Tag: New Year’s resolutions

Setting Goals for 2022

Happy New Year! At this fresh beginning, we set our goals for the coming months. As writers, we can divide these into Creative and Business Goals. The former may involve writing the next book or trying a short story, while the latter can include marketing efforts or reissuing titles in different formats.

Setting Goals 2022

First, let’s look back to see what I’ve accomplished in 2021. It was a productive year, coming after the pandemic started and we had a major move that sapped my creative energy through the latter half of 2020.

Last Year 2021
Wrote and Published Styled for Murder, #17 in the Bad Hair Day Mysteries
Published Box Sets 1-4 in my mystery series
Offered a Sales Promotion for Permed to Death
Added my mystery titles to Google Play

This Year 2022
Write and Publish book #18 in my series, tentatively titled Star Tangled Murder
Publish Box Set 5 – Scheduled for Feb. 15 launch date
Revise standalone mystery Murder at Your Service
Do more audiobooks
Consider publishing romance backlist as paperback editions

Some of these choices are economical. I’d love to offer my early romances in print editions, but would enough readers buy them to offset the cost of formatting and cover design? Or should I attempt to do those myself using online tools? These are business choices I’ll have to make later.

Ditto for the audiobooks. These are very costly to produce, and I’ve only done 4 out of 17 titles. I don’t care to do royalty share, so this leaves the burden of cost up front to me. If I was sure I’d make back my investment, it would be a no-brainer, but that’s not happening. Another possibility is selling the rights to the remaining titles, if that’s even possible.

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Here’s a question for you, dear readers: Aside from the next Bad Hair Day mystery, which of the above options appeals to you? Or would you like to see me do something else?

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BB January 2022

Writing Goals for 2018

Do you set New Year’s Resolutions for your writing career? I divide mine into creative and business goals and also decide what I need to learn next. At the end of the year, I review my accomplishments and see what has to be carried over to the next term. Here are my objectives for 2018. Any additions or suggestions? What are your goals for the new year?

Goals

CREATIVE GOALS

Reissue revised ebook edition of Silver Serenade
Publish revised Author’s Edition of Died Blonde
Publish Writing the Cozy Mystery: Expanded Second Edition
Produce Body Wave Audiobook
Finish and Launch Trimmed to Death, #15 in the Bad Hair Day Mysteries

If there’s time left, start on these projects:
Plot Bad Hair Day mystery novella
Revise Keeper of the Rings
Revise Dead Roots
Continue backlist title reissues and audiobooks

BUSINESS GOALS

Prepare PowerPoint lectures and handouts for upcoming events
Enter Hair Brained in writing contests
Keep up with newsletter, blogs and social media

LEARNING GOALS

Learn how to do Facebook Ads
Learn how to put books on sale across various vendors

GIVEAWAY

Enter Here to win a $25 Amazon/BN gift card from Booklover’s Bench.

 

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?

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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.

coverMR

NEW YEAR’S GOALS

Happy New Year!

Once the mental fog clears and we get through this final holiday weekend, it’s time to start on those New Year’s Resolutions. Have you made yours yet? It’s not too late! What is it to be: exercise more, spend time with friends/family, work on hobbies, clean the clutter, watch the diet? We probably have more in common than we realize.

First I divide my goals into personal versus professional. The latter I separate into two sections: writing and business of writing. For the writing craft, I aim to write a complete proposal for a sequel to my proposed new mystery series. Right now, I only have the synopsis done, so I have to write the first three chapters. Then I want to revise another mystery proposal based on some comments I’ve received. Also on the list is to write a synopsis for a sequel to my futuristic. That’s three goals. I also have to polish a proposal for the sequel to my paranormal romance, before finally being free to either continue writing one of these books or try something totally new. Got all that? The good thing about these is….no deadlines. However, I will probably impose target dates for completion when I get started on each line item. This may be my usual writing schedule of five pages a day, unless I’m revising.

As for the business aspect, I should work on the electronic rights of my four earlier futuristics so these stories can be available for E-book readers. Then I’d like to index my blog posts for my own use, consolidate my email mailing lists, and look into online file storage. Then if I’m brave enough, maybe I’ll tackle Twitter. And these are only my professional goals.

Then we have the personal ones: Clean the Clutter is a resolution I make every year. Hey, I’ve made progress. I listed ten items on Craigslist and have sold three of them. Woo hoo! Books are on my clean out list this year. Anyone want to buy my Star Trek novel collection? Exercising is probably on everyone’s lists, but I have a Wii Fit Plus now so there’s no excuse anymore. Going back on a healthful diet is a third personal goal. So there you have mine. Good luck to you with your goals in 2010!