Do Less. Write More.: The Author’s Guide to Finding, Hiring and Keeping an Excellent Author Assistant

by Maria Connor

Technology and the virtual marketplace have changed today’s publishing industry so that authors, both traditionally and independently published, hold greater accountability for the business-end of their careers, such as product development, design, distribution and marketing. The more time spent on these activities, however, the less time authors have to write. Author assistants are joining the ensemble of niche publishing support services, like book formatters and blog tour coordinators. But unlike these service providers, the role and duties of author assistants vary widely. No two author/assistant relationships work the same way or feature the same dynamics. This lack of a consistent, broadly understood definition is both a challenge and an advantage. The challenge comes in each author having to define what they need from an author assistant and how that support will be provided. The advantage is that authors can define and negotiate a support partnership that fits their unique needs and preferences. Written by a professional, full-time author assistant who has worked with more than 50 writers across multiple genres, this guide provides authors with practical, experience-based tips and tools for finding, hiring and keeping an excellent assistant. Content covered in this handbook Explanation of what an author assistant is and does Overview of the types of services offered by author assistants Benefits of hiring an author assistant How to locate and screen an author assistant Author and assistant expectations and responsibilities How to negotiate and establish a successful working relationship Tools and resources to enhance the author/assistant relationship Candid advice from authors and assistants Only two duties cannot be delegated by an author to an writing and reader engagement. Finding the right assistant to help with tasks that can be delegated is one of the smartest business strategies today’s authors can utilize. Learn how to Do Less in order to Write More by finding, hiring and keeping an excellent author assistant.

Genres: Nonfiction

40 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2015

Reviews

[Alexa Whitewolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5*. It gave me the perfect starting point for hiring an author PA. If it had had a spreadsheet with the interview questions or a link to some resources, it would’ve blown it out of the park.

[Sasha Basist · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maria has written a cute, little book for authors who are seeking an assistant. It was quite informative for me. I am new to the industry and I'm a Virtual Authors' Assistant myself, as well as an aspiring author. The book was easy to read and covered the various different tasks an author's assistant might tackle, how to choose an assistant that suits your requirements, as well as the numerous benefits of having your very own AA.

[Lauren Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet primer on author assistants

Great short guide to get up to speed on how to grown your author business by onboarding an author assistant. You can Google many things, but this guide has more detailed info about author assistants all in one place. It was published in 2015, so a few things are out of date, but more essential tips are there.

[Jean Oram]

A quick read to get you thinking about author assistants. What to consider when hiring one, how to hire one, and plenty more info all in one spot.