HR department, or a conference organizer you know personally. Attach your speaker package PDF and offer a "first booking" discount to build testimonials.
Swipe File
Speaker Package Pricing Template:
Tier 1: Keynote Only
Fee: $[Amount]
Includes: [45/60]-minute keynote on [Topic], customized to your organization's goals
Tier 2: Keynote + Books
Fee: $[Amount] + $[Per Book] per attendee
Includes: Everything in Tier 1, plus a signed copy of [Book Title] for every attendee
Tier 3: Keynote + Books + Follow-Up
Fee: $[Amount] + $[Per Book] per attendee + $[Amount] for follow-up session
Includes: Everything in Tier 2, plus a 90-minute virtual workshop or group coaching session 30 days after the event to reinforce key concepts
Booking Inquiry Form Fields:
Organization name | Event name and date | Expected audience size | Event format (in-person, virtual, hybrid) | Budget range | Preferred topic or package tier | Contact name and email
Outreach Email to Event Organizers:
Subject: Speaking + books for your next [event type]
Hi [Name],
I help [audience description] through keynotes and workshops based on my book, [Book Title]. I wanted to reach out because I think my [talk topic] would be a strong fit for [their organization or event].
My most popular package includes a keynote plus a signed copy of the book for every attendee. Organizers tell me the book gives their audience a tangible takeaway that extends the learning well beyond the event itself.
I have attached my speaker package with three options. Happy to customize based on your goals and budget.
Would you be open to a 15-minute call to see if this is a fit?
Best,
[Your Name]
This is Issue #12 of The Author's Edge, our monthly newsletter for authors who want their book to do real work instead of gathering dust. Every issue gives you one tactic and a 15-minute action step. Want each new issue, plus a community of published authors to trade launch support and cross-promotion with? Join the free Jetlaunch Author Network at jetlaunch.net/network.
