What is an Author Assistant and Do You Need One?

by Jenny Bravo, @JennyBravoBooks 

We are in the age of the author. With the rise of self-publishing and hybrid publishing, authors are pumping out books more than ever. We live in a content-based world with readers who are always wanting more, more, more. Not only do authors need to write more, but now, they need to maintain author platforms, keep updated on social media, and dive into advertising.

How can one person possibly manage all of this work? The answer is that they shouldn’t.

What is an Author Assistant?

You may have heard of a virtual assistant within the online business world. These are people that business owners can hire by the hour or on a retainer that can accomplish the time-consuming tasks that are necessary but draining.

An Author Assistant is essentially a specialized virtual assistant. With an Author Assistant by your side, you can concentrate on your writing, while your assistant can tackle your other tasks.

What can an Author Assistant do for you?

While it varies depending on the assistant, here are a few tasks that are commonly available to authors:

Email management and outreach
Advanced Reader Copy management
Social Media assistance
Book tour assistance
Beta Reader coordination
Blog writing and management

There are two types of assistant work. If you are an author who has a strategy and simply needs a point person to make these tasks happen, you will most likely find a more inexpensive rate. If you are an author in need of a more hands-on approach, you will need an Author Assistant who is a strategist and can be a more integral member of your team.

Do you need an Author Assistant?

Imagine what your week would look like if you could spend three more hours writing. Think of the author-related tasks that eat into your writing time. Do you feel bogged down with research? Do you lose time to book launches and still feel like you could have accomplished more?

Whether you are a beginning author or a seasoned author, an Author Assistant will be an asset for you. Often, Author Assistant services are flexible. If you only need a few hours a week, that is available to you. As you grow to trust your assistant and want to work more with them, you will be able to increase your hours or move to a retainer rate.

How do Author Assistants charge for their services?

Again, this depends on the assistant. However, there are a few structures that are fairly standard.

An hourly rate is typically what you will see when researching assistants. This is a clear cut way for you to determine how your money will be spent and for the assistant to provide you with a clear report of how they spent those hours.

A package rate is for specific services. For instance, you may see a blog tour management package, which breaks down specifically what you will receive for that service and eliminates the time tracking component.

A retainer rate is for assistants and authors who have typically worked together for a few months. This is a set monthly price that allows the assistant to be more available to the author for a larger sum.

You may wonder if there is a more preferable rate structure. I believe an author and an Author Assistant should start with an hourly rate to determine exactly how much work needs to be done and how much time it will take. I see the first month as a trial, getting-to-know-you month that allows the relationship to form. Package rates are much easier to project going forward.

Where can you find an Author Assistant?

There are a number of places to find assistants! Join a Facebook group with other authors and find who they utilize. You can also search in job boards and freelance sites such as Fiverr. Even posting your own search on social media will allow others to suggest assistants for you.

The important thing to remember is that you do not have to do everything alone. For an affordable price, you can work with an assistant who will save you time and allow you to focus on what you really care about… writing!

Jenny Bravo writes books about strong women who don’t have it all together. She shares self-publishing and writing advice on her website, Jenny Bravo Books. Jenny serves other authors as an Author Assistant and is passionate about book marketing and social media techniques. Find out more about her Author Assistant services here.

 

What kinds of writing-related business would you rather outsource to someone else? Have any questions for Jenny? And…I’m visiting Ellen Jacobson’s blog today. :) Feel free to pop by to say hi! 

What Author Assistants Do and How to Find One by @JennyBravoBooks :
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