International Association of Virtual Author Assistants

WOM interviews IAVAA President

Sharon Williams — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 14:38:52 +0000

David Wolf, host of Women’s Online Magazine (WOM), recently interviewed Sharon Williams about the advantages of working with a certified Professional Author’s Assistant. Sharon describes three major services categories: manuscript assistance, self-publishing duties and book marketing.

She also discussed the benefits of participating in IAVAA-led virtual book tours and how WOM helps authors connect with a potential audience of 25 million potential readers and purchasers.

Listen to the 14 minute interview to learn more about virtual book signings, blog tours and other ways IAVAA connect authors with followers.

So You’ve Decided to Write a Book – The Good News and the Bad News About Sharing the News

Sharon Williams — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 12:45:28 +0000

The decision to write a book is:
- Exciting and exhilarating
- Overwhelming
- Stress-inducing
- One of those life experiences that kind of find you going from euphoria to total depression in three seconds flat

Staying on top of that emotional roller coaster by managing the support of your well meaning friends can serve you well in many ways you may not have considered.

Whether you are writing a book, training for your first triathlon or launching a new business, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of putting that idea out there, into the world.

The good news: your family, friends, neighbors, mailman, hairdresser and kids piano teacher all love you and are genuinely interested in and supportive of your success as an author.

The bad news, they can support you straight into paralysis because they care so much about you and your book that they bring it up at every turn. Two weeks after you tell them about your plans, don’t be surprised if someone asks you if the book is out yet.

So, you’ll find yourself in a very contradictory situation: surrounded by people who so much want you to succeed—at something most of them don’t have the first clue about.

Why do I need an author’s assistant?

Sharon Williams — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 17:05:48 +0000

For more than 20 years, I’ve worked with expert authors, fabulous storytellers, and people with a lot to share. What I’ve learned is that they have lots of information, but are unsure of how to get their message heard. I’ve also learned that if you aren’t familiar with the system of creating and selling books, you can become frustrated, have mediocre sales and not receive the recognition and acclaim you deserve! It all comes down to knowing, how, where, and to whom to market! This may be old hat for experienced authors, but new authors aren’t familiar with the maze involved with creating, publishing, marketing and promoting books; not to mention how to develop a strategic marketing plan that puts the book in front of their target audience and entices them to purchase!

This may be old hat for experienced authors, but new authors aren’t familiar with the maze involved with creating, publishing, marketing and promoting books; not to mention how to develop a strategic marketing plan that puts the book in front of their target audience and entices them to purchase!

In a nutshell, your book won’t sell if you don’t promote it, and you have to learn how to promote it for it to sell.

Several elements of a good marketing and promotion strategy include:

Setting up a website
Creating a blog to talk about your book
Obtaining reviews from reputable reviewers
Holding interviews with the media
Implementing a social media plan to obtain maximum exposure

Unsure of how to do all this? IAVAA is the experienced team you need that is ready to pull it all together and help you reach your goals!