Stop Spending Your Writing Time on Admin Tasks.
Here’s how indie fiction authors hire a reliable VA for less than $5/hr — in 7 days or less.
The $5/hr VA Playbook is a complete step-by-step hiring system for indie authors who are ready to hand off the tedious, time-eating tasks in their business — so they can get back to writing their next book.
- Hire a trained, English-fluent VA for $3–$5/hr (not $20–$30/hr)
- Reclaim 5–10 hours of writing time every single week
- Get your VA hired, onboarded, and working in 7 days or less
- Built specifically for indie fiction authors — not generic business advice
- Includes every template, spreadsheet, and resource you need — ready to use
This Is For You If You Recognize Yourself Here.
The Overwhelmed Author
You’re publishing consistently and your business is growing — but you’re also the writer, the marketer, the admin, the customer service rep, and the social media manager. You love writing. You don’t love everything else that comes with it.
→ This is for you if you’re ready to hand off the repeatable tasks eating your writing time — without spending a fortune to do it.The Stuck-at-the-Same-Output Author
You know exactly what you need to do to grow — more content, better email sequences, consistent Pinterest — but you can’t get to any of it because the day-to-day admin keeps pulling you back in.
→ This is for you if you have a clear vision for your author business but not enough hours in the week to execute it.The “I Can’t Afford Help” Author
You’ve looked at hiring help before — maybe on Upwork, maybe through an agency — and closed the tab when you saw the rates. You assumed affordable, reliable help wasn’t an option for someone at your stage.
→ This is for you if you’ve talked yourself out of hiring because of the cost — and you’re ready to find out there’s a better way.
Hi, I’m Dani — And I Hired a VA for $3.50/hr.
Indie Fiction Author | Mom of 4 | Book Marketing Strategist
I’m not a business coach. I’m an indie fiction author who figured this out because I had to.
I was doing everything in my author business myself — writing, marketing, social media, email, ARC management, data tracking, all of it. And for a while, I told myself that was just part of the deal.
Then I hired a VA for $3.50/hr. Not $20/hr. Not through an agency. On my own, with a job post I wrote myself, using a system I built from scratch because no one had ever explained how to do this for authors specifically.
Within a week she was handling the repeatable tasks that had been eating my writing time for years. I got 5–10 hours back every week. I used that time to write more books. That’s what this course is — the exact system I built, documented, and refined, handed directly to you.
You’re Not Lazy. You’re Just Doing the Work of Five People.
- You’re writing less than you want to. By the time you handle everything else, you have nothing left for the actual book.
- You’re stuck in your inbox. Answering the same reader questions, welcoming new subscribers, chasing ARC readers for reviews.
- Your social media is inconsistent. Not because you don’t care — because scheduling posts keeps getting pushed to “later.”
- Your launch prep is chaos. Coordinating cover reveals, ARC sends, newsletter swaps, and promo submissions all at once, by yourself.
- Your data lives in your head. You know you should be tracking page reads, BSR, and email metrics — but the spreadsheet never gets updated.
- You have a content backlog. Ideas, scenes, captions, pins — sitting in a folder because you haven’t had time to do anything with them.
- You’ve thought about hiring help and talked yourself out of it. Because $20/hr felt impossible and you didn’t know there was another option.
- You’re the bottleneck in your own business. And you know it. And it’s exhausting.
The 3 Biggest Mistakes Authors Make When Trying to Get Help
Mistake #1
Thinking You Can’t Afford It.
Most authors look at their revenue, look at US freelancer rates, do the math, and close the tab. They decide hiring help is something they’ll revisit “when they’re bigger.” And so they keep doing everything themselves — month after month, book after book — burning writing time on tasks they could delegate for a fraction of what they think it costs.
The problem isn’t the math. It’s that they’re looking at the wrong market. Skilled, English-fluent virtual assistants are actively looking for exactly the kind of work indie authors need done — and they’re not charging $20/hr for it.
