Writing a book review is hard work. The book needs to be read and sometimes re-read. Quotes and facts are gathered to support your professional opinion. A comprehensive report is then written, edited, and published. All the while, many reviewers also respond to inquiries and manage their websites. It’s not surprising help is needed to keep up with the workload.
When you begin looking for another writer you’re entering a realm you might not have entered before. Do you want to be this person’s employer, or do you want them to work for you on a contractual basis? Do you ask for a resume? Do you conduct an interview? It quickly begins to look overwhelming. For those who aren’t ready to take on this adventure, there are websites which have done all of the work for you. If you’d still like to go the do-it-yourself route, let’s begin.
Employee or Contractor
I’m not going to touch upon them all here but there are a significant number of obligations you must fulfill when hiring someone as an employee. Many of these responsibilities include paying money to the government in one form or another. You’ll need what’s called an EIN to hire someone as an employee. Take your time and do your research before going this route. It can be even more complicated than it initially appears.
Hiring someone as an independent contractor shifts a lot of this responsibility off of you onto the person doing the work. The independent contractor method is a common way people hire writers. You still take a resume against the contract and perform an interview. However, you pay for the work in a lump sum, and it’s their responsibility to take care of the taxes and set aside any money they owe to the government. This approach is almost identical to how you would work with a company or writing website like https://www.advancedwriters.com. These independent contractors frequently call themselves “freelancers” or “freelance writers.”
Qualifications
What do you look for in an interview or on a resume?
1. You’ll want to lean towards a native English speaker over someone who’s learned English as a second language. To hire someone who’s mastered English as a second language, they need to provide proof they can communicate effectively in writing.
2. A portfolio, including writing tasks similar to what you need. You’re looking for someone to help with book reviews so you’ll want to see a few samples of a book review, report, or other similar work product.
3. Typical work ethic attributes like submitting work on time and willingness to take constructive feedback.
4. Endorsements or references from satisfied clients or companies they’ve worked for in the past.
5. Education is relevant to the types of books you’re reviewing. For example, textbooks require a comprehensive understanding of the topic. Alternatively, the person might have the foundational skills to learn the book’s material. You might want the person to be a high school graduate to review fiction or non-fiction stories.
6. If you’re hiring someone who will work directly with you, talk to the person long enough to determine if your personalities are compatible. Working long hours and e-mailing back and forth with someone who doesn’t see eye to eye with your work style or personality can make for a difficult working relationship.
Whatever route you decide to take, a website like AdvancedWriters will do all the hiring work for you. If you’re already too busy to handle the workload I would try hiring an established and reputable website before launching into building a staff of your own. Many companies find out a department is much easier to contract out while they’re growing. It allows you to focus on your expanding workload and customer service rather than setting up a whole new department from scratch.
If you do decide to undertake the hiring yourself, don’t forget to look for the proper qualifications and establish the appropriate paperwork and payments with the government. Hiring independent contractors is less work but still benefits from planning and well-written task assignments. Ultimately, you’ll probably find letting another company do all of this work for you is the best way to start expanding your book review business.
