Freebies - speaking and otherwise

**l*@juno.com**

Hi All,

The speaking thread caused me to think about a prolific author I know
(not gardening) who both charges high speaking fees and gives away
freebies. His keynote fee is $4,000. He offers on-line courses: 16 weeks
for $500. His fee for telephone consultation is $115/hour and the first
time you work with him, you have to commit to six sessions, three of
which have to be paid up front. He also presents in-person workshops
around San Francisco, where he lives, but also in fun places like Taos
and Paris. In addition to all of this activity, he now averages three
published books per year. (I don't know how he does it!).

On the freebies side, I have been able to e-mail him numerous times and
get an immediate response as my book-in-waiting progressed. Some of the
advice I received via e-mail was worth more than the original paid six
sessions and saved me months of work and hours of agony. He reviewed my
book proposal. He helped me find a literary agent. People can volunteer
to be guinea pigs for his coaching students and receive homework
assignments and free advice. He offers free podcasts, free e-newsletters,
and free review copies of his books. His blogs are usually limited in
time and topic and relate to whatever his current book is, but they are
content-rich and contain major excerpts from the book. I'm sure the "free
sampling" sells many books to those who might not otherwise purchase
them.

Oh. His audience is world-wide and the internet-based fans number more
than 3,000.

Since I have a strong background in marketing and sales, I can't help but
admire his technique. For those who have the energy and the interest, I
would say "Go, therefore, and do likewise."

Regards,
Lois J. de Vries
Visit http://loisdevries.blogspot.com
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