eBook authors often operate on shoestring budgets, and that makes freelancers the eBook author’s best friends. Freelancers of all kinds offer their services, talents, and skills for far less than it would cost to employ staff to provide the services you need. The following freelancers may be useful to you as an eBook author:
The Virtual Assistant
A virtual assistant can make virtually everything in your life easier. They keep you organized, respond to emails, coordinate your schedule, and keep you on task. The best ones can cost $20-30 an hour or more, but you can hire a highly effective VA for $10-12 per hour.
The Graphics Designer
You need a great cover for your eBook. Unless you’re a graphics designer by day, hiring a freelance graphics artist who can create not only the eBook cover but the associated graphics for your website and social media pages will be worth the investment.
Editors and Proofreaders
We believe that in most cases (50 Shades of Grey not withstanding), eBooks benefit from and sell more when they’ve been properly edited and proofread. Even as an indie author who is self-publishing, it pays to have a professional review of your eBook. It doesn’t have to be a costly investment, but it is a worthy investment.
The Formatter
Especially if you are including images or other complexities in your eBook, a freelancer who is experienced in formatting eBooks can be helpful. Taking time to stop and think about formatting can suck the life out of the entire writing process.
Researchers
It can be time-consuming to verify facts, conduct research, and pull together the facts that help improve any story (fact or fiction), and hiring a researcher can make that whole process much more effective.
Ghostwriters
If you want to be an indie author but don’t have the time or talent to write your own eBook, hiring a ghostwriter to tell your story can help you still reach your audience. Businesses and entrepreneurs often hire ghostwriters as well to write eBooks they can use for lead generation.
What other freelancers have you found valuable during the writing process?