The $5/hr VA Playbook shows you exactly where to look, what to post, and how to find a reliable VA at a rate that works at every stage of your author business.
Mistake #2
Hiring Someone Without a System.
Some authors do hire help — and then wonder why it didn’t work. They found someone, handed off a task with vague instructions, got back vague results, got frustrated, and decided that VAs just don’t work for authors. That’s not a VA problem. That’s a training problem.
When you don’t have a documented system — a clear job post, structured interview questions, written SOPs — your VA has no choice but to guess what you want. Guessing costs you time and money to fix.
The Playbook walks you through building the system first: the job post that filters applicants, the interview questions that reveal reliability before you hire, and the SOP framework that turns your new VA into someone who can work independently from week one.
Mistake #3
Waiting Until You’re “Ready.”
There’s a version of you that’s been saying “I need to get more organized before I can hand anything off.” You’re waiting until you have more processes documented, more consistency in your schedule, more clarity on what you need. You’ll hire help once things settle down.
But here’s the thing — things don’t settle down. They just pile up. Every week you wait is another week of writing time spent on admin, another week of your VA’s tasks sitting on your plate instead of hers.
The Playbook is designed for exactly where you are right now. You don’t need to have it all figured out first. That’s what the course is for.
Three Steps. Seven Days. One Less Thing on Your Plate Forever.
Step 1
Find Your Person. Follow the proven system to post your job, filter applicants, and run an interview that tells you everything you need to know — in one Zoom call.
Step 2
Make the Hire. Extend your offer, set up payment, and handle the paperwork — with every template and resource you need already included.
Step 3
Hand Off and Write. Onboard your VA with clear SOPs, set your communication expectations, and watch the tasks disappear from your plate — so you can get back to your next book.
7 Modules. Everything You Need. Nothing You Don’t.
Module 1
$27 value
The Buyback Mindset
- Why $5/hr is an investment, not an expense
- The ROI math that makes this a no-brainer
- Why you don’t need to wait until you’re “more organized”
Module 2
$47 value
Know What to Hand Off
- The Complete Author PA/VA Task Master List (153 tasks across 16 categories)
- The 3-question filter for identifying your “first hire list”
- The three VA lanes: Content, Marketing, and Operations
Module 3
$47 value
Where to Find Your VA
- The 3 specific communities where your VA is waiting right now
- What to expect after posting (a lot of responses, fast)
- How to do a quick first-pass filter before you spend time on interviews
Module 4
$67 value
Write Your Job Post
- The 5 things every author VA job post needs
- What NOT to include (and why vague posts attract the wrong people)
- Author-Specific Job Post Template — ready to customize and post (included)
Module 5
$97 value
Interview and Vet Your Candidates
- The Author VA Interview Question Bank — 30+ questions with what to listen for (included)
- The green flag/red flag guide for evaluating answers in real time
- How to make the decision confidently after two or three interviews
Module 6
$67 value
Make the Hire and Handle the Money
- How to pay internationally (simple, reliable, no headaches)
- The email check-in system that tracks hours without any apps
- VA Hours Tracking Spreadsheet — copy it and use it today (included)
- W8BEN explained in plain English (US authors)
Module 7
$97 value
Onboard and Train with SOPs
- The 8-piece SOP framework that turns any task into a delegatable system
- Two handoff methods: the recorded walkthrough (fast) and the shadow week (for nuanced tasks)
- How to Write SOPs for Your VA — full guide (included)
Everything You Get
| What’s Included | Value |
|---|---|
| Module 1 — The Buyback Mindset | $27 |
| Module 2 — Know What to Hand Off + Complete Author PA/VA Task Master List | $47 |
| Module 3 — Where to Find Your VA | $47 |
| Module 4 — Write Your Job Post + Author-Specific Job Post Template | $67 |
| Module 5 — Interview & Vet Your Candidates + 30+ Question Interview Bank | $97 |
| Module 6 — Make the Hire & Handle the Money + VA Hours Tracking Spreadsheet | $67 |
| Module 7 — Onboard & Train with SOPs + How to Write SOPs for Your VA | $97 |
| Total Value | $449 |
Your investment today: $97.
Everything for $97. Instant digital access. Use it for every VA you ever hire.
Get Instant Access — $97When You Enroll Today, You Also Get:
Bonus 1
The First 7 Days Checklist
($47 value)
A day-by-day action plan for your first week with a new VA — what to set up on day one, what to communicate, what to hand off first, and how to know the relationship is working. No more “okay, now what?” after the hire.
Bonus 2
VA Communication Templates Pack
($47 value)
Every message you’ll need throughout the working relationship — already written and ready to customize. Job offer, onboarding welcome, end-of-trial check-in, feedback messages, and more. Real situations, real templates.
Bonus 3
The Author’s Task Audit Worksheet
($37 value)
A structured worksheet that surfaces everything delegatable in your author business before you hire. Complete it in 20 minutes and arrive at your first interview already knowing exactly what your VA will own.
Two Versions of Your Author Business. One Decision.
In the first version, you’re still doing everything yourself. Still answering the same emails, still scrambling to schedule posts, still letting admin pull you away from the book you’ve been trying to finish for months. The tasks didn’t go away — they just kept piling up.
In the second version, you made one decision. You followed a system, hired someone for less than $5/hr, and handed off the tasks that were eating away at your writing time. Your VA handles the inbox, the scheduling, the tracking, the ARC follow-ups. You write more. You publish more. Your author business grows because you finally had time to grow it.
That second version is available to you right now — for $97. Not because this information isn’t worth more. It is — it’s worth the hours you’ll get back every single week for the rest of your career. But I built this course so every author who needs it can access it, not just the ones already making six figures.
“The authors who win aren’t the ones who wait for the perfect moment. They’re the ones who make a decision and build the system.”
Be that author. It’s $97.
Everything You’re Wondering, Answered.
How long does it take to get through the course?
Do I need to go through the whole course before I can hire someone?
Is this a live course or can I go at my own pace?
I’ve never hired anyone before. Is this too advanced for me?
What if I get a lot of applicants and don’t know how to choose?
What if the VA I hire doesn’t work out?
Do I need to speak the same language as my VA?
I’m only making a few hundred dollars a month from my books. Can I really afford this?
Why is this only $97? Shouldn’t something this useful cost more?
Can I really hire someone reliable for less than $5/hr?
How quickly can I actually have a VA working for me?
What kinds of tasks can a VA actually do for an author?
What format is the course in?
Do I get lifetime access?
Is there a refund policy?
Refund Policy
This course is offered with a no-refund policy. At $97, the investment is low and the ROI is high — and I stand behind everything inside it. If you follow the system, you will hire someone. If you hire someone, you will get your writing time back.
If you have any questions about whether this is the right fit before you buy, please reach out before purchasing. I’m happy to answer any questions.
You’re One Step Away From Getting Your Writing Time Back.
The $5/hr VA Playbook gives you every tool you need to find, hire, and onboard a reliable VA — so you can stop doing everything yourself and get back to writing your next book.
- 7 modules (~1 hour of video + written lessons)
- Complete Author PA/VA Task Master List (153 tasks across 16 categories)
- Author-Specific Job Post Template
- 30+ Question Interview Bank with green/red flag guide
- VA Hours Tracking Spreadsheet (copy-ready)
- How to Write SOPs for Your VA — full guide
- Bonus: The First 7 Days Checklist ($47 value)
- Bonus: VA Communication Templates Pack ($47 value)
- Bonus: The Author’s Task Audit Worksheet ($37 value)
- Lifetime access + all future updates
Everything for $97. Instant access upon purchase.
Get Instant Access — $97Your resources will be delivered immediately after purchase.
This program is educational in nature. Results vary based on individual effort and circumstances.
Questions? Email hello@authorshortcuts.com