Cindy. I suppose authors go round the UK giving talks/promoting their books etc but I've never seen any advertised certainly not in this neck of the woods, although I know the US is considered a good stamping ground for writers with all your women's clubs looking for speakers. We do, however, hear them almost daily on the BBC both TV and radio.
I once attended a reading by the late Poet Laureate, John Betjeman (is his work familiar to you in the US?).
The audience, expecting him to be funny all the time rather spoilt the mood by laughing in the wrong places.

He did try to make the point that even the most gloomy of poets could crack the odd joke and cited Tennyson, not usually known for his mirth, telling this tale.

A house party was taking place at an English castle and among the guests was a Russian nobleman.
As was his habit he got up very early in the morning and went for a long ride in the countryside.
On his return his host asked him at the breakfast table, if he enjoyed his ride.
"No" replied the Russian "I had to shoot a peasant."
"We pronounce the word pheasant" the noble host explained with a smile.
"It was a peasant" answered the Russian. "He was insoltent to me, so I shot him."

As you know, cause I have said it many times, my Junior League (a non-profit [it is The JL of each city, Inc.] for the training of effective community volunteers) holds an Author's Luncheon each year as a fundraiser. This year will be our 4th-John Grogan, who wrote Marley and Me. The best writer we have had so far as a speaker is Jennifer Weiner, who wrote several 'chick-lit' books, one of which, In Her Shoes was made into a movie. Though I don't love her books, she was hysterical. And charming. She had just gotten back from the movie set a few days before she came to speak, and she told us that one of the clauses she had added was that her grandmother got to be in the movie as an extra. The movie company had made much of her grandmother, makeup, wardrobe, getting to hang out with Cameron Diaz and Shirley McClaine-the stories were a hoot.

veer, I don't know about 'women clubs', but here most writers go on book tours, where they stop in a variety of cities and read/speak, usually at bookstores. Its a way of marketing the book, and its paid for by the publisher. Usually 'women groups' or book clubs can't afford to do this, so anyone speaking at their events are usually doing it pro gratis.

>We do, however, hear them almost daily on the BBC both TV and radio.

We have BookTV which is a good source for info about non-fiction writers. For fiction writers, the bookstores advertise them, but not all that well. I've known some writers who have come into a venue with two people in attendance (I think the publisher is supposed to carry the weight on the advertising, but it doesn't always happen)

Last night, btw, there were about 50 people at the event, half men, in our small independent bookstore.