Writer Biz #7 - The Plan

There are about as many marketing plans as there are people. This is the big reason there’s not ‘one plan’ that works for everyone. Every one is different; everyone has different thought processes, and more importantly goals.

What we can talk about, are what each plan has in common. Things you’ll need to create your own plan. Those are - goals, an action plan for reaching those goals, a timeline to do it in, and a way to evaluate your results. Everything else is pretty much open to interpretation.

Sounds simple right? It is really. At least until we get to the implementation phase. But we’re not there yet, so let’s not worry about that right now.

The first thing you want to decide on is your goal. To sell books, make money, become Nora, or whatever. The more directed your goal is, the better. Don’t say, ‘I want to make money. Or make a living writing.’ Well, how much money? What is a living? It’s different for everyone. Maybe making a living is earning enough to put away for retirement, or actually paying the mortgage, or maybe just having enough extra to buy a pair of Jimmy Choo’s. Or next weeks lunch. You get the idea. Do the math.

What does it really mean to you And what do you want to get out of it? Those are questions you need to answer for yourself. Don’t feel pressured here. Some people just want to say they are published and go no further. That’s great for them, and its fine for the industry. However, if you want to get a return for all of your effort, you need to decide what you want that return to be.