Career Advice

by Fauzia Burke

This year marks the 25th anniversary of FSB Associates. What started as a one-woman (me) shop from our spare bedroom has grown into a dream small business with a fabulous staff working around the country, and a roster of thousands of amazing clients. While our plans for a celebration at BEA had to be shelved and our planned parties in New Jersey and San Diego will have to wait, we are still thrilled that we’ve been able to celebrate such a milestone, albeit remotely.

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by Fauzia Burke

Back in 2016, publishing industry expert Mike Shatzkin opened Digital Book World by saying that publishers need to help authors in their marketing efforts. “At the very least, every house should do a ‘digital audit’ for every author they sign that includes concrete suggestions for filling in gaps and improving discoverability and engagement. To my knowledge, not one does.” Today, some publishers do this but the majority do not.

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by Fauzia Burke

I’ve always been a fan of social media, particularly for authors. Platforms like Facebook or Twitter allow you to connect with a group of fans, share events and photos, and keep followers updated on the latest news in your publishing journey. It can be a great way to easily keep in touch with a large group.

But in recent years, my personal feeds have become overwhelmed with inflammatory political messages and content from people I haven’t seen (or frankly, thought about) in years. It’s all become too much of a distraction. So, preparing for an election that promises to be insane, I’ve decided 2020 is the year to clear out my social media feeds. If you’re the type of person who is always adding friends, accepting requests from acquaintances, and adding news sites and brands to your feeds, but never removing anyone, it might be time for you to do the same.

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by Fauzia Burke

The days when authors could expect publishers to do all their marketing are long gone, but unlike others, I think that’s a good thing. The change has forced all of us to become more independent, and have the ability to build a long term relationship with our readers. Many authors still feel that they can farm their online marketing, as a PR and marketing firm I certainly advocate for authors to find expertise when they need it. However new digital tools and technologies, can help you save money for the day-to-day housekeeping. Learning these tools will help save you time and money and allow you more control over your brand.

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by Fauzia Burke

Email has taken over our business day as well as nights and weekends. I made a promise to myself at the start of this year to end everyday with 0 emails in my in-box. At first I thought it was impossible, but as time went on I not only learned to manage email more efficiently, I took charge on my day and got a lot more done. So in case you are looking to free yourself from the in-box overload, here's how I do it:

Every email is not Important
 All my emails are important, or so I thought. But what I realized is that every email is not important. Many of them are just disruptive. I made a choice not to...

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