OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna Penn
We are all on the writer's journey, and each year marks another way-point.
I also love being honest with you here, as this site keeps me accountable. I hope it also helps you. Here's my goal-setting post from Jan 2012.
Fiction
- Sell 50,000 copies of my fiction books by September. I tipped over 50,000 copies a little later than Sept but I made it by December, so that's not too bad.
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J.F.Penn with Lee Child at