wordpress-seo
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action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /srv/users/sandra/apps/sandra/public/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6114Ever wish there were two of you?<\/p>\n
There\u2019s so much more to being an author than writing and publishing a book. The behind-the-scenes work \u2013 getting books out to reviewers, sending and tracking blurb requests, creating a regular email newsletter, and so on \u2013 all takes time.<\/p>\n
So that they can spend less time on the business of being an author and more on writing that next book, many writers get outside help. Like me, they hire a virtual assistant (VA), an independent contractor in another location who does specific tasks.<\/p>\n
The VA\u2019s assignments are often things the author:
\n\u2022 Doesn\u2019t want to do
\n\u2022 Doesn\u2019t know how to do
\n\u2022 Doesn\u2019t have time to do<\/p>\n
The right virtual assistant can do whatever you need her to do.<\/p>\n For her author clients, Emilie Rabitoy, The Rural Virtual Assistant<\/a>, usually handles social media, but she also helps with the author\u2019s website and blog.<\/p>\n Because Kelly Johnson of Cornerstone Virtual Assistance<\/a> is known as the \u201cGeek Girl,\u201d she often takes on the technology component of an author\u2019s business.<\/p>\n This includes setting up and maintaining websites, handling e-commerce, managing newsletters, and assisting with audio and video projects and files.<\/p>\n The right VA can do other tasks, including identifying beta readers or reviewers, finding guest bloggers, creating social media graphics, and researching blogs where you can contribute guest posts.<\/p>\n I hired my first VA more than a decade ago when I realized that I couldn\u2019t accomplish everything I wanted to without outside help. (I now work with, and love, Crystal McLeod<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Just as importantly, I wanted to add certain elements to my business that included an email newsletter, but didn\u2019t want to spend the time needed to learn how to do every piece of it myself.<\/p>\n I started the process by deciding what I wanted someone else to do. That\u2019s where you should start, too.<\/p>\n Johnson recommends using a specific process.<\/p>\n \u201cDefine a period of time \u2013 for example, three to five days \u2013 and record all tasks you conducted for your business. This includes calls, working on blog posts, creating a newsletter, website updates, and so on.<\/p>\n Then rate each task on the list a 1, 2 or 3,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Use this rating structure: Then look at the tasks rated \u201c3.\u201d They\u2019re probably the source of most of your procrastination.<\/p>\n Johnson says the 3s are the ones you probably want to think about turning over to a VA to handle.<\/p>\n Once you know what to delegate, you need to find the right VA. Anastacia Brice, founder of WorkWithAVa.com<\/a>, advises moving slowly.<\/p>\n \u201cSpend more time on the front end than you imagined you would,\u201d she cautions, adding that it\u2019s not \u201ctoo much\u201d to have several calls and many emails with an individual you\u2019re seriously considering as your assistant.<\/p>\n Brice recommends assessing work style and culture \u2013 do you want someone with a relaxed approach or someone who needs everything on a chart or to-do list?<\/p>\n Do you feel more comfortable with someone who comes across as a Type A personality than someone who isn’t?<\/p>\n \u201cChoose for fit,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Rabitoy says that persistence will help.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t settle for a VA who \u2018kind of\u2019 works for you,\u201d she advises, referring to fit. \u201cKeep looking for that perfect match.\u201d<\/p>\n Be thoughtful about what \u201cfit\u201d means to you, also. I once worked with a VA who only worked on my projects in the afternoon. As I later learned, she had a part-time job she hadn\u2019t disclosed that made her unavailable in the morning.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t much of a problem until she made a mistake that created a significant amount of trouble, but wasn\u2019t available to fix it.<\/p>\n In addition, some VAs will only communicate via email \u2013 they won\u2019t talk by phone, ever<\/em>. Email works fine for me 95 percent of the time, but sometimes a situation is complicated enough that I need to know my assistant will be able to discuss it over the phone.<\/p>\n Johnson and Rabitoy get most of their author clients through recommendations and word of mouth, so start by asking authors who they recommend. Rabitoy says your author social media connections can be especially helpful.<\/p>\n<\/a>
What do you need help with?<\/h2>\n
<\/a>
\n1. I love to do this task.
\n2. This isn\u2019t my favorite thing to do, but it\u2019s okay.
\n3. If I never had to do this again, I would do a happy dance.<\/p>\nFinding the right VA<\/h2>\n
<\/a>
Know what “fit” means for you<\/h2>\n
Where to look for the perfect match<\/h2>\n