It’s been more than 21 years since Fauzia Burke opened her own online book marketing consulting business, FSB Associates, after working at both Henry Holt and Wiley in-house. Yet even after advising publishers of all sizes and authors at all stages of their careers—including Deepak Chopra, Alan Alda, and former senator Bill Bradley—the industry insider says that getting to put her expertise onto the printed pages is still strange. “My mom cried when she found out I was going to be an author,” says Burke, who finds being on the other side of things, with the April publication of Online Marketing for Busy Authors: A Step-by-Step Guide from Berrett-Koehler, more exciting than she expected.
Sure, sure, Burke has seen her advice help authors and publishers break books out of the publishing machine. But the desire to help those who feel overwhelmed by the onslaught of online marketing demands spurred Burke to write her book. She hopes it will not only help authors get where they want to go in promoting their books but provide them with a roadmap of how to start, evaluate, and stick to a plan that meets their promotional goals—and avoid burnout.
Online Marketing for Busy Authors is divided into three phases: “Getting Organized,” “Turning Your Thinking into Action,” and “Staying the Course.” The book is filled with practical advice from a roster of experts that reads like a Who’s Who of publishing—S&S’s Judith Curr, Flatiron’s Bob Miller, and Crown’s Patty Berg. Burke places them all into a comprehensive and easy-to-follow narrative that aims to help prospective as well as seasoned authors manage their marketing plans and reach their goals.
As a first-time author, is Burke able to take her own advice? “One of the things I tell authors to do to avoid burnout is to work whatever they are doing into their day,” she says. “I’m still doing everything that I was always doing”—although Burke admits she stepped up her game as far as Facebook posts and blogging to support the book’s release. After helping countless others place content, Burke is excited to have recently placed her own Fast Company blog post about how never to read an email twice. Burke says Berrett-Koehler is planning to include a copy of Online Marketing for Busy Authors in its author packet at the contract stage. As any marketing guru will tell you, it’s never too early to get started on building a platform, and Burke tells readers how.
Burke will be signing at the Ingram signing area (941), today, noon–1 p.m. Next, she will be on the “New Digital Tools: Make Your Social Media Marketing Easier and More Effective” panel, in Room W180, at 2 p.m.
This article appeared in the May 13, 2016 edition of PW BEA Show Daily.
