When Should an Author Hire a Virtual Assistant?

A WORDSLINGER 10-SHOT What if the thing keeping you from writing more books isn’t the writing—it’s everything else that comes with being an author? In this Wordslinger 10-Shot, Kevin talks about working with a virtual assistant, or author assistant, to take some of the business of being a writer off your shoulders. Marketing, social media, video editing, graphic design, administrative work, Kickstarter campaigns, online stores, and more can potentially be delegated—giving you more time and energy for the work only you can do. But hiring help isn’t just about getting rid of tasks. Kevin breaks down how to decide whether an assistant makes financial sense, what you should expect to pay, how to choose the right person, and how to avoid some of the biggest mistakes authors make when they start outsourcing. You’ll also learn a simple way to onboard an assistant, test your communication and workflow, document repeatable processes, and gradually build a working relationship that can grow along with your author business. If the business of being an author is starting to take more time than the writing, this episode will help you figure out what you can hand off—and when. Visit the Knovelton Bookshop at knoveltonbooks.com GET 15% OFF YOUR ENTIRE ORDER AT CHECKOUT WITH CODE STORYCUTS TIMECODES 00:00 Writing anywhere—and why authors need help 00:32 What is a virtual assistant or author assistant? 01:13 What does an author assistant cost? 03:20 What can an author assistant do? 04:04 Why Author Anchor was created 04:51 Tasks authors can delegate 06:11 How to know when you’re ready to hire help 07:14 Think in terms of return on investment 08:20 How to start working with an assistant 09:30 Why small test projects matter 10:03 Document your processes 11:08 Don’t overload your assistant 11:53 Match the assistant to the skills you actually need 12:46 One assistant doesn’t have to do everything 14:06 How to prepare for a discovery call 15:31 Interviewing and choosing an assistant 16:32 When outsourcing can help you break through 17:31 Final thoughts and author assistant advice SUBSCRIBE TO WORDSLINGER If you’re a writer trying to write better books, publish smarter, build an audience, and create a sustainable career around your work, subscribe to the Wordslinger channel. This is where writers come for practical, experience-driven guidance on the writing and publishing journey. FIND KEVIN: Find Kevin and his books: https://kevintumlinson.com Join Kevin on Substack: https://kevintumlinson.substack.com Wordslinger Podcast home page: https://wordslingerpodcast.com SERVICES FOR AUTHORS: Polish your writing and make it ready for publishing with ProWritingAid: https://tidd.ly/3NCdlk5 Publish your book to every major retailer online, get your book into print and ebook, and get support the whole way at Draft2Digital: https://draft2digital.com/wordslinger Find a virtual assistant to help you market your books (and more!) at Author Anchor: https://authoranchor.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.