We recently connected with Sabrina Dax and have shared our conversation below.
Sabrina, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?
Running my own business allows me to select the clients and projects that I’m excited about. I appreciate the flexibility I have in managing my time and structuring my days as I choose. Oftentimes it’s when you’re not at a desk or behind a screen during business hours that inspiration strikes. The entrepreneurial lifestyle suits me because it means I get to make my own decisions and get to meet a wide variety of people who I wouldn’t get to know otherwise. In the early days I was tempted to seek out a regular job but now I’ve become so accustomed to having total flexibility that it outweighs any thoughts I might have had about working in a large company. I find I can build strong relationships with people even though we’re in different parts of the world so I still feel like I’m part of a community and a team.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Working in book publicity came about somewhat unexpectedly. I had studied literature and languages at Brandeis then Harvard, and Exeter College Oxford. Then, after completing my studies, I pursued a career in international relations, working on events at the Harvard Center for European Studies in Berlin and at the Hungarian-American Coalition in Washington DC. Although I enjoyed both opportunities immensely, I found myself wanting to do something more closely connected to books, literature, and media.
With a view to getting a job in book publishing, I interviewed people who worked in the field, like an editor at Scholastic who worked on the Harry Potter books. Then, by chance, I met the owner of February Media, Gretchen Crary, at a social event and soon after she gave me a job as a book publicist at her company. I worked there for about 3 years and honed my chops as a book publicist (Gretchen and I remain friends and collaborators to this day).
I started working independently when I moved from New York to Seattle, then continued to build my business in Los Angeles, and now, in Budapest. I’ve worked on a project basis for a wide range of clients including publishers, authors, artists, photographers, and entrepreneurs. I’ve worked on projects for hip hop group De La Soul and LA’s romance only bookstore, The Ripped Bodice. Currently I’ve got a long running project with Lonely Planet. I’ve launched over 20 books for them with plenty more in the pipeline. To date, all my clients have come to me through referral. It’s always gratifying when a client comes back to me for their next project. Often when an author has hired me for their debut novel, they will hire me again for their second and so on.
My role as a publicist is to identify what makes my clients stand out. From there, I create materials that distill what they do in a concise and engaging way, and research the most relevant media outlets to receive the information I assemble. I take pride in my ability to showcase my clients’ talents, knowledge, and expertise. I’m also proud of both the large volume of press, as well as the high caliber of articles, features and collaborations I’ve generated for my clients. My clients have been featured in O, The Oprah Magazine, The New York Times, and The Times of India, and I’m equally proud of features in indie magazines because I find many niche publications are interesting and unique.
What sets me apart is my personal approach. I customize my campaigns to meet the specific needs of each client, am relentless in my pursuit of the opportunities, and make full use of my relationships with press in the United States, Europe, and Asia.
You can learn more about my work at www.sabrinadax.com and @sabrina_dax_pr on Instagram.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
There is a fair amount of etiquette I’ve noticed when you first connect with a new follower on Instagram. When I initially pitch books to influencers, I follow them as soon as they request copies for review. From there on I try to be involved in my followers’ pages, commenting on their posts and regularly exchanging messages. It can be easy to get distracted by numbers, but it’s more important to have quality followers than a glut of bots, scammers, and strangers. I’m selective, I nurture my connections, and I stay in touch. I’ve set up phone calls with my contacts so we can know each other better. I introduce my friends and acquaintances to each other.
Social media is amazing because it is limitless – there are so many communities and connections to dip into. As long as you build a solid infrastructure of real followers you will be able to sustain the ebb and flow of the more fickle ones, and your presence will shine brightly amongst your rock-solid digital tribe.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
An essay in The New Yorker, called “Last Call,” is one that I return to: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/06/24/last-call-3. It’s about a Buddhist monk in Japan who finds his calling helping people who are suicidal. After years of service, he suffers a serious health crisis and, much to his shock, many of the people he has helped over the years are indifferent to his pain. He eventually realizes that he loves what he does regardless of validation from others, and that he must restructure his work so that he doesn’t put his own well-being at risk. We don’t often think of priests as entrepreneurs and those who seek their help as clients, there are valuable lessons here about the risk of burnout, all too common for many entrepreneurs, and how building a sustainable model of work-life balance is crucial to self-preservation.
I’m drawn to memoirs because they can inspire us to reflect on our choices and motivate us to be open to new possibilities. Two that particularly stand out are I HEAR SHE’S A REAL B*TCH by restaurateur Jen Agg and THE ACCIDENTAL MILLIONAIRE: HOW TO SUCCEED IN LIFE WITHOUT REALLY TRYING by wedding photographer-turned inventor Gary Fong. Both these authors reveal the many hurdles one goes through on an entrepreneurial path and neither glosses over the scrapes and challenges that are inevitable when trying to grow a business. I HEAR SHE’S A REAL B*TCH is a memorable (and at times profane) account of her meteoric rise in the restaurant world, and the crises she must navigate in order stay afloat, and profitable. THE ACCIDENTAL MILLIONAIRE is a touching and amusing account of Fong’s journey, from growing up in an impoverished neighborhood in Los Angeles to becoming an in-demand wedding photographer to developing camera accessories that made him a fortune.
Being an entrepreneur isn’t for the faint of heart, but it’s richly rewarding. Learning about how others deal with their circumstances and challenges can help you feel less alone on this unique and interesting path.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sabrinadax.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sabrina_dax_pr/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabrinadax
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SabrinaDax