Looking to Hire an Author Personal Assistant? Here’s What You Need to Know
You’re so overwhelmed with all that it takes to run your own bookish business that you can’t even see straight!
You’re thinking that maybe being an indie author is just too much!
YOU, and you alone, are responsible for production, editing, design, distribution, marketing, and all of the multitude of tasks that each one entails.
AND you have to write the book! 😫
Fortunately, help is on the way, and today’s post details what you need to know when considering when it’s time to hire an author PA and how to go about doing so!
What is an Author Personal Assistant,
or an Author PA?
The Origin Story
With the birth of the first virtual assistant (VA) organization nearly 40 years ago, the world has sought to merge cost effective solutions with the work-life balance so many seek.
During 2007-2014 the virtual assistant industry flourished, and the pandemic certainly accelerated it. Today, VAs often specialize, providing increased value to their chosen industry.
Enter the Author PA
Now personal assistants (PA) for authors have become a sought after specialty, since they understand the unique needs you, as an indie romance author, have.
What an Author PA Can Do for YOU
Generally speaking, a personal assistant supports authors on a contract or freelance basis. This arrangement is more economical for you, since you, as the employer, will not have to pay for things like health insurance, contribute towards a pension, and the like.
It is not uncommon for an author to have multiple assistants, with each assistant specializing in their given tasks. However, there are also assistants who prefer to work with one author at a time.
While certainly not an exhaustive list, here are some tasks a PA can take off your plate:
Content creation
Newsletter management
ARC/Beta Reader management
Updating your website
Spreadsheet creation and updating
Creating and maintaining a series bible
Invoicing
The Cost of Doing the Indie Author Business
Some PAs charge an hourly rate, while others sell their services as packages or are hired on a monthly retainer basis.
The BIG question is:
When is the best time to hire a PA?
And…
Can I afford it?
“Time vs. Money = Can You Afford It OR Can You Afford NOT To?”
When to Hire an Author PA
To determine this, it can be helpful to consider the tasks that are taking up your time. Other than writing, are there tasks that pull you from your zone of genius?
If so, THESE are the tasks that can be easily outsourced to an author PA.
Start outsourcing the tasks with easily repeatable processes. Not only are such processes easy for someone else to learn, the time it will free up can then be used to write.
After all, that’s why YOU are an author!
For example, content repurposing and scheduling tasks are perfect for a newer PA and for a lower rate/package price. If you’re new to having a PA and/or are considering hiring a PA new to the industry, this can be a good place to start.
Step 1: Draft a Job Description
Think through the tasks you’d like to hand off, and list these in a position description. You will also want to consider about how many hours a week/month will be needed, or if the tasks you need can be completed on a monthly retainer basis.
Do you need a PA for a short-term project, or would you like a more permanent member on your team?
Step 2: Draft an Application
Also, think about the characteristics you are looking for in a PA, and consider devising a Google Form to serve as an application.
Giving some scenarios and asking applicants to address how they would handle these scenarios can offer valuable insight, especially since a PA will likely be privy to sensitive information. You want someone who is not only competent but also someone of integrity.
Here are some ideas to get you started on drafting the application:
Name
Email
Timezone
Website
Socials
Current work/school situation
Level of experience/comfort with the software/apps they would use
How they heard about the position
Why they are interested in being a PA (for you)
Have they read any of your books (although not a requirement for the position)
What type of work do they enjoy/what are their strengths/do they view themselves as independent/a self-starter
References
When available to start
Desired pay
Optional scenario (see Step 7 below for more information)
Step 3: Let Your Readers Know You’re Hiring!
To find a PA, look to your followers and to your newsletter subscribers.
Creating an Instagram or Facebook post sharing that you’re looking for help just might be the precursor to developing a trusting and supportive relationship. After all, your followers are likely your ride or dies, and they have the added benefit of being familiar with your books, your brand, AND they want you to succeed.
Your author friends can be another great resource to tap when looking for a PA.
Who knows better what you’re going through and what you need than those who are in the trenches alongside you! They might even be willing to check in with their followers/email subscribers to see if there is interest in supporting you as your PA.
Artemis Literary
Not only does Artemis Literary have a course on how to become an author assistant, they also have a database of authors looking for PAs and PAs looking for authors: https://www.artemisliterary.com/forms
The boundless world of Facebook Groups is another option.
