Here’s something a lot of nonfiction authors don’t realize: your book is one of the best speaking pitches you’ll ever have.
A book gives a podcast host or event organizer an instant reason to invite you. It hands them a clear topic, it signals that you know your subject, and it makes their job of introducing you much easier. And every time you show up on a podcast, you get in front of a whole new audience of potential readers and clients. For nonfiction authors, speaking and selling books go hand in hand.
But there’s a catch: hosts and organizers are busy, and they book the guests who are easy to say yes to. That’s why you need a good speaking page: it makes you the obvious, low-effort choice. So let’s talk about how to set one up, and then how to actually get booked.
I’m going to use my own speaking page as the example throughout, because it shows the approach I recommend, especially the part about building speaking topics around each of your books.
Why you need a speaking page as an Author
You might be wondering if you really need a dedicated page. You do, and here’s why.
When a host is considering you as a guest, they want to know what you speak about, whether you’ll be a good fit for their audience, and how to get in touch. If they have to dig around your website to piece that together, many won’t bother. A speaking page puts everything in one place, so you can send a single link and let it do the work.
It also does something subtler. Simply having a speaking page tells the world you’re available and that you take this seriously. It positions you as an author who speaks, not just someone who might say yes if asked. It also makes it look like you know what you’re doing. As someone who had a podcast for nine and a half years and 500 episodes, I’ve interviewed people who were incredibly professional and well-prepared, as well as others who weren’t.
What to put on your speaking page
You don’t need anything fancy. You need the right pieces, laid out clearly so a busy host can find what they need in seconds. Here’s what I’d include:
A clear invitation. Open by saying who you are and what you love to talk about. Make it warm and direct. On my page, I lead with the fact that I’d love to be a guest and what I speak about, so there’s no guessing.
Credibility markers. If you’ve been featured anywhere, say so. An “as seen or heard on” line with a few logos or names reassures hosts that you know your way around a microphone. If you’re just starting and don’t have these yet, don’t worry. You’ll add them as you go.
Your speaking topics. This is the heart of the page, and it’s the part most authors get wrong or skip entirely. I’ll come back to it in a moment, because it deserves its own section.
The practical details. Where are you based? Will you travel? Are you happy to do online events and webinars in addition to podcasts? I also include a note about my recording setup: I use a good microphone and a wired internet connection, so hosts know the audio quality will be there. That small detail removes a real worry for podcasters.
Social proof. I keep a running list of the podcasts I’ve been a guest on. It shows hosts that other people have trusted me with their audience, and it gives them a sense of the range of shows I fit. A testimonial or two helps here as well.
An easy way to book you. Make the next step obvious. I repeat a simple “get in touch” invitation several times down the page, so wherever someone finishes reading, the way forward is right there. You could also include a link to your online booking page if you have one (and you should).
A bio and photos for guests you’ve booked. Once someone has said yes, they’ll need your bio and a headshot for their show notes. I keep those on a separate page and point booked guests straight to it. It saves a flurry of back-and-forth emails and makes you look organized.
The secret to great speaking topics
Now for the part that makes the biggest difference. Most authors, if they list speaking topics at all, write something vague like “mindset” or “writing.” That gives a host nothing to work with. Instead, build a set of specific talks, and tie each one to a book.
Here’s the format I use for every topic on my page:
- A clear talk title, so a host can envision it on their show.
- A note about which book it comes from, which does double duty by promoting the book itself.
- Three or four bullet points describing what the talk covers, or what the audience will take away.
For example, one of my topics is “Solo Hiking for Women,” and I note that it’s inspired by my walking books. Underneath, I list what I’ll cover: why it’s safe for women to hike alone, the benefits of doing it, and how facing our fears in Nature can lead to big changes in life. A host reading that knows exactly what they’d be getting and who it’s for.
I do the same for each of my books. Business Books leads to a talk on turning existing content into Amazon ebooks. My mindset books lead to a talk on why mindset matters so much. Each book earns its own topic. If you have several books, you end up with a menu of talks that a host can choose from based on what suits their audience.
