Practical questions…
How much does it cost?
I try to clear $1200 a day ($2500 for weekends) plus travel costs. Some hosts can manage more; sometimes I agree on less. While my default setting is yes, keep in mind the biblical injunction: "The laborer is worthy of his hire." Also bear in mind that it isn't just the time I'm speaking. A great many hours of preparation go into these trips. (Travel costs are shared out between hosts.)
Books
At least a few weeks beforehand, place an order with Orbis so that copies of my recent books can be on hand: The Road to Emmaus: Pilgrimage as a Way of Life, The Ladder of the Beatitudes, Praying With Icons, Living With Wisdom, and Love is the Measure. Orbis will send them at a bookseller discount with the right to return unsold books. To place an order, call the marketing department at Orbis: (914) 941-7636, ext. 2575. (For details about ordering my book on the resurrection of the Church in Albania, see the corresponding article.)
Promotional resources
If you need a speaker photo and/or a biography, two are available on this web site: "Jim Forest: an alphabet of his own design" --- a short biography, and "Getting From There to Here" --- a longer biography of Jim Forest.
What sort of accommodation is required?
I try to avoid hotels and, even more, motels, preferring to stay in a host family's guest room.
Special dietary needs?
Apart from being on a low salt diet, I am not a fussy eater.
Other needs?
It is helpful to have some quiet times for prayer, reading and correspondence between speaking events. If an art museum is not too distant, and there is time to visit it, I always welcome such opportunities.