If you or your author friends have a Facebook Group, tap into that. Authors, Personal Assistants and Virtual Assistants each also have their own groups that are worth considering.
Tip: Once you’re ready to post that you’re hiring, set the application deadline to be no more than a week ahead.
Step 4: Rate the Applicants
The great thing about creating an application in Google Forms, is that you can select the destination for the responses. Having the responses funnel into its own spreadsheet allows you to easily view each applicant and to add your own information as you proceed through the process.
As you read through the applicants’ responses, consider not only their technical experience, but also their level of interest in you, your books and your business. You may wish to put your impressions/feelings in a separate column of the spreadsheet to help you reflect on each applicant’s more subjective qualities.
Just like for books, a star rating system can help you weigh the pros and cons of each person’s skills, experience and personality. Once each candidate is rated, it will be easier to determine who would be a good fit and who you would like to interview.
Step 5: Set Up Interviews
Even though it’s nerve-wracking for all, holding an interview is a critical step you don’t want to skip!
In fact, in your application, consider mentioning that successful candidates will be contacted (within one week of the closing date, for example) via email to set up an on camera interview via Google Meet, Zoom, etc.
You may wish to limit interviews to approximately 30 minutes each, with a 10-minute break in between to jot down notes and to have a breather.
Step 6: Interviews
Prepare questions beforehand:
Include those that ask the applicant to expand on answers that require elaboration or clarification.
Be sure to see if there are any conflicts with their potential start date with your upcoming book launch, for example.
Discuss methods of communication, communication styles, scheduling, and any parameters around working in different timezones, and such.
Good ol’ Google and your author friends will be a good resource, if you need help coming up with additional interview questions.
You may wish to expand your spreadsheet with your candidates’ answers and/or with your gut reactions. This is where the built in 10-minute break between interviews will come in handy!
If you’re deciding between two strong candidates (the dream, right!?), the notes you took during this phase can prove very helpful in making the final decision.
Step 7: The (Optional) Scenario
Having an author PA is very intimate (even for romance authors lol!), so finding the right fit is especially important.
To get to the heart of the matter, you may wish to include a typical scenario or a challenge the candidates will encounter in your business and ask them how they would handle it. This can be be part of the application. That way, during the interview, you can ask any follow-up questions and get a better feel for how they would complement you and your business.
A scenario could be a challenging DM or email you’ve received. How would your PA respond?
Maybe a reader received a damaged book?
Maybe a reader didn’t like how you handled your character’s cheating boyfriend?
Another scenario could be that release day is coming up, and you need a series of weekly graphics promoting your book on social media.
What steps would your candidate take in designing and preparing these?
What would they need to have from you in order to do so?
Step 8: Make the Offer!
Congratulations to you and your PA! May this be the start of a beautiful relationship!
The Double-Edged Sword
When you’re up to your eyeballs in writing your books, it’s hard to even come up for air, let alone think about the tasks you’d like to get off of your overflowing plate!
When you have a moment to breathe, reach out to others for help and come up with processes for finding, interviewing and bringing someone else into your fold!
Deciding to bring someone on your team and then creating the process is a huge undertaking and is best done in the relatively quiet moments of your business. Plus, you’ll want to carve out some time to train them (which needs to be done regardless of their experience), set expectations and to build channels of communication.
The time you take throughout this process will payback in dividends, especially during your busy times!
Then, your PA will truly be able to take those previously determined, trained and agreed upon tasks and DO THEM: All while you’re focusing on your area of genius!
Remember: The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword!
Author PAs choose to go into this niche because they want to support YOU! Oftentimes, their love for reading is the impetus for wanting to help you in bringing your stories into the world!
Author PAs WANT to be your supportive side character and to free you up, so you have more time to dedicate to your WRITING!
Imagine what life will be like without feelings of overwhelm!
Instead, you’ll have someone always in your corner, so you can focus on writing the stories your readers are clamoring for!
It’s FREE and provides detailed, actionable steps to finding and hiring your dream PA!
When you’re ready, check out my PA services page to learn more about how I can help get your books into readers’ hands!
In the meantime, know that your readers appreciate you and are so grateful to you for sharing your stories with us! ❤️
Your supportive side character,
Lisa