They say it takes a village to raise a child. It’s not too different for authors.
Behind every JK Rowling or Stephenie Meyer is an entire team of people. Personal assistants, editors, publicists, graphic artists, you name it. Except theirs are usually provided by the publishing companies that make millions off their work, so cost is generally not an issue.
Unfortunately, that’s not the case when you’re starting out. So, what’s an aspiring author to do? Outsource.
How a Virtual Team Can Help You Launch Your Career – Or Land That Book Deal
Hear me out real quick. You see, outsourcing’s not just for companies or businesses. Individuals and professionals can benefit from it too. Here’s how.
Get the word out.
Maintaining an active online presence and engaging with followers is a full-time job. Not to mention coming up with ideas for content, especially if you’re currently writing a novel.
If you’ve got a virtual team doing this for you, however, it can do wonders for your online presence. You wouldn’t need to worry about answering comments, monitoring likes and shares, or even what to post every day.
Besides, once you get enough people interested, publishers could get wind of that and approach you for a book deal.
Grow your network.
Not a fan of cold-calling or finding leads? Guess what? You can outsource those tasks too!
There are virtual secretaries that specialise in lead generation and in telemarketing, so you can leverage on their skills.
Take care of the nitty-gritty so you can focus on writing.
Forget about tedious tasks like calendar management, booking appointments, and the like. Virtual secretaries are pretty efficient at taking care of those so you have less things to think about.
All the more time, energy, and headspace with which to focus on your core skill: writing.
Done well and with the right people behind you, outsourcing can establish your online presence, bring you in front of a substantial and responsive audience, and get you in touch with publishers.
Remote Positions And How They Can Help Authors
So, what sort of people should authors like you look to hire? I’m glad you asked. Here are just a handful of them:
Virtual assistants/secretaries.
If you’re only looking for one (1) virtual staffer, make it this one. Virtual assistants and secretaries are the jacks and jills of all trades of outsourcing. They can perform a wide variety of tasks, but mainly function as support for your professional (and sometimes personal) needs.
Whether you need someone to manage your appointments or attend to inquiries on your behalf, they’ve got you. Some even have specialised skills like research, digital marketing, or graphic design.
Graphic artists.
Need cover art for your book? How about chapter illustrations? Or perhaps you need accompanying images for your blog posts?
Here’s where graphic artists or designers can come in. No need to despair over your lack of artistic talent because they’ve got it in spades. They can even take care of producing optimised images that match your target media resolutions.
Best of all, you don’t need to hire them for the long-term. There are lots of talented ones out there willing to work on a per-project basis.
Web developers.
Speaking of your online presence, it helps to have an official website. Here, you can showcase your upcoming work, tease your audience about other things in the pipeline, and tell the world a bit more about yourself.
A user-friendly interface that functions properly is key to attracting a significant number of visitors, though. Web developers can help you create one that accomplishes just that.
Like graphic artists, they can also be hired on a contractual basis. Just make sure you or your long-term VA coordinates with them about proper website maintenance.
SEO specialists.
These SEO specialists excel at driving traffic to your website. They can also ensure that your official website appears at the top of the search page when people key in your name or a string of words into a search engine. This can really boost your credibility as an author, especially if you want to be an authority on certain subjects.
Social media managers.
Let’s say you’ve already got a sizable following online. That’s great!
On the other hand, keeping them engaged is a constant chore, as we mentioned earlier. Social media managers or SMM’s can take care of that for you. Furthermore, they can advise you on what sort of content to curate or share to attract the sort of followers you want.
Some can even cultivate a thriving community around your work and for your fans. Sounds great, right?
Best of all, you don’t have to hire all of these people at once. When you outsource, you determine the pace at which you scale. So, you can opt to hire as needed, on a project basis, at least until you become the next Stephenie Meyer and require a full-time team. (Though at that point, a publisher might already provide that for you.)
In the meantime, Remote Staff is right here for your outsourcing needs. Whether it’s your first time to hire remote talent or are looking to expand your existing team, we’ve got you covered. With more than ten years of experience in recruiting and onboarding top Filipino remote talent for various AU clients, we’ve got the complete process down pat and would be more than happy to help you out with whatever you need.
Click here to give us a call or here to schedule a callback.
