10 Awe-Inspiring Author Keynote Speakers For World Book Day

World Book Day isn’t just an opportunity for kids to go to school dressed as their favourite Harry Potter character. It’s also a great time to promote reading in the office — whether for business or pleasure — and the huge personal and professional benefits of getting into a good book.

Books are a source of motivation and inspiration for many, which is why authors make such great speakers. Like our storyteller speakers, authors are eloquent and passionate about their experiences, so it’s often eye-opening to hear the speaker behind the story.

Writers on a huge range of topics — from personal stories to sporting achievements to business experience — can inspire students and staff to succeed. 

This World Book Day (3rd March 2022), hire an author to speak at your event or workplace. They’ll share more about the experiences that led them to write their flagship books, helping motivate your staff to be the best they can be. Here are some of our favourite author-speakers:

Richard Reed

Richard Reed isn’t just an author — he’s also an entrepreneur, art curator, and screenwriter. So no matter what business you’re in, Richard will have some great insights to share with your team. 

Richard’s book, If I Could Tell You Just One Thing, is a curation of advice from some of the world’s most influential voices, including Olivia Colman, Andy Murray, and the Dalai Lama. It’s not everyday you meet someone who’s shot the breeze with so many influential people, so your staff won’t want to miss this opportunity.

Farrah Storr

Everyone experiences moments of discomfort. It’s how you confront and deal with them that shapes the outcome. Farrah Storr literally wrote the book on dealing with uncomfortable situations in The Discomfort Zone. 

If you want to inspire your staff to get out of their comfort zones and tackle big decisions head-on, Farrah’s insightful, incisive speaking sessions can pave the way.

Jez Rose

Jez Rose is a natural speaker — so he’s the perfect person to motivate staff at all levels. His book, Getting Extraordinary Results from Ordinary People, is all about how to get the best out of your staff, using real-life experience and anecdotes to illustrate his ideas with warmth and humour. 

If you want to make your staff believe they can achieve more, Jez is the ideal speaker this World Book Day.

Sarah Wood

Sarah Wood, the author of Stepping Up: How to Accelerate Your Leadership Potential, is a huge advocate of helping would-be leaders find their feet. Having established herself and her company as major disruptors in the world of video marketing, Sarah knows what it takes to become a true leader. 

If you’re looking for a way to light a fire under the potential leaders at your organisation, Sarah speaks passionately about leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

Lewis Pugh

How could the writer of 21 Yaks and a Speedo not have an amazing story to tell? Lewis Pugh is an extreme adventurer, a record-breaking swimmer, and a diplomat who helped negotiate the world’s largest marine protected area. 

Subtitled How To Achieve Your Impossible, Lewis’s memoir is a gripping read, filled with inspirational anecdotes and adventures. As a speaker, he’s a really exciting choice for any World Book Day event.

Sahar Hashemi

Start-up businesses often aspire to be the next Google, or the next Apple. But as a company grows, it can be difficult to maintain that start-up culture that attracts talent and breeds creativity. Sahar Hashemi’s book Start-Up Forever shows that you don’t have to lose your identity and creativity as you grow. 

For any business looking to unleash an entreprenurial culture, Sahar is a brilliant speaker who can help you keep that start-up spirit as your business expands.

Campbell Macpherson

It’s no secret that change is tricky to implement in any organisation. That’s why Campbell Macpherson wrote The Change Catalyst: to inspire business leaders to do what it takes to make change happen. 

If you’re planning to switch things up in your business, hiring a speaker like Campbell can help your staff understand the need for change at work, and how they can work with you to manage the effects.

Katie Piper

Having written autobiographies, memoirs, and self-help books, Katie Piper is a prolific author. Her story is one of trauma and resilience, and her books are testament to her desire to raise awareness and protect assault survivors. 

As a result, Katie is a truly inspirational speaker, drawing on her own experiences to share the route to overcoming adversity and thriving, no matter what obstacles come your way.

Jim Lawless

It’s easy to set goals — whether they’re personal or professional — but it’s not always easy to achieve them. Jim Lawless’s book, Taming Tigers, shares his journey to meet his own goals by silencing the voice of doubt and maintaining a positive outlook. 

As the coach of many high-performing teams, Jim is a great speaker to give your own team confidence in their ambitions and abilities.

Sophie Bennett

Where does self-motivation come from? This question is key in Sophie Bennett’s book, Find Your Flame. Sophie identifies the key traits of people with high self-motivation and shows how these can be applied at all stages of your career, and in all aspects of your life. 

Having seen success in everything from dressage to business marketing, Sophie is a hugely inspiring speaker who can help your audience find their own inner motivation, urging them to achieve more.

Find A Keynote Speaker To Share Their Story On World Book Day 2022

At Speakers Corner, we make sure to find the perfect speaker for your event. Tell us all about what you hope to achieve from your World Book Day event, and we’ll find the speaker who best fits the bill. 

Whether you’re looking for a motivational storyteller or someone who’s overcome adversity to succeed, our range of author speakers is second to none. 

For further information or to book a keynote speaker for World Book Day, call us on +44 (0)20 7607 7070 or email  info@speakerscorner.co.uk .

Newsletter Sign Up

If you liked this article then why not sign up to our newsletters? We promise to send interesting and useful interviews, tips and blogs, plus free event invites too.