Like most people involved in publishing, my desk is cluttered with about a zillion pieces of paper. At any given time I have a lot of projects going. Our software and publishing company offers eight books, a couple software programs, 10 templates, services, and a few other miscellaneous products. Plus, I recently started an association called the National Association of Pet Rescue Professionals. If you’re thinking, “wow, that’s a lot” you’re right. If I didn’t outsource some tasks, I would probably go insane.
Many of us have a serious resistance to outsourcing. The “Puritan work ethic” was drilled into my head at an early age, so it took me a long time to realize that you can only pile on more work up to a point. Eventually something has to give. In my case, my brain sort of shuts down and I just sit staring blankly at my computer monitor. It’s not exactly productive. Even worse, some people get to the point that they have ulcers, stress-induced illnesses, or panic attacks, simply because they refuse to ask for help.
It’s important to realize that sometimes the best person for a job is not you. As I’ve written in the past, unless you have experience in graphic or Web design, you probably aren’t the best person to be creating your own book covers or Web site. And all self-publishers should have an editor review every book.
Once you have taken a look at your own skills and limitations, it’s time to figure out the best tasks for you to outsource. The things I outsource may be different than the things someone else might outsource. But here are a few areas to consider.
1. Graphic design work. Even if you’ve hired out the interior layout and the book cover, you’re probably not done. Marketing a book requires more effort, and generally more design work for marketing materials like sell sheets and postcards.
2. Web design or programming work. Finding a Web developer who actually understands issues such as search engine optimization and usability seems to be a challenge. Take the time to scrutinize a lot of portfolios and ask a lot of questions.
3. Editorial work. As noted, you need an editor. However, you can expand the definition of “editorial work” to include research as well. To promote your book, you undoubtedly will be writing more stuff, and it’s remarkably helpful to have someone help come up with ideas and research them for you.
4. Fulfillment, customer support, and lead generation. Finding reviewers or bloggers who might be interested in your book is time consuming. So is mailing out review copies of books. Neither of these tasks are likely to be the best use of your time. Virtual assistants can easily do this type of work for you.
5. Support emails or forum postings. If you have a blog or support forum, consider having your VA monitor it and answer simple support questions. You can have support emails bypass you completely and go right to someone else.
The key to making outsourcing work for you is to find the right person for each job. I work with several different virtual assistants. Each one specializes in something I don’t like to do. In fact, they actually get excited about doing things I tend to put off or avoid. To me, this concept is nothing short of miraculous.
When you outsource, it’s quite possible you will never actually meet the person to whom you are entrusting your important business processes. So it’s vital to find people who communicate extremely well through email. You, in turn, have to make the commitment to give your assistants clear instructions and everything they need to do a good job for you. If you do, the results are worth it.