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The 7 Biggest Opportunities for the Virtual Assistant as an Author's Assistant

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Published: 14Dec2007
Word count: 755
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The occupation of the author's assistant has been around for at least two hundred years, but it has taken on new meaning and relevance over the past few years with the increasing number of authors who are self publishing as a virtual process.

Virtual assistants already have many of the skill sets that are most often needed in working with authors: word processing skills, using spreadsheets on Excel to track the process, doing Internet research, making phone calls, answering questions and many more. Virtual assistants are also getting special training to be ready to tackle the needs of the expected thousands of writers, speakers and subject matter experts who have decided to become authors, and can, thanks to Amazon.com, desk-top publishing and on-demand printing.

Virtual assistants already have other skill sets that they are appreciated for that are equally critical for authors as others, such as maintaining and optimizing web sites, creating media kits, handling newsletters, managing mailing lists, making travel arrangements, handling schedules and many more.

With some specialized training, a virtual assistant can boost her expertise (and her income) by taking on tasks that have been traditionally handled by in-office staff, publishing companies and publicists. Of all the possible tasks, there are seven that stand out in terms of the biggest opportunities and biggest needs for authors:

1. Coordinating the Self Publishing Process. Between getting the ISBN and LCCN - the unique numbers needed for books, and all the coordination between the book cover designer interior designer, editor, indexer and proofreader, an author has his or her hands full. A trained author's assistant can leave the author free to do what he or she alone must do - write the book and effectively market it.

2. Managing a Virtual Book Tour. A virtual book tour takes the author around the world speaking and interacting with readers, without leaving the comfort of his or her office, computer and telephone. Major publishers recommend that authors take virtual book tours to boost sales and a trained virtual assistant can set it up, manage it and help maximize results.

3. Managing an Amazon Bestseller Campaign. Want to become not only an author but a best selling author? That dream is not so far as you might think with an Amazon.com bestseller campaign. A trained author's assistant can handle the coordination of the listing on Amazon.com, the bonus gifts which are required to make it successful and tracking your Amazon rank all the way to #1.

4. Obtaining Permissions. A little understood part of the publishing process is that an author's contract requires that he or she is providing the publisher with all brand new material, unless the author gets specific permission to use quotes, interviews, lyrics, photographs that aren't his or her original work. A trained author's assistant knows how to track down the original owner and get the specific type of written permission required.

5. Helping the author get great reviews. The fastest way to book sales success and international acclaim is to get great book reviews in top newspapers, industry trade journals and on Amazon.com. A trained author's assistant knows when to send the manuscript, how to do it and when to follow up to maximize the author's chance for reviews that can be used for the life of the book.

6. Doing the competitive analysis for the book proposal. If an author wants a traditional publisher, one of the first hoops to jump through will be to create a world-class book proposal. Minimize the time it will take the author by having a trained author's assistant who knows just what is required in the competitive assessment or other important pieces of the puzzle.

7. Preparing the manuscript to send to the book designer (or printer or publisher). Probably the first job of the first author's assistant many decades ago was to prepare the manuscript to get ready to be typeset. This task has changed in format but hasn't diminished in importance. Delivering a manuscript in the right type font with the right margins and with the pieces in the right order is an essential skill of the trained author's assistant.

Author's assistants also have the added bonus of knowing that they were integral to the important, creative and artistic work of the literary world. There is nothing more fun than seeing a book on a bookstore shelf and knowing that you were a big part of getting it there.

Gail Richards is founder of http://www.AuthorSmart.com a dynamic website connecting aspiring authors with the classes, audio library, tools, information and resources needed to make smart, informed decisions at each step in the nonfiction book publishing journey. Jan King is the founder of http://www.eWomenPublishingNetwork.com a membership organization devoted to supporting and coaching women who become successfully published nonfiction authors.

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