Review: Possibly one of the best 'how-to' books I've ever read.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 1, 2013
It doesn't take a genius to realize that there are a metric ton of "how-to" books being written these days. I know, because I've read quite a few of them. In my 49 years I've been a moving & storage salesman, a chiropractor, the owner of a health food store and I'm currently a writer. I've also learned two languages on my own (Dutch and Spanish). So, when I tell you I've read a number of how-to books, I'm not exaggerating. (Margarita Madrigal's Magic Book of Spanish is a great how-to book if you want to learn Spanish. Just FYI.)I was actually given "Get Paid to Speak: How I Went From a Poor Utah Teacher to a Rich Speaker in Just 6 Months!" by a friend of mine who knows that I am interested in becoming a public speaker. To be honest, I have already done quite a bit of public speaking but on a very small scale. When I was practicing chiropractic in Peru I would give weekly "charlas" or speeches to groups of new patients ranging from three or four up to 40 or 50 depending on the week. This is an excellent way to build a chiropractic practice and I know that there are lots of people who make a living from public speaking but I didn't really know the nuts and bolts about it.This book, as I said in the title, is possibly one of the best how-to books I've ever read. Author Russ Johnson has, like me, had a very interesting professional life and done quite a few different things professionally. (We're also just about the same age.)  His book is extremely well written, organized and straightforward. As he says right in the beginning it's not going to show someone how to "get rich quick" but I can attest to the fact that, if you're looking for information on how to start a public speaking career, this is definitely one of the first books you should read. I have already started using some of the excellent information in order to make the transition and set up the contacts I need.Johnson gives step-by-step instructions on what to do, what not to do, and most importantly, how to turn your life and career experiences into something viable and valuable that people will pay you to hear. From the basics about how to be `found' through getting over your fear of public speaking and finding paying gigs, this book has it all.  For me it's been a revelation and I'm looking forward to the next up in my life which is going to be as a public speaker. If that something that you aspire to, buy this book first. Highly recommended.