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: year-end review
Year-End Review
Year-End Review of Writing Goals
As 2016 comes to a close, it’s time to review what you’ve accomplished as a writer and what goals you’ll carry forward to the following year. Aside from my personal goals of eating healthier, exercising more, and spending time with family, I set career goals. These are further divided into creative and business objectives. So let’s see how I’ve done.
WRITING GOALS
· Finish Hair Brained, #14 in the Bad Hair Day Mysteries – IN PROGRESS.
· Publish Permed to Death revised Author’s Edition (Bad Hair Day #1) – DONE.
· Commence audiobook process via ACX, starting with Permed to Death – DONE.
· Revise backlist mystery titles Highlights to Heaven, Died Blonde and Dead Roots – INCOMPLETE. I’ve finished Highlights to Heaven, and it’s set for release in January. The others will carry over into the new year.
BUSINESS GOALS
· Enter Peril by Ponytail in writing contests – DONE. This title won third place in the Arizona Literary Awards.
· Consider bundling books 1-3 in the Bad Hair Day series as a box set for the holidays – NOT DONE. This goal has been set aside until all nine of my original titles from Kensington are available in revised Author’s Editions.
· Hold launch parties for each reissued backlist title and for the audiobooks – DONE.
· Plan promo campaign for Facials Can Be Fatal to be released Feb. 22, 2017 – IN PROGRESS. I’ve scheduled my blog tour, sent ARCs to reviewers, done the book trailer, and held a Goodreads giveaway. There’s more to do.
· Engage with readers via newsletter, blogs and social media sites – ONGOING.
· Learn how to put my lectures on Power Point – DONE. I am proud of this one. I try to learn something new each year, and this was it.
Extra Accomplishments
I edited and published Florida Escape by Harry I. Heller. This is my father’s account of his 1935 journey to Florida and the adventures he experienced during the state’s simpler days. Excerpts from Florida Escape are used in Facials Can Be Fatal, so now the true historic tale is available to readers in ebook format.
I wrote Haunted Hair Nights, a Bad Hair Day mystery novella. This was published first in the Happy Homicides 4: Fall into Crime anthology and later as a standalone edition in print and digital formats.
So even though 2016 didn’t see any releases from Five Star, I published the following:
March 4, 2016: Permed to Death Author’s Edition
June 7, 2016: Florida Escape by Harry I. Heller
June 27, 2016: Permed to Death Audiobook
Aug. 29, 2016: Happy Homicides 4: Fall into Crime
Oct. 13, 2016: Haunted Hair Nights
Nov. 7, 2016: Hair Raiser Audiobook
I’d say that’s pretty good, wouldn’t you? CLICK TO TWEET
Resource: https://thewritelife.com/year-end-review-for-your-writing/
Did you accomplish all you’d set out to do this year?