Virtual Assistants

The problem with the business of writing is that all the business stuff leaves less time for writing. Ultimately, as writers, we’d rather be writing than messing around creating social media campaigns, spending hours contacting book bloggers to create a new launch blog tour, remembering to track our advertising spend on Amazon and Meta, or getting bogged down with research.

The solution is to buy time back. Instead of doing all of this ourselves, we could find and pay someone else to do it all for us. Step forward the Virtual Assistant.

Virtual Assistance

A virtual assistant (VA) is not an artificial intelligence app, but an actual human being. However, instead of your assistant coming to work in your writing space, they typically work from their home, wherever that may be in the world, and all communication happens electronically.

While AI technology is moving forward at a frightening speed, there are benefits to paying a human to do some of your work for you.

‘An assistant is a person who will be a part of your team and help you reach your goals,’ explains Kate Tilton of Kate Tilton Author Services. ‘AI does not care about you or your goals and, in my experience, can often get things wrong and cause more issues than it fixes.’

Kate Tilton (katetilton.com) has been working in the publishing industry since 2010, helping authors and writers bring their writing projects to fruition. As a writer herself, and author of You: A Collection of Poems, Kate understands the difference a VA can make.

Virtually Anything

‘A virtual author assistant is an individual who specialises in working with and for authors,’ she says. ‘There is a wide range of tasks an assistant can do depending on their unique skills. For example, I work with my authors on tasks such as developing and maintaining systems for business operations, updating websites, creating newsletters, setting up and running Shopify stores, managing admin and marketing tasks, and so much more.’

It makes sense to outsource the work we don’t enjoy doing. Not only will it free up more time for writing, but if we’re not stressed over having to do the horrible admin stuff, then we’re more likely to be creatively productive during this extra writing time.

‘It’s a good time to consider an assistant when you have more money than time,’ Kate suggests. ‘There comes a point when the work piles up and the author has no more time to do it all without sacrificing writing time or their health. Once you are in that place, look into getting help.’

A VA can also be extremely useful when you’re just starting out with your writing business, too. Learning new systems and procedures takes time. Working with a VA to help you understand this process can save time and money in the long run, as well as helping you avoid expensive mistakes.

‘New authors may also benefit from working with a consultant for a limited time to learn the ropes of publishing. For this, you’ll be looking for someone with many years of experience who is a good teacher and can assist you in getting started.’

Andi Cumbo (andilit.com) writes creative non-fiction, YA novels, and is the author of Love Letters to Writers(https://books2read.com/loveletters2writers). She uses VAs to help with her book launches and promotional activities.

‘My VA schedules promotions for me. She uploads books and updates them as necessary, and she keeps my publishing calendar for me. She occasionally does some market research for me.’

Not only does this free up more time for her, it also frees up her mental capacity. ‘It gives me more time to write but also more space to be creative. Having to manage a lot of details and dates takes a lot of my time and energy, so when she manages things for me, it’s immensely helpful and keeps me more organised.’

Virtual Process

It’s important to be clear what you want your VA to do for you. The best way to do this is to create a process document. This is a step-by-step guide. It could be a detailed log of what actions you want the VA to do, such as identifying the information that goes into a specific spreadsheet. Or it could be more of a project management document detailing what work the VA needs to undertake at different stages of the publishing process.

As writers, we should be pretty good at writing clear, practical guidelines. However, always test them out. Sit down with your guidelines and follow them precisely to ensure you have identified every step of the process you want a VA to follow.

Alternatively, if you need to show a virtual assistant how to use a specific piece of software, then taking a screen recording might be simpler and easier. It also allows the VA to watch it whenever they come to do the task. If you use Zoom to communicate with your VA, you can share your screen and record the session to show them the whole process. Alternatively, for short how-to videos, use Loom.com. Their free Starter plan allows users to record up to 25 videos, each with a maximum recording time of five minutes.

Consider what your VA will need access to. For example, if your VA is to create marketing social media posts, then they’ll need access to the book cover files of the books you want promoted, and some access to your social media accounts.

If you don’t already have them, set up a file sharing service like Google Drive or Dropbox to store files you’ll both need access to. Investigate ways in which you can give others access to your online accounts in as secure a way as possible. If you want a VA to handle your social media accounts, it’s possible on platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn to assign roles to others that limit what they can do.

For example, if you don’t already have one, consider setting up an author page on Facebook. Access the settings option to assign a role. A role could be an admin designation, or editor, or moderator. This allows you to give another Facebook user access to take actions limited to those specific roles without you passing over full control of your account or having to handover any password information.

Another option is to use a third-party social media tool, such as Hootsuite, and give your VA access to that. This will only allow them to post scheduled material to your social media feeds.

Virtual Search

There are no hard-and-fast rules regarding where to find a VA. Andi’s turned out to be someone she already knew. ‘My VA was a long-term friend,’ she says, ‘but I know others who have used VAs they found through agencies and loved them.’

Agencies like Stealth Agents, Busy Bee, Reedsy, Upwork, and Admin Angles UK, can help you find experienced VAs. Members of the Alliance of Independent Authors can also check out their verified partner member list for virtual assistants.

Check a potential VA’s skill set to ensure they know how to undertake the work you’d like them to do.

‘Be sure you find someone who knows, or can quickly learn, about the kind of tech you use for your work, such as Vellum, KDP, etc.,’ Andi recommends.

Kate agrees, because it means everyone is starting off on the right foot. ‘One of the most important things when looking for an author assistant is to make sure he or she provides the skills you need. Not all assistants have the same skill set, so make a list of what tasks you need help with and are willing to outsource. That’ll help you save time in finding the right person for the job.’

Virtual Relationship

There are many authors who never meet their VA either face-to-face in real life or virtually through video calling platforms like Zoom or WhatsApp. Instead, they conduct their relationship solely by email. Others prefer a regular video session to catch up or explain what they need going forward. Finding the right VA is not just about finding someone who can do what you need them to do, but also about finding someone you can work with. Ultimately, it is a business relationship.

‘The biggest mistake I see,’ Kate reveals, ‘is not having clear or realistic expectations. An assistant can save you a lot of time so you can write more or keep your sanity, but having an assistant will not magically make you sell more books. A virtual assistant is also likely to be a contractor and not an employee, so it’s important to remember you can set deadlines for projects, but you are not the boss, you are a client. Hire someone you can trust to do the work and do it well. Letting go of control can be hard for writers, but it’s necessary if you want to work with an assistant.’

That’s an important point to remember when considering hiring a VA. Are you the type of person who can let go? Or do you like having control over everything?

As writers, we are individuals. Our writing business is exactly that—our business. Letting go, even if it’s an area of our work we don’t enjoy, isn’t always easy. We all have our unique ways and foibles. If you’re not comfortable with this, then hiring a virtual assistant may not be the right step for you.

But if you’re struggling with the business aspect of your writing, hiring a virtual assistant could be a sensible way forward. They may be virtual assistants, but when the relationship works well, they can bring tangible benefits to our writing business.