Take the Stress Out of Author Marketing

Take the Stress Out of Author Marketing Weve all heard it: You need to spend time building and interacting with your audience. You need a website and a blog. And dont forget about book signings. Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn social interaction should all be regular parts of your weekly marketing habits. They dont happen Im a writer, not a marketer, we complain. Some have hired a publicist to handle all these marketing details, but that can become expensive. There is another option that many writers are now utilizing. Its the growing league of Virtual Assistants (or VAs}. As the title implies, a VA operates virtually, via online and telephone interaction with their clients. Each VA has a unique skillset which she employs, but most are very Internet savvy. The primary function of a VA is to take on tasks delegated to them from their client, so their client can spend their time on their primary focus, in the writer’s case, writing. Taking on social media posting and interaction is a common task delegated to a VA. They can create your author Facebook page, Twitter account and LinkedIn profiles. Once these are setup, they can create appropriate posts to each of these accounts on a frequency schedule that fits your preference and your budget. Need to create a webpage to announce your next book? Can’t keep up with your blog postings? Your VA can take care of that for you, too. VA skills are not limited to these types of online marketing tasks. A VA could also arrange for book signings or speaking engagements. They could design postcards or posters to promote a book signing or book release. They could track the status of your submissions to agents and publishers. They could even be your research assistant, collecting data for your historical novel or hunting down sources for a magazine article. Now that I’ve gotten you all excited about the possibilities of unloading some of those time consuming tasks off your to-do list, the next question you’ll have is – â€Å"How do I find a VA?† There are lots of ways to do that. There are companies online that specialize in providing VA services. HireYourVirtualAssistant.com is one, ContemporaryVA.com is another. If you’d prefer to hire an individual directly, you could post an ad with WAHM.com, a job service newsletter that many VA’s subscribe too, or on one of the online bidding sites like elance or Guru. Simply inquiring among your network of writers may turn up names of VA’s that others have used and have been happy with. How much will a VA charge for their services? That can vary greatly. Many will charge Haven’t you always wanted your own personal assistant? Delegating some of your marketing tasks to a VA can unload a whole lot of stress and be profitable, as well. After all, marketing is all about increasing sales. Hiring a good VA can be one of the best investments you make in your career.