How many times have you heard someone rave about a book they’ve read? I would have to guess at least once a week. We all love to share something that brought us joy, wisdom or inner strength. Stories of inspiration bolster our own energies, and we can’t wait to share our experience with others.

Conversely, how many times have you heard someone say they’d love to write a book to get their message across, but they don’t know where to start? I’m guessing more times than we might think, especially in a world of self-publication and promotion where it would seem so ‘easy’. Believe it or not, we all have a story to tell, whether it’s fiction, business or personal experiences. Many speakers, coaches and solopreneurs find that publishing a book improves their credibility. Plus, once published, it’s a source of passive income. However, many are daunted by the task of putting together a product that could eventually end up on Amazon’s shelves. So they never start the process.

That’s where a Professional Author Assistant (PAA) comes in – to help walk you through the process, from research to writing to formatting to publication to promotion. Daunting? Yes. Impossible? No. If faced strategically, an author could have a book go through the self-publishing process in less than six months if materials are already written and gathered in a fairly cohesive manner. The services of a PAA are instrumental to the success of the project. Here are six reasons why:

1. PAAs know the publishing process. They know the proper sequence of events, such as when to get testimonials, register a copyright, purchase an ISBN or hire a graphic designer. For example, if you are doing a print copy of your book as well as an eBook, you need two ISBNs. And you need those ISBNs and testimonials before the graphic designer can lay out the back cover. Many authors make the mistake of hiring a designer first, because of the excitement of having an actual cover to promote. Yet if it’s missing key elements, your designer will charge you extra to make those edits to add those in later.
2. They do the leg work. Face it, fact-finding, researching the publishing industry and looking for promotional opportunities eat up a lot of time. PAAs can take care of the tedious tasks for you. Why should you spend hours finding the original source for a quote or statistic when you can hire someone to do it for you?
3. PAAs have a team of experts in their stable. Odds are you don’t know many editors or graphic artists. An author assistant works with a trusted team of professionals who she can recommend to help you through the process. If the PAA isn’t skilled in an area, such as designing interior matter of a book (NOTE: This requires specialized software), then she can call on someone who does, or ask other PAAs for recommendations.
4. They make you more money. You only have so much time to promote your book. A PAA can help get out the word through newsletters, your website, social media, and speaking engagements. Having a presence on websites other than your own will give you extra exposure and extra sales.
5. PAAs save you money. Yes, you read that right. Paying them for their service lets you concentrate on what a PAA can’t do – write the book(s). They may provide facts and graphics and information, but only the author can put it all together into their own unique product.
6. They give you back your time. Similar to the above, assigning tasks to a PAA gives you back TIME as well as money. The time you get back from handing over simple tasks will give you more time to be productive, whether it’s writing or editing your next piece for publication. What is your time worth?

If writing a book has always been a passion of yours, don’t put it off any longer. It is possible with the right resources. And you don’t have to look any farther than Virtual Liaisons. www.virtual-liaisons.com 847-955-1822.