Friday, September 28, 2012

I need an assistant!

Updated Sunday, Sept. 30, after speaking with my previous VA. She and I are going to be brainstorming about my goals [which I was very vague about in the past because I didn't KNOW what my goals were] and she'll be handling some of my assistant needs. And I'm still looking for local help.

I'm looking forward to attending the Novelists, Inc. conference in late October for many reasons. The fact that we'll be discussing "team building," and hiring virtual assistants is icing on the cake.

I have avoided trying to find an actual assistant who lives close by because I expect they will have to charge reasonable fees by the hour. Like I do for my psychotherapy services. But my budget is limited and I can't afford that.

On the other hand, many many things I need to do aren't getting done because I don't have the time, computer savvy and patience to do them.

So, I'm going to try to find someone who lives near enough to come over perhaps every other week for a couple of hours so we can work in-person and brainstorm, and all the rest of the time she'll work from home.

Here are some of the things I'd like my assistant to do for me:

Be computer/online savvy, be someone I can call with all my "I screwed up" computer questions.
Attend some local book signings and appearances with me.
Post updates [that I will write or suggest] on my FB author pages.
Send regular Twitter posts [which I'll suggest] daily.
Contact blog and website owners to arrange guest dates for me.
Contact bookstore owners to arrange signings for me.
Write promo copy, blurbs.
Be on the alert for other promo opportunities for me.
Seek out reviewers for my books/stories.
Talk me and my books up on various sites and chats.
Write/send press releases as needed.
Write and send newsletter [I have one that I've done nothing with].
Contact other paranormal authors on my behalf to create joint promo opps and or perhaps start a shared blog.
Help me with my calendar, remind me I have blog posts due and suggest topics.
Do all the tech stuff I don't want to do [really, I have no interest, time, patience for what some other authors love doing].

I know that's not all, but you get the idea. To be amended as we go along.

I want someone who is creative, talented, online/computer savvy, and availabe. Someone who knows way more about computers than I do and a fair bit about publishing.

It sounds like a lot, but we'd have to settle on a number of hours [small] per week to start. If she's worth her weight in gold, I'll take out a loan! LOL

If I need to find a separate computer person, and then another assistant for all the other aspects, I'm happy to do that.

Virtual/Author Assistants are a hot topic these days. Something for an enterprising, talented person to consider getting into. If you think you'd be interested in helping me with my writing/publishing career, I'd like to talk to you.

Lynda

False Start

I created this blog about 3 weeks ago and then forgot about it. Actually, anything computer/tech takes me so much longer than it should, because my blurry vision [cataracts, which I'm having surgery for in 4-5 months] makes me lose patience with trying to figure out the constant changes everywhere. Anyway, I need to have an outlet to write about author things besides my paranormal blog, which is mostly for readers. It's my intention to keep this blog going. [Remind me I said that.]

Saturday, September 8, 2012

What a mad, mad world this is



I've attended a few conferences recently. One theme that repeats is fear of publishing changes. Everyone is afraid. The more successful the author was in the old system, the greater the resistance to the in-process transformation.

A common discussion: should we let indie-pubbed authors into our group? That's a challenging question because some writers really do just upload their words without benefit of editing or critique. The consensus of the "in" groups is that we don't want those folks in our group. It's true that sometimes some of their writing is less than professional.

But the discussions never fail to set off my alarm bells.

I've discovered that authors are a clique-y bunch. Territorial.

Once there's a "we," there must be an unacceptable "them."

Since I've often been in the "them" group in my life, I'm sensitive to the differentiation.

I like the way NINC has handled this issue. It's about money -- which is what authors should be concerned with, primarily, anyway. If we can't make a living at our craft, what good is it?

I know. You write because you love it. You can't not write. I'm not like that. I write for a living. If I don't make money at it, I won't be able to do it.

Is it jealousy that causes some traditionally-pubbed authors to slam the gates on the indies?

Well, regardless. Change is guaranteed. We can be a part of the solution, or part of the problem.

Take a deep breath. It won't be so bad. Maybe.