Each year, it’s important to set personal as well as business goals. And accordingly, at the end of the year, we should review how much we’ve accomplished and what needs to carry over for next time. I hold myself accountable to you, so let’s see where we stand on the writing aspect. As for the personal angle, I survived our daughter’s wedding. That is a herculean task in itself.
CREATIVE GOALS
Reissue ebook Author’s Edition Silver Serenade – January 9, 2018
Reissue print Author’s Edition Died Blonde – February 6, 2018
Produce Body Wave Audiobook – May 11, 2018
Promote Large Print Edition of Hair Brained – Aug. 8, 2018
Finish and Launch Trimmed to Death – Sept. 25, 2018
Publish Writing the Cozy Mystery: Expanded Second Edition – Nov. 12, 2018
Write Epilogue to Hair Brained – Launched as short story Hairball Hijinks – June 12, 2018
Revise Keeper of the Rings – Reissued July 13, 2018
Revise Dead Roots (Revisions Done; Needs read-through)
Continue backlist title reissues (Revisions Done on Perish by Pedicure and Killer Knots)
Plot Easter Hair Hunt novella (In Progress)
BUSINESS GOALS
Prepare PowerPoint lectures and handouts for upcoming events (DONE)
Enter Hair Brained in writing contests (DONE – Also entered latest titles into contests)
Keep up with newsletter, blogs and social media
LEARNING GOALS
Learn how to do Facebook Ads (NOT DONE)
Learn how to put books on sale across various vendors (NOT DONE)
As you see, I did great in the creative arena but didn’t reach my learning goals. In January, I’ll formulate new goals for 2019. How about you? What were your major accomplishments this year?
Tag: goals
Setting Goals
Happy New Year! It’s time to look forward to what we hope to accomplish in the coming months. Every year, I set goals and separate them into the creative and business aspects of writing. So here are my goals for 2016.
You’ll note there’s only one new book in the mix. I still need several months to finish this story and polish it before submission. Then I plan to continue revising my backlist titles and get them into audio. I’ll have a big learning curve involved with the audio process using ACX. I have to learn how to attract a narrator, what qualities to look for in choosing one, how to evaluate each chapter as it’s done in audio, and where to promote audio books. This process is apt to take quite a few months, at least for the first time until I know what I’m doing.
I’ll also have a steep learning curve if I decide to bundle my first three revised backlist titles into a box set. This involves cover design, formatting, scheduling, pricing, and promotion. It promises to be a time-consuming venture should I go this route, but it could be a bonus for readers. What do you think? Is this something that might interest you?
Plus, I need to spend more time on exercise in 2016 and less time in the chair. That’s a prime goal for the new year. So here’s a glimpse of what’s on my list.
WRITING GOALS
Finish and Submit Hair Brained, #14 in the Bad Hair Day Mysteries.
Publish Author’s Edition of Permed to Death, #1 in the Bad Hair Day Mysteries.
Commence audio book process via ACX, starting with Permed to Death.
Revise backlist mystery titles Highlights to Heaven, Died Blonde and Dead Roots.
Learn how to write short fiction.
BUSINESS GOALS
Enter Peril by Ponytail in writing contests.
Learn about box sets. Consider bundling books 1-3 as a special offer.
Hold launch parties for each backlist Author’s Edition and audios.
Plan promo campaign for Facials Can Be Fatal to be released Feb. 2017.
Keep up with quarterly newsletter, blogs and social media.
Have you set your objectives yet for 2016?
Contest!
Enter January 1-18 to win a $25 Amazon/BN gift card from Booklover’s Bench: http://bookloversbench.com/contest/
Writing Goals for 2015
Usually I split my career goals into two paths, the creative end and the business of writing. So here are my upcoming objectives for 2015.
WRITING GOALS
Finish and Submit Facials Can Be Fatal, #13 in the Bad Hair Day Mysteries.
Revise backlist mystery titles, including Hair Raiser, Murder by Manicure, and Body Wave.
Commence audio book process starting with Permed to Death.
Hire editor for two standalone mysteries and consider bundling them as a box set.
Begin plotting #14 in the Bad Hair Day Mysteries.
Consider timeline for writing books #4-6 in the Drift Lords Series.
BUSINESS GOALS
Hold launch party for each backlist title as the revised Author’s Edition is published.
Plan promo campaign for Peril by Ponytail, #12 in the Bad Hair Day Mysteries, due out in October.
Enter books in writing contests.
Keep up with quarterly newsletter, blogs and social networking sites.
And what do you hope to accomplish this year?
<><><>
There’s still time! Vote for Hanging by a Hair under Mystery Novels in the Annual Preditors & Editors Readers’ Poll: http://critters.org/predpoll/novelmys.shtml
Today begins the next Booklover’s Bench contest. Visit our site and enter now: http://bookloversbench.com. I’ll be giving away a first edition signed copy of Moonlight Rhapsody, one of my earlier sci-fi romances.
Goals Met
Happy New Year! It’s traditional on this day to revisit what’s been accomplished over the past twelve months. So I dug up my goal list from this time last year to see what actually got done. Here we go:
WRITING GOALS
Finish Peril by Ponytail, #12 in the Bad Hair Day Mysteries. (DONE; Turned in, edits finished, book is scheduled for release in October 2015)
Do edits for Warrior Lord, #3 in the Drift Lords series, when I get them from my editor. Read through the page proofs until this project is complete and in production. (DONE; Book Released August 2014)
Complete edits on Murder at Your Service, an original mystery that I plan to indie publish. (NOT DONE; put this project on the back burner.)
BUSINESS GOALS
Implement marketing plan for Hanging By A Hair, #11 in the Bad Hair Day Mysteries, due out in April. (DONE)
Complete legal preparation for indie publishing venture by the end of January (DONE). Hire book cover designer and book formatter (DONE).
Publish Writing the Cozy Mystery in time for SleuthFest at the end of February. (DONE).
Design marketing plan for Warrior Lord (DONE).
Begin prep work for Thumbs Up, my father’s travel memoir, a true adventure of his cross-country hitchhiking journey in 1929. (DONE AND PUBLISHED).
So it appears I’ve accomplished all but one of my goals. I had two works of fiction and two works of nonfiction published in 2014. That’s quite enough, since launch parties and promo took up the rest of the time. In fact, that’s more than what I hope to do in 2015. In another post, I’ll share my new goals for the coming year.
How about you? Did you get done all you set out to do?