Who books author-speakers, and why the book matters to them
Corporate buyers who also buy books
Many companies booking an author-speaker buy copies of the book for attendees. A reel that mentions the book naturally, the way Nick Sonnenberg's mentions Come Up for Air, helps that part of the sale.
Associations and conferences
Program committees like authors because a book makes the session easy to promote and gives members something to take home. They still need to see you can hold a general session.
Executive teams
Senior buyers often read the book first and then look for the talk. Their question is: will the keynote give my team the book's value in an hour, with energy the book cannot provide?
Bureaus
A published book makes you easier for a bureau to pitch, but bureau agents still send the reel, not the book. See how event planners evaluate speaker reels.
The beats an author's reel has to prove
01
The book, said by someone else
Let a host or client mention your book and bestseller status. In Nick Sonnenberg's reel, the book comes up in a meeting clip ("Nick, who wrote the book Come Up for Air") and in a host's closing introduction. It never feels like an ad.
02
The book's big idea, delivered live
Keith Ferrazzi's teamship, Kian Gohar's radical adaptability, Sam Silverstein's definition of accountability. The reel should show you saying the idea on stage, to a room, not reading from the cover.
03
You are better live than on the page
Audience laughter, participation, a host's joke, a personal story. Something a reader cannot get from the book. Nick's chess boxing story does this; so does the joking introduction that calls him "a robot" and "a genius" in the same breath.
04
Results for a buyer
A client describing what changed. In Keith Ferrazzi's reel, a client says Keith helped create "greater accountability, greater trust, greater transparency." That is the outcome a corporate buyer is paying for.
05
Credibility beyond the book
Research, client work, years in the field. Kian's reel cites research with Harvard Business School; Sam's mentions over 30 years working with organizations. The book is one credential among several.
Mistakes that cost author-speakers bookings
Making the reel a book trailer
A slow push on the cover, a voiceover of the subtitle and a review quote. That sells the book, not the keynote. Planners are booking an experience; show the experience.
Assuming the book does the persuading
A bestseller badge gets your reel watched. It does not get you booked. Planners still want to see you hold a room, which is why every reel on this page spends most of its running time on stage footage.
Too many ideas from the book
Books contain dozens of ideas; a reel can carry one or two. Pick the idea that matches what buyers ask you to speak about, and let the rest wait for the keynote.
Reading-style delivery
Footage from book signings or bookstore readings rarely sells a keynote. Use clips from real talks, panels and podcasts where you are speaking naturally. See what to include in a speaker reel.
Four author reels
- Keith Ferrazzi, 2:10: #1 New York Times bestselling author. Hosts and a client do the credential work; the reel centers on teamship.
- Nick Sonnenberg, 2:49: Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Come Up for Air. The book appears twice, naturally, inside a reel about a problem every office worker has.
- Kian Gohar, 3:00: Wall Street Journal bestselling author. Research and a named framework, delivered in his own voice.
- Sam Silverstein, 4:07: author of 13 books. A cold-open thesis and a full argument for accountability.
None of these reels is about the book. All of them are stronger because of it. If your book is on leadership, see leadership speakers; if it is on productivity or how work is changing, see productivity speakers and future of work speakers.
Reels we have made for authors
“He edited my speaker and podcast reel and got some real, viral, runaway traction. I could not be more thrilled.”
Your next stage
Turn your book's big idea into a reel
Send us your keynote, podcast and interview footage. We build the reel around the idea buyers book you for. $3,000 flat, 2 to 3 weeks, two rounds of revisions included.
Questions people ask
What should an author's speaker reel include?
A host or client mentioning the book, you delivering the book's central idea live, proof you are better in person than on the page, results for a buyer, and credentials beyond the book.
Should my speaker reel show my book cover?
Briefly, if at all. Let someone mention the book, and keep the reel focused on the keynote experience. A reel that becomes a book trailer sells the book, not the talk.
Can podcast and interview footage go in an author's reel?
Yes. Authors often have more podcast and interview footage than stage footage, and it works well alongside keynote clips. Nick Sonnenberg's reel uses a meeting clip. See speaker reel production.
Which authors has Hop On Stages made reels for?
Keith Ferrazzi, Nick Sonnenberg, Kian Gohar and Sam Silverstein, among others.
Keep reading
Case study
Keith Ferrazzi
A 2:10 leadership reel that leads with a host's introduction and closes on Keith's signature idea, teamship.
Case study
Nick Sonnenberg
A 2:49 productivity reel that names a pain every office worker has, makes it current with AI, and shows personality through chess boxing.
Case study
Kian Gohar
A 3:00 research-led reel that promises a practical talk, proves it with Harvard Business School research, and names a four-part framework.
Case study
Sam Silverstein
A 4:07 idea-led leadership reel with no host intro: it opens on a provocative thesis and builds the business case for accountability.
Speaker reels for
Leadership speakers
What corporate and association buyers need to see in a leadership keynote reel, with Ferrazzi, Gohar and Silverstein as examples.
Guide
Speaker one sheet
The one-page document that travels through program committees, and how it works with your reel.
Your next stage
Get a speaker reel that books the room.
One flat $3,000 per reel (50% to begin, 50% on completion). Edited from footage you already have, delivered in 2 to 3 weeks, with two rounds of revisions. Two minutes to see if you're a fit.