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You may be an author or a writer. And you love this, because to speak in front of more than one or two people (maybe even that too!) scares you to death.
But learning to speak as an expert on what you write about? There’s a gold mine in there, trust me.
I’ve been speaking on being a writer and marketing as a writer since 2002. My venues are small, about 100-200 people and they are writing conferences, usually themed, spiritual writing conferences, fiction writing conferences, and it’s only growing from there. I’ve met tons of people who always want to know what’s new in my writing career every time I see them in person or on Facebook! 
That’s a powerful way to reach more than your immediate acquaintances about your latest book, don’t you think?
How does one find speaking opportunities?
Here’s a list of ideas:
1. Your local community. Churches, civic groups, libraries, bookstores, just about anyone who has a published book has a veritable golden ticket to local speaking engagements. There may not be pay, there may be a small honorarium, but the opportunities are there.
2. Your regional chapter of a national writer’s organization. Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustators, America Society of Journalists and Authors, Romance Writers of America, there are many more out there. You could speak on a writing topic or a research topic for these groups.
How to practice speaking in front of an audince?
1. Twitter chats. It’s happening already on Twitter. Grab a hashtag (#WCLW for Michelle Rafter’s Word Count Last Wednesday, for instance; I’ll be the featured guest on September 29 talking about using Facebook for authors!). Get people to get on Twitter at the time of the chat, and start chatting. It may start out small at first, but it will grow. This helps you get used to writing-speaking before you actually have to.
2. Webinars. Have a great idea that helps people with how-to steps? Host a webinar. (Again, this isn’t EXACTLY speaking, but it’s excellent training.) I’ve got an upcoming free webinar with Writer’s Digest in the next few weeks (I’ll keep you posted!).
Action Tip: Consider speaking as well as writing to build your platform and to get visible as an expert. You may really enjoy the experience!
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