Literary publicist Stephanie Barko, BBA ’93, joined the publishing industry following a successful career in high tech marketing. This wasn’t her first big career shift: Barko entered the McCombs BBA program years after obtaining her first degree in sociology. Barko was nominated Book Publicist of the Year by her peers and named Preditors & Editors 2010 Best Book Promotion Service. In celebration of Texas Writer’s Month this past May, she interviewed 30 of the state’s most celebrated authors on http://stephaniebarko.com/blog/.

What made you decide to return to school for a second degree in business?

I grew up in an entrepreneurial family that had me working in the family business from the time I was 12, but when I went to college, I thought I’d be different and major in social work. When I moved to Austin 15 years later, my goal was to be able to stay here. One way I knew I could do that was to make myself attractive to the semiconductor industry, so I went back to school for a business degree majoring in marketing with a concentration in high tech. It worked. I’m still here in the hometown of my heart.

It must have been a very different experience, returning to school in your 40s.

All I can say is that McCombs Career Services isn’t among the top in the nation for nothing. The first thing I asked them to do was to make me look 25 on paper. After the resume makeover, and a great surprise to me, I believe my age was actually an asset. I knew exactly what I wanted, and when I interviewed, recruiters really got that and respected my confidence.

What led you to transition from high tech marketing to the literary world?

When I left Motorola, I took a year off to allow who I was supposed to be next to bubble up. I knew that girls at 12-years-of-age know who they want to be, so I went back to the things I enjoyed doing when I was 12, like writing. One of the writing groups I was in that year contained an editor who started sending me her clients. From the way I interacted in her writing group, she was confident that I could publicize their books. I figured if I could market a semiconductor, I could market a book even better.

Why do you think you got to where you are today?

I got to where I am today because I left corporate and government work and struck out on my own, just like my father did in 1952. I think it’s in our DNA. I couldn’t not do it.

It sounds like you learned a lot from your father and from working in your family business.

My dad was my role model. His idea of keeping me out of trouble was to have me work, so I started doing special projects at his [portable industrial equipment sales/service/rentals] business during summers and school breaks when I was 12. Working made me feel more useful to my family. I liked being tasked with a result but also having the freedom to produce that result in my own way. Although working didn’t keep me completely out of trouble, I did acquire my family’s work ethic. 

I wanted to be just like my dad until he died when I was 21. At that point, I realized that the way he worked was what killed him—then I learned from that too and adjusted my course.

What’s your favorite part of your job?

Watching a book’s Amazon sales rank drop below 100K after I’ve been promoting it for a short while. Delighting clients. Acting on inspiration. Working smarter.

What business challenges keep you awake at night?

Just getting it all done. I’m a boutique service, so when I’m rapidly growing, I’m either not sleeping or looking for virtual assistants with publishing experience to help me.

What advice do you give to aspiring authors?

Understand the constantly evolving business models and dynamic nature of today’s publishing industry, which is following in the footsteps of indie music. If you only want to write, then hire consultants to launch and manage your project.

What do you look forward to doing outside of work?

Adventure travel, birding, catching up with friends and family, and staying in shape so I can explore new restaurants.