And if you only have one book? You can still create two or three different talks from it by pulling out different angles. One book can easily become a handful of distinct topics, each aimed at a slightly different audience.
Why does this work so well? Because it makes you easy to book. The host doesn’t have to figure out what you’d talk about. You’ve handed them the title, the description, and the takeaways, all ready to go. And every topic points back to a book, so your speaking supports your sales.
How to actually get booked on podcasts
A speaking page is what you send people. Getting booked means going out and doing the reaching. Here’s how I approach it.
Make a list of shows that fit your audience, not just big ones. A smaller podcast with exactly the right listeners is worth more to you than a huge one whose audience would never buy your book. Look for shows your ideal reader already listens to.
Listen to an episode before you pitch. You’ll get a feel for the host’s style and whether you’re a match, and it means your pitch can reference something real about their show. Hosts can spot a copy-and-paste pitch immediately.
Pitch a specific topic, not just yourself. This is where your speaking page pays off. Instead of asking to “come on the show,” suggest one of your ready-made talks that fits their audience, and include the link to your speaking page so they can see the rest.
Craft a careful pitch. It takes time. But if you create a system, it gets easier. Back when I had my podcast, I wrote a blog post on how to stand out from the crowd of pitches and be accepted for an interview.
Make the host’s job easy. Offer your topics, your bio, and even a few suggested questions. The less work it is to have you on, the more likely you are to get a yes. Being organized is definitely a competitive advantage here.
Be a great guest, and the invitations start coming to you. Show up prepared, deliver real value, and promote the episode when it goes live. Hosts talk to each other, and a good guest gets referred and re-invited. Over time, more of your bookings will come from people reaching out to you.
Start where you are and build. My first bookings were small. Over the years, that grew into being on well-known shows and even live television. It compounds, but only if you keep at it. Like everything in book marketing, you get out what you put in, and consistency beats intensity.
Getting ready before you pitch
Before you start reaching out, get two things sorted so you’re not scrambling later.
The first is your setup for recording. You don’t need a studio, but a decent microphone and a stable internet connection make a real difference, and hosts notice.
The second is a simple media kit: a short bio and a good-quality headshot that a host can grab without having to ask. Having these ready means you can say yes to an invitation without any friction.
The Easiest Way to Start Pitching to Podcasts
I’ve been using PodcastGuests.com since right around the time it started to get guests for my podcast (which is now on pause) and to pitch myself. Over the years, I have built a Word doc with all the different pitches I use for each of the topics I can speak about:
- Neurodiversity. I can use this to talk about my work and my books.
- Running and ultrarunning. This doesn’t feed directly into my books, but it could be used to mention my walking books.
- Fitness as a middle-aged woman. This ties into my walking books.
- Trees and nature connection. This is a good topic to mention my book If Trees Could Talk.
- Personal growth through travel. This topic ties into several of my blog posts and can also be used to discuss my walking books.
- Personal growth through outdoor adventures. Perfect for mentioning my walking books.
- Nature and wellbeing. This is a good topic to discuss any of my outdoors books: my walking books or If Trees Could Talk.
- Workcations. This is perfect for my book titled Workcations.
- Using an Amazon ebook as a lead magnet for business. This ties right into my book titled Business Books.
- Business mindset. This is the perfect topic to discuss my four business mindset books: Business Beliefs, Business Blocks, Business Visibility, and Business Intuition.
- Mindset in general. This also ties into my business mindset books.
Your book opens the door
Now, walk through it. Writing the book is a real achievement. But the book doesn’t have to be the end of the conversation. It can be the thing that gets you invited into rooms and onto shows where your future readers and clients are already listening.
Set up your speaking page, build a topic around each of your books, and start reaching out to shows that fit your audience. It’s one of the most enjoyable forms of book marketing I know, and it keeps working long after launch week is over.
If you’d like help shaping your speaking topics or building a page that gets you booked, book a Pick My Brain call. We’ll look at your book, your audience, and the talks you could offer, and I’ll help you turn them into a page that makes hosts want to say yes.
