by Fauzia Burke

When beginning your book marketing journey, it’s best to identify your audience and your goals first. Doing so will act as your "North Star" leading you in the right direction and keeping you on track. 

Let's talk about audience: What is the most common mistake authors make when marketing their book? From experience and asking my book marketing friends, the answer is clear: it’s thinking that their book is for everyone.

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by Fauzia Burke

There has been a large increase in social media presence this year. With Covid taking away other ways of networking, it is no surprise that more than half of the people in the world use social media as of July 2020. Most social media users select brands and find new products based on the recommendations of peers and friends. This makes social media a marketing powerhouse and instrumental in getting your books discovered.

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by Fauzia Burke

If you’re an author with a recently published or upcoming book, it’s time to regroup and assess the impact Coronavirus will have on your book promotional plans. Even if you’ve had to cancel scheduled events or planned media or promotions, there is still plenty you can do to help your book succeed. Most book tours at this time seem ill-advised. Even if you are willing to travel, you likely will not get much of an audience. TV, radio, and print media will be focusing on the news of the day, which is changing by the hour. By all accounts, the Coronavirus spread will get worse before it gets better, so you can expect this to dominate the news cycle for weeks and weeks.

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by Fauzia Burke

Getting a book published is a huge accomplishment and you should be really proud of yourself. It is a once in a lifetime event, even if it is your 15th book. Once you have done a little celebrating, it’s time to get ready for the launch. Here are some simple things you can do now to have a successful launch.

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by Fauzia Burke

When I first started my career in publishing, I was surprised to learn how long it took to publish a book. More often than not, it took more than 12 months for a book to be published--from the time a project was acquired until it was a finished book, on the shelves and ready for purchase--and that didn’t even include the time it took to write the manuscript! 20+ years later, much has changed in the industry, particularly with the advent of self-publishing and the ebook model, but one thing that hasn’t is the time it takes to bring a book to market, and much of this has absolutely nothing to do with the production process.

Many of those who...

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by Fauzia Burke

If you’re like me, asking for favors is never easy--this is something I learned firsthand when I published my book. As an author, we are expected to generate pre-orders and reviews and buzz in social media. In order to get this buzz started, we need to ask our family and friends for help, and oftentimes that can be uncomfortable. So the best advice I have for you is to start filling that favor bank the moment you get a book contract. If you have done favors for others, it will be a lot easier to ask for favors when it comes time to start promoting your own book.

There are many ways authors can band together to help each other succeed....

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by Fauzia Burke

For most authors, the days of writing an amazing book and then just sitting back and watching it become a bestseller are over. It takes countless hours of promotion to see a book become a commercial success. And even authors working with a traditional publishing house are seen as “partners”--someone who will aid, and sometimes drive, the publisher’s promotional efforts. An author’s online brand has never been more important.

I believe there are three steps for developing a successful online brand. With my clients I use the following formula: Design + Engagement + Visibility = Success. Here they are, broken out:

Step 1: Design

Studies show that we judge a person in 1/10 of a second. I don’t think our visual branding is...

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by Fauzia Burke

Lynn Rosen has viewed the book publishing business from every perspective. She has worked as an editor, literary agent, journalist, and author. I sat down with her to ask her about her latest and maybe bravest endeavor -- independent bookstore owner.

Q. Why did you decide to open an independent bookstore?

A. There were a number of influences. Taking the long view, I think my whole career has been building to this. In the years I've spent in the book publishing industry as an editor and a literary agent, the core of my work has been finding ways to bring authors and readers together. The bookstore is the place where that happens.

The precipitating factors were that a) our nearest bookstore, a Barnes & Noble,...

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by Fauzia Burke

On March 26, 2015, I will be attending and speaking at the Exceptional Women in Publishing (EWIP) conference. If you are in the Bay Area, I hope to see you at this interesting conference for women in media and publishing. I will be joined by two amazing women entrepreneurs, Charlotte Abbott (Content and Media Strategist, Abbott Communications) and Jill Tomich (co-founder of  Slicebooks) We all run companies that specialize in digital marketing, publicity, strategy and content development. Our panel is called: How to Be Your Own Boss in Book Publishing. Lynn Rosen brought us all together, who recently did the bravest thing of all. She opened a bookstore a Elkins Park, Pa.

The topic has me thinking about the pros and cons...

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by Fauzia Burke

By Fauzia Burke

Most authors know that a public relations effort for their book is essential for their success. In order to have a campaign to promote their book comprehensively, many look to augment their publisher's efforts by hiring a PR agency. But how do you choose the right PR firm for your book? Here are six steps to help make that choice easier:

Step 1: Needs and Goals

Before you begin your search, think about your PR goals. What is it that you want? Do you want to be on TV? Do you want reviews in newspapers? Or, do you want to build exposure online? Whom do you want to reach? Do you know your target demographic? How long do you want...

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