• What are
  FAVORITES?
  Bookmark any page of our site conveniently in this one area.
  
  Sign In or Register so you can take advantage of all of the features of After Fifty Living

Born in Houston to educator-turned-entrepreneur parents, I attended both public and private schools, earning a degree in sociology in 1974.  At 37, after securing work and building a house in Austin, I settled down in my hometown of choice.  Soon afterward, I went back to school and earned a business degree from The University of Texas with a concentration in high tech marketing.

Transition to High Tech
Upon graduation at 40, I faced competition from younger grads and a tough economy, but my interview technique and determination landed me a job with my first choice employer, Motorola Semiconductor. I spent over ten years in high end product marketing during a tumultuous time in the industry, and just as Motorola spun off and became Freescale, I was able to take a voluntary severance while the packages were still attractive.

Now What?
Delighted to grab the money and run, I opted to see who might emerge during a sort of domestic Eat, Pray, Love year off.  After first clearing out 900 pounds of paper from my study, I returned to what I loved when I was a teenager--writing and yoga.   Halfway through an 18-week series based on The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, the series facilitator invited me to join a women’s writing enclave she herself was attending.  The circle convened at Austin’s BookWoman and was led by award winning poet, journalist, activist and Michener Center MFA, Abe Louise Young.

Chance Favors the Prepared
That summer at another writing group, an editor observed my interest in helping writers promote their work.  Before I even had a thought of going back to work, the editor began sending me her clients.  A year and half later, my book publicity service went full time for traditional publishers, small presses, and independently published nonfiction and historical fiction authors.

A Dream Job
A dream job? Definitely. Did it “just happen?” Definitely not! I listened to my formative self, moved toward those areas of interest and followed my bliss. Today I have an impressive list of clients, endorsements and placements.

Visit with Stephanie at http://www.stephaniebarko.com. Her blog is filled with giveaways and great information for readers, writers, book bloggers, and authors.

Notes:

When you hear Stephanie’s life story, you discover a woman who has learned to listen to herself. That quality, along with her enthusiasm, her skill in devising winning book platforms, her trademark tenacity and a longstanding affinity for networking have ensured not only her success but that of her clients.

--------------------------------

Thinking of writing a book?

Check out some of Stephanie’s tips.

•       Before you begin your manuscript, make a comparative analysis of where your topic is within the existing body of work. You can do this yourself or hire someone to evaluate your topic’s marketability for you.

•       While you are writing, think about where and how you plan to market your book.

•       Understand the publishing process. The traditional track means you sell your manuscript. The independent one means you own your book.

•       When choosing publishing professionals, screen them at Preditors & Editors where they rate service providers for serious writers. P&E also has a warnings page that gives you clues for spotting scam literary agents and publishers.

•       Even famous writers have editors that make them look good.  After completing your manuscript, have it professionally edited by editors with experience in your genre.

•       Never query a literary agent unless you have first determined whether the agent takes your genre.  Same goes for editors and publicists.

_________________

Editor’s Note:  Stephanie Barko, Literary Publicist, was voted Best Book Promotion Service in Preditors & Editors’ 2010 Readers Poll.  Her award winning clients include nonfiction and historical fiction publishers and authors.  Follow Stephanie at http://www.stephaniebarko.com/blog.

Leave a Comment -

Guidelines: We welcome your thoughts, but for the sake of all visitors to AfterFiftyLiving.com, please refrain from the use of obscenities, personal attacks or slurs. All comments are subject to our terms of use and may be removed. Repeat offenders may lose commenting privileges.