This one goes out to the authors with PA’s –
If anyone was going to throw this out there, I would, right? Here we go…
Do you like your PA? Do you enjoy being able to write while your PA picks up your slack? I am sure that you enjoy having someone at your disposal to do the bitch work that goes with this job, right? How many of you have started taking your PA for granted? Think about it.
I am 98% sure that you just said, “I don’t take my PA for granted.” Guess what? You are probably wrong. I guarantee, at some point you made your PA feel like they are insignificant to your business and better off just quitting. If you are lucky, you made up for it with your next actions but I am betting that you didn’t. It’s reality and it sucks as a PA.
Some PA’s are very vocal and will outright say, “Just fire me, already!” Most won’t. They will swallow their pride and keep pushing forward because A) You aren’t going to listen and it won’t make any difference or B) They know YOU don’t give a shit about how they feel. THIS is a PA’s reality. Welcome to the truth of the job.
I’ll start with the ones that are paid. I get it, authors. They are paid to do a job, why would they need to be appreciated? Oh, I don’t know. So, they don’t pack their bags and go get paid by someone else? You get paid at a day job, that doesn’t mean that you don’t want to feel slightly appreciated for your work. If you aren’t careful, you will lose your PA the next time someone messages them with, “Wow. I saw what you did and it was great! I’d love to have you on my team!”
How about the PA’s that work for free… do you think they do it for fun? Sure, some might but these are the PA’s that have no monetary commitment to you. There is a far better chance that you will be discarded faster than the “Thank you” that you didn’t think was necessary. This PA is committed to the job for many reasons other than money, in most cases. They enjoy what they do and want you to be successful. Can you take a guess at what makes them NOT want you to be successful? Be an asshole and find out.
If you haven’t noticed, it’s because you aren’t paying attention for shit – The FREE PA’s work harder than the paid ones. Why? Because they want to be paid someday and they have TWO options. Get you to a place in your writing career that gives you the ability to pay them OR work for an author that recognizes their amazing abilities and pays the PA to do all that great stuff for them.
Think I am full of shit? Ask your PA. Actually, don’t do that. They will tell you what you want to hear because they give a shit about you and how you feel, unlike many of you. Send your PA a message today, thanking them for everything and tell them how amazing they are. Watch what happens after they respond. I bet the overall productivity increases and they stop talking about you behind your back.
Trust me, this is happening. PA’s are a breed of their own and they talk. Imagine that… They talk and they are louder than any author group out there. How does this affect you? After your amazing PA has had enough of your shit, try finding a PA that hasn’t heard about your actions, or lack thereof. LOL. I guarantee they will know something about you and even a healthy monthly paycheck won’t help you fix your reputation. Still thinking about your actions towards your PA?
HUGE brownie points are given if you thank them for being amazing in your book. They did help you create it, right? If you think they didn’t you are so incredibly wrong. Try writing and completing all of the things that they did for you AS A PA and tell me they didn’t have an impact on your newest release. Make sure your PA knows how important they are to you.
There are a few exceptions to this rule so don’t get all fuckity – I am THIS exception. Some of us have worked for our authors for so long that it’s second nature. Breathing takes more thought and effort than completing the work that needs to be done and the author knows it. BUT – Even then, a simple ‘ty’ won’t kill you. This is all it takes for me, but others – Not so much.
To sum it all up – Your PA’s are talking and if you haven’t noticed – it is signing season. Authors have so much to do that they are in desperate need of help, LOTS OF HELP. Who’s better than a PA that has worked their asses off and had a track record of successful PA-ing? Authors know this – so do your PA’s.
Here is my advice to all of you – If you have a PA, tell them how much you appreciate them. A simple message, a post – anything. They do love public recognition, even if they say they don’t. (Right Janneke? 😉 FTR – She’s amazing and she is going to kill me). If you don’t have a PA or know of a PA that is fantastic, tell them. Sometimes, the little things are a bigger paycheck than the $50 that makes it in to their PayPal every month or the paperback on their doorstep.
And because there is always that one asshole out there, I have to add this – *DON’T POACH! This is an author/PA no-no. It’s one thing to tell a PA that you have seen them do awesome things. It is a completely different ball of shit to try to poach an author or PA. This is not cool.*