The Ultimate Guide to Hiring an Author Assistant (Part 3 of 3)
Part 1: When to hire an author assistant and what type of author assistant you need
Part 2: How much does an author assistant cost and where to find the right author assistant for you
Part 3: Understanding contracts and how to onboard your author assistant
An author always needs more time to write. An author assistant can help make that happen.
Part one helped you decide when is the right time to hire and what kind of assistant you need. In part two it was time to consider costs and the process of finding the right author assistant for you.
Now it’s time to consider contracts and onboarding.
Deciding to work together
If hiring a freelancer, you can see how well you work together with a trial period or trial project. This means, whatever happens, you’ll get some tasks completed.
Just because it’s a trial period doesn’t mean there’s a discount. You pay for the work done. It’d be like you writing a piece for a publication and getting paid in “exposure”. Yikes.
Let the freelance Author Assistant know what support you need right now. They’ll then provide you with a proposal, a formal list of what they’ll do and what it will cost.
Read through the proposal and either agree with taking things forward or discuss any concerns.
Once you agree on what work your assistant will do, the next step is to sign a contract.
Sign on the dotted line
Your contract will include details from the proposal and describe the compensation (what you will pay.) A contract is not a “nice thing to have”. It’s a necessity.
A written and signed agreement means both you and the assistant will be protected. A contract lists the expectations of both parties, including any boundaries.
For example, freelance assistants tend to set their own working hours. Late-night calls about work or sudden video calls in the middle of the day are not welcome. How would you feel getting a video call during your focused writing time? Exactly.
You’re both entitled to a work/life balance. If your assistant is freelance, they’ll likely have multiple clients. Make time to agree on what level of contact you need and how you’d want to deal with emergencies.
If the contract feels good to you, sign it. If it doesn’t feel good, don’t sign it. Ask questions on any points you’re uncertain about.
And if you’ve changed your mind, let them know. Don’t “ghost” them.
Onboarding
Once you’ve found and hired your author assistant, it’s time for the onboarding process. This means you provide your assistant with the information and access they need to work with you. All aboard!
How to onboard an author assistant
Nobody wants to be overloaded with information on day one. Stagger the onboarding process in a way that makes sense.
1. Set up IT and permissions
What tasks you’ve decided to delegate will determine what IT permissions your author assistant needs. Are you giving them sole responsibility for an existing inbox or making a new account for them? If you receive an email you want your assistant to respond to, you can always email it to them or place it in a shared folder. Decide what works best for you and set up IT access just before it’s needed.
2. Discuss goals and expectations
You’ve probably already discussed some aspects of your goals as an author. But now’s a great time to repeat them. Be clear on your expectations as to when certain tasks need to be done. Do you want to respond in person to fans? Let your assistant know if you welcome new ways of doing things.
3. Introduce the team
Your working team might just be you. But you also have a support network, maybe even a street team. Introduce your assistant to the people they’ll be working with or interacting with.
4. Signpost training
An experienced assistant already knows how to do the basics. But there are always new things to learn. If you’re delegating your newsletter, share your top tips and preferences.
If you want your assistant to take over your social media graphic design, share with them your Pinterest design inspiration board and/or your branding pack.
5. Provide checklists
Share any relevant checklists you have about a task before it’s due to start. This will give your assistant time to read it and ask any questions. Don’t send every task checklist through at once. Even experienced assistants can be overwhelmed.
6. Set clear expectations
Some people prefer to delegate outcomes rather than tasks. Instead of “I want my newsletter in this typeface, this size, with images published by 11.30 am on a Monday” they say “I want my newsletter to look the same and be posted on a regular schedule.” That’s the outcome.
The level of autonomy will depend on the project or the task. Agree on the level of autonomy your assistant has before beginning a new task.
7. Agree on a feedback process
All working relationships need good communication. Feedback helps your author assistant to learn and improve. And two-way feedback will allow your assistant to share their thoughts and findings with you, including faster ways of doing regular activities.
Mutually agree on when and how to provide feedback. You’ll be receiving progress updates, but you may have a preference for when and how you receive the information.
8. Share specific preferences
We all have a preferred way of doing things or specific favourites. It’s useful to let your assistant know yours.
If you always end an email or tweet in a certain way and your assistant is writing as ‘you’, share that preference.
If you have a favourite publisher, let your assistant know. They could keep an eye on announcements or could even reach out on your behalf.
Depending on the support you need, there will be other things you’ll need to share.
Keep that Alicorn aka Author Assistant
And if you’ve found an alicorn assistant (a unicorn with wings), someone that is ideal for you, ask if they offer retainers. A retainer is a new contract that retains their services over a period of time. Need them to work on your inbox, social media and research every month? You can, with a retainer.
Imagine that. Help throughout your writing career from a professional who knows what you need and saves you time. Perhaps they’ve already become a fan. And that regular income is always welcome.
Hiring the right assistant that will help support your writing career is invaluable. And if you’re lucky, you may only need to follow this process once.
Go forth and find your alicorn.
Mary Wyrd offers virtual assistant and copywriting services for creatives. Yes, that includes authors.
Am I your alicorn? Let’s find out.