Ask nearly any author what they need most, and the response will be a resounding, "more time!" With social media, blog management, writers' groups, articles, marketing, promotion, and a multitude of other possibly enjoyable, but inevitably time-consuming tasks writers are required to tackle today, seems we're always running to catch up. Short of being Wonder Woman, it seems pretty much impossible. Ever thought about a writer's assistant?
Please join me in welcoming Elizabeth James, writer's assistant to award-winning author Mary Buckham. Although she's not in the market for new clients, she agreed to visit for an interview and chat a bit about being an author's assistant. Elizabeth is the first of two writer's assistants I've invited to my blog this month. Hopefully, this interview will offer a bit of insight and get you thinking about what an assistant could do for you. Enjoy, and please feel free to ask questions via comments.
1.
Tell me about
your journey to becoming a writers’ assistant. What were some of your first
steps toward making this career choice a reality?
My
background is in marketing and it is still my main focus. Mary Buckham is the only author that I work
with. When I first met Mary we discovered
that we shared a number of common interests and shared a belief in the
importance of engaging with your audience, for Mary, readers. Mary gets the value of genuine engagement and
is smart and committed. It was an easy
transition to work her needs into my client schedule.
2.
How have changes
in the industry affected you and your work?
Indie-publishing
has been frequently described as "the Wild West" in its current
state. Authors need more than ever to
drive their own marketing and audience development efforts. Social media is very fluid and requires a
sharp eye to spot trends. At the same
time, the tools to manage it all are evolving just as rapidly.
3.
In terms of
social media platforms, I’ve come to prefer my blogs, Twitter, and Pinterest,
so I use a number of tools to stay organized and active. What are some of the
best social media, marketing, and publicity tips you’ve come across for authors? Which social media platform do
you generally spend the most time on, and which platforms do you prefer?
Facebook
currently has the best conversion to sale rates for any of the social media
platforms so you should build on that platform.
That doesn't mean ignoring other platforms. You should use the others to enhance and
reinforce the main focus. That said, the
whole environment can and will change and authors will need to adjust. It never ends. I recommend authors begin with
whatever platform feels most comfortable then try the others. If you’re not at
ease chatting in 140 words you won’t excel at it, same with posting photos or
showing up and engaging on Facebook.
4.
What are some
things you know now about working as a writers’ assistant that you wish someone
had told you at the very beginning?
Everyone
has an image of authors writing in a sort of calm, idealized environment, where
they have time and freedom to focus on the work. The reality is far different, especially now
that the indie-pub scene is so wide open.
The business end of things is in a constant state of change. What worked last month may have already
changed. You need to be VERY flexible
and willing to adapt to rapid change. It
also helps enormously if you have an aptitude for social media and engagement. Gone
are the days of writing in isolation or even in taking a year or more to craft
one book.
5.
Along that same
line, what are some of your favorite resources for writers’ assistants? Courses? Websites? Blogs?
I
learn a lot from the content marketing community. They have a focus on growing audience that
parallels book publishing. Copy Blogger
is one of my favorites. Writer's Digest
is the other outstanding resource. Their
sole purpose is to help writers in all aspects of writing, including audience
outreach and the business of writing.
The more I am conversant in these aspects of the business, the more I
can be of help to Mary.
6.
Obviously, you
stay extremely busy. How do you handle your many roles in terms of time and
resource management?
I use a task management and
scheduling ap to keep everything together, and I live on my calendar. The most important things to get right are,
lots of clear, ongoing communication and doing effective planning, with
frequent reviewing.
You are more than welcome. Thanks for your willingness to share.
Comments