About Mary Wyrd
Hello there!
I’m Mary, the Creative Virtual Assistant who wants to give you the gift of more time and less stress.
More time focused on what you love and what only you can do.
Less stress by taking on your To-Do List and creative ideation.
How Mary Wyrd can help you
Living in your inbox? Lost on what to post next? Taking hours in Canva to make an ok graphic or book cover? Stop!
It’s time to focus on what you love. It’s time to live your dream. It’s time to get Wyrd.
Mary Wyrd helps creatives by providing business-boosting admin, copy, and content.
Creative Virtual Assistant support includes:
Author Services that support your author career and gives you more time to write
Business Administration done for you
Creative Copy & Content from ideation and planning through to ready-to-publish content
Delicious Designs created to attract your ideal audience
There’s something about Mary
Organized. Weird. Bookish. These are three words previous acquaintances might use when describing the woman behind Mary Wyrd. They are wrong.
I’m extremely organized. And bookish? Haha! No ish. I can talk about books all day long.
Sure, I’ve been called “weird” and “weirdo”. But I am weird and weird is wonderful. #ReadWeird
I have a knack for recognizing the weird, the unique, and the wonderful, in others.
All the better to build your brand and boost your business, my dear.
XP = Experience Points
I don’t speak Latin in front of the books (IYKYK) so no CV.
Instead, here’s my XP score:
Decades of real-world and irl experience (Ancient Millenial)
BA Hons Degree in Graphic Design
First job: Library Assistant
Worked in admin, design, and communication since 2005
Virtual Assistant supporting business leaders with big projects since 2014
Wellbeing, Diversity & Inclusion Award Winner (UK)
Inclusion Award (Operational Delivery Profession) Finalist
Business owner and Freelancer focusing on supporting creatives since 2022
Not sure?
It’s pretty normal to be uncertain about hiring a stranger.
To help you out, I’ve written blogs that go into detail about the process of hiring support:
If you only use your phone for social media/texting and don’t like video conferencing, we can absolutely still work together.
I use project management tools, shared folders, email and even messaging on social media to keep on top of tasks and project updates with my creative clients.
Mary Wyrd is a weird, geeky, introvert-friendly, ADHD-supportive, LGBT+ friendly, and anti-racist business ready to work with similarly minded creative clients.
Indie Fantasy Author, D. Hale Rambo
“I am absolutely delighted with everything Mary has delivered so far and it's great to have her in my corner. Thank you for being so flexible and great to work with.”
Services Available
Author Assistant & Book Promo
Pick which kind of support best suits your needs as an author, from one-off projects to regular, monthly support.
Premade Book Covers & Promo
Check out the premade book covers perfect for fantasy, horror, science fiction, and weird fiction stories.
Creative Virtual Assistant
Choose what support you need for your creative business and let’s get going on that task list.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
In Greater Manchester. In the North West of England. In the UK. Haunting your bookshelves.
-
Absolutely! Email is the simplest way. I’ve also worked through Facebook messaging and shared documents (Google.) I continue to work with clients who have never seen my face or heard my voice. But they’ve seen my work and it speaks for itself.
-
First, thank you!
If you just can’t afford my fees but know what you need, please get in touch with me anyway. Share your budget, maybe I can actually help. Or maybe I'll have some cost-cutting tips, time-saving strategies or contacts that could help you.
And feel free to follow me on social media as I often share tips and advice.
Please tell your friends about me if they’re looking for a Creative Virtual Assistant or Author Assistant.
Maybe one day we’ll work together.
-
Certainly. What currency do you prefer to pay in? I can provide rates in British pounds and Euros quickly, the other currencies will take a little time to figure out.
-
Once I’ve agreed to work with you, I’ll start working with you once our contract has been signed and the initial payment is in my account.
If you’ve never had a contract with a freelancer before, I make this super simple. The contract is written in plain language so there is limited ‘legal speak’. This is still a legally binding contract designed to protect us both and clearly state the expectations of our working relationship. You can get your lawyer to check it over.
Any questions or concerns you may have should be addressed before you sign the contract. I won’t work without a contract - and neither should you.
-
If your total package or monthly fee is up to $533, I require the full payment in advance. On a monthly contract, this payment is required before the start of the month. I will not start work until the payment is received.
If your total package or monthly fee is over $533, you can pay the full amount or the full monthly fee upfront. But I require half the payment before I start working and the remaining fee two weeks after the first payment. I will not start work until the full amount or the first half of the payment is received.
-
I only accept International Money Transfers. This has proven to be the safest and most efficient payment method. Yes, I know they can take more than a few hours to clear and I’m ok with that. Yes, I’ve tried the other options. If you don’t like the hassle of organizing a payment every month, International Money Transfers can be scheduled automatically.
-
I offer some tasks only on retainers for your benefit.
With Task Taker, we work together for a limited timeframe and I provide a positive impact on small projects or certain one-off tasks. Any task with an asterisk* is a task that benefits from knowing you and your business better. These tasks really benefit from a more long-term working relationship. With more time getting to know you, the way you run your business, your product, and your customers, I can provide you with even more precise and customized support.
-
Let me know what the extra tasks are and when you need them done by. If I can fit in the task(s) by your deadline, I'll let you know. Then you can either pay me for these tasks separately to our contractually agreed payment process or pay your next fee in advance. I can’t work until I’ve been paid.
-
Erm, which books?
Seriously. It will depend on what you need because the cost of living is not cheap. But…if it’s a book I really want/need that equals the cost of the task, well…let’s see. Get in touch.
-
Can I pay my bills with it?
-
No.
-
Cool. Sure, you can write your own stuff.
But do you have the time? I offer my services because I’m great at them and I can save you time.
Keyword searching in your specific niche is a time-sink all its own. Then, adding those keywords into the copy in a way that makes sense and isn’t an obvious keyword salad takes even more time. Copywriting is just built differently.
Bringing in a freelance copywriter is often more cost-effective than hiring a full-time team member to do your writing. Give my work a try, you won’t regret it.
-
My prices are fair. They’re actually at the lower end of the scale for my skills and experience. This is because I want to work with a wide range of folks and not everybody can afford top dollar for top dollar work. I’m also a freelancer and need to pay all the fees that an employer would usually cover, e.g. equipment, electricity, subscription fees, etc.
To give you some idea of the typical charges for each niche, here are some figures:
Copywriter
The ProCopywriter’s Annual Survey gave the average hourly rate for a UK copywriter at £43 (around $55). I have written copy for blogs, newsletters, emails, social media posts, and adverts for decades.
Graphic Designer
The average hourly rate for a UK Graphic Designer with a few years experience varies. On average the hourly rate is between £37 to £43 (around $48 to $55). I have a BA Hons degree and years of experience.
Virtual Assistant
The Society of Virtual Assistant 2023 Survey gave the average hourly rate for a UK Virtual Assistant at £30 (around $38). I have more than ten years of experience working with a range of clients - maybe I should charge more.
If you want cheaper support simply because you can pocket the extra, please consider this: would you pay such low fees (wages) to someone joining your business in a more traditional role? If the answer is yes, find someone else dear. I’m not your girl.
-
I understand that charging by the hour looks like the easiest way to charge. Most job vacancies show an hourly rate of pay and it’s what we’re used to seeing.
However, an hourly rate doesn’t account for a lot of things. For example, I pride myself on doing a great job. Sometimes that means going over the time limit I set for the task. Sometimes I get lost in projects I love, spending more time than I’ve allocated. You shouldn’t have to pay extra for my perfectionist, fan-girl ways. So I charge a set fee.
You’ll only benefit from it.
Want to know more?