In today’s fast-paced publishing world, authors are juggling more than just writing—they’re managing marketing, social media, and a slew of administrative tasks. With so much on their plates, many authors find themselves struggling to keep up, leaving little time to focus on what truly matters: creating their next great book. This is where an author assistant can be a game-changer, offering the support you need to streamline your workload, reach more readers, and grow your author brand without burning out.
In a recent Speaker Series, we talked with Samantha Williams, founder and marketing director of Aurora Publicity, and Ashley Lebucki, Aurora’s publishing director. Samantha and Ashley shared their insights on what an author assistant is, how they can help you, and whether hiring one might be the right move for your career.
An author assistant is like your publishing sidekick, here to help you with all the time-consuming tasks that take you away from your main mission—writing. Whether it’s social media management, email newsletters, or researching the latest trends, an assistant can help you streamline your workload, freeing you up to focus on writing more books.
To figure out whether an assistant is right for you, ask yourself these questions:
If you’re nodding along to those questions, it might be time to start thinking about hiring someone to support your journey.
Hiring an assistant is not just about skills; it’s about finding someone who’s the right fit for your personality. Consider your risk tolerance and working style. Are you someone who likes to play it safe, or do you chase the next shiny marketing object? Knowing your style helps ensure you get paired with an assistant who complements—not clashes—with you.
Once you’re onboard with the idea of bringing in some help, the next step is deciding what tasks to hand over.
Of course, hiring an assistant isn’t always the right move for every author at every stage of their career. If you’re just starting out and still trying to build up a steady income stream, it might be worth holding off until your business is more stable. You can always revisit the idea down the line.
If you do decide to bring on an assistant, communication is key. Here are some tips from the experts:
An author assistant isn’t just there to boost your immediate sales. They help you free up time to write more books, which can increase your long-term earnings. After all, more books = more income potential and more time to enjoy life (including the rare day off!). That’s the dream, right?
Hiring an author assistant is a big step, but it can be a game-changer for your career. Whether you’re looking for someone to help with social media, marketing, or simply to offload some of the day-to-day tasks that come with running your author business, an assistant can be the support system you need to level up.
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Thank you for this article regarding Author Assistants. While it's very informative, I have found it impossible to find an assistant in my cozy mystery genre. I have run across many assistants who focus on romance and twice, I hired someone...only for them to post my books on romance sites and arrange great takeovers with romance Facebook groups. I gave up.