When you’re an author, you feel as though you have a million different jobs to do. From writing your book to finding an agent, you have many tasks. The same goes for being an author’s research associate: You need to be able to manage multiple projects at once and juggle many different responsibilities. Still, one of the authors’ most essential jobs is book research—a task many people don’t know how to do! So, if you’re looking for a new opportunity in this industry, here are some ways you can help out:
Author’s assistant
In addition to helping authors with writing and editing, an author’s research associate or assistant might also help with research and fact-checking, formatting, layout design, and marketing. They can be responsible for social media outreach and legal issues.
Content researcher
The research phase is essential to writing a book. Starting your work with a professional researcher is always good. This is true for any written work, whether a blog post or when starting an online business.
To be successful in any endeavor, you need to know how and where to find information on your topic. Content research must become part of your routine if you want to learn more about something and progress as an entrepreneur or writer.
Market research analyst
This type of book research assistant will examine the market for your book and give you a sense of how well it might sell and how many copies it could sell. The assistant will also help you determine what would be needed to gain the attention of people who might buy your book. You can focus on doing whatever will help your book stand out.
Competition researcher
In this scenario, your assistant looks at books similar to yours and decides whether they are right or wrong. Your assistant may also look at other forms of entertainment or media like movies, TV shows, or podcasts—anything promoting similar products.
Data gathered from this kind of research helps authors determine how they should promote their products online through social media channels like Facebook groups or Reddit boards. People interested in certain types of content regularly share links.
Website content developer
A content developer is a professional who writes website content for clients and businesses. Content developers have the skills to write blog posts, product descriptions, press releases, articles, SEO content, and more.
Companies also hire content developers to help clients create content for websites or social media channels. Content developers can be hired freelance or as part of an agency team.
Ghostwriter
Ghostwriters are writers hired by publishers to write books in another author’s name. Their history dates back to ancient Greece and Rome. Wealthy families often employed them to write letters or for royalty to compose speeches and edicts during formal occasions.
Today, ghostwriters are most commonly used to write autobiographies. However, publishers can hire them to write books on topics they have no experience in!
Editor
An editor’s job is to improve your book. They will also help you organize your manuscript and ensure it flows logically from chapter to chapter, act to act, or scene to scene. An editor will also help you enhance your writing by giving feedback on word choice, sentence structure, and flow.
Finally, an editor will help you find errors and correct them so that when the book goes off for copyediting, it is as good as possible before publication.
Cover designer
As a cover designer, you are an artist rather than a graphic designer. Your job is to create covers that inspire book buyers to purchase your client’s books. You must have excellent communication skills—you will be working closely with the author and other stakeholders to ensure that what you create works for the book in question.
Cover designers work for both freelance firms and in-house publishing companies. If you’re interested in becoming an independent cover designer, you must have experience designing marketing materials or illustrations before applying to publishing companies; many hiring managers require samples of previous work when considering candidates for their teams.
If you have book research skills, you should let authors know
A book research associate can help authors with their book research by editing their work, ghostwriting the book for them, helping them with it, or marketing the book after its release. Moreover, the skills these virtual assistants can bring to the table can be helpful to authors.
Conclusion: The Different Types of Book Research Associate
If you are looking for a book research associate, message us. Aristo Sourcing can help you find great talent to help with your bespoke needs.
Write Smarter, Research Faster
Behind every great book are hours of research; a research associate can take that weight off your shoulders. Whether writing fiction, nonfiction, or academic work, the proper support can sharpen your ideas and speed up your process.
Let’s discuss your project, research needs, and how we can match you with the perfect assistant to bring your vision to life.
👉 Ready to focus on writing while we handle the research?
Please book your free consultation with Aristo Sourcing and partner with a research associate who gets it.