Taking the show on the road

I belong to an organization here in Connecticut called the Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association (CAPA) that has an ambitious schedule of monthly speakers. Because of the frequency of meetings, the number of members, and the travel distances involved, the group has splintered into three geographic chapters (saves gas), and a speaker generally gets to all three over the course of a few months.

Last October, the long-scheduled speaker at the main chapter had to back out, and I volunteered to fill in. So I jotted down a few notes and I rambled for forty-five minutes or so on what it takes to move from a manuscript to a published book. People seemed to enjoy the presentation, and I spoke a month later at the southeast chapter. Today I was asked to trot out my show again at the southwest chapter.

This is a pleasant way to spend an evening, and it might also be a way to pick up a client now and then. So I’m thinking I should take the show on the road (call it a New Year’s resolution, although I just now thought of it, five days into the year). I haven’t started to pursue the idea in an organized way yet, obviously; but if you belong to a writing-related or publishing-related organization that hosts speakers on a regular basis or at an annual conference, keep me in mind. If you’re more than an hour from me by car, I’ll expect reimbursement for travel expenses. And if we’re talking about a conference with a budget, I’ll expect a fee, too. But in that case I’ll actually put a presentation together—PowerPoint and all—rather than just jabbering ad lib and answering questions.

As only a few dozen people read this blog on a regular basis, I’m not expecting an overwhelming response to this post. I’m mostly just thinking out loud. But if you know someone who might be interested, let me know.