Michael Lewis, who turned an inside look at the Oakland A's front office into a commercial and cultural phenomenon, now can credit "Moneyball" for boosting an already thriving corporate speaking career that could bring in $100,000 in fees a month, based on estimates from industry sources.
Since "Moneyball" hit bookstores last summer and subsequently spent 20 weeks on The New York Times nonfiction best-seller list, corporations have been clamoring for a piece of Lewis, according to Don Epstein, president and CEO of Lewis' speaking agency, Greater Talent Network Inc.
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Lewis, a former bond trader whose first big hit, "Liar's Poker," launched his corporate speaking career, typically draws 10 to 15 requests a month to speak about "Moneyball" to executives from a range of industries, including finance, real estate and pharmaceuticals, Epstein said. Lewis makes about three or four appearances a month.
"Usually, the business community will get involved in a sports book, but only on the athlete side of it," Epstein said. "['Moneyball'] is about negotiations, and when you combine that with sports, you've got a corporate home run."
Maureen Brooks, whose company, Brooks International, books guest speakers for clients such as Fleet Bank and EchoStar, said Lewis' appeal is in his ability to bring a business insider's perspective to a topic, sports, that is always a hit among men.
Epstein would not disclose the going rate to hear Lewis speak, but Brooks and other industry sources said best-selling authors with Lewis' reputation as an entertaining and informative public speaker typically draw fees of $25,000 to $50,000 per appearance, and that fee can reach as high as $100,000.
"Moneyball" looked at how A's general manager Billy Beane and his staff use statistical analysis to build a winning team on a shoestring budget. In his speeches, Lewis uses "Moneyball" to illustrate to corporations how to look at old information in new ways.
"I was attracted to the story in the first place because I saw the connection between the Oakland A's and the business world, so I can't say I'm surprised that the business world became interested," Lewis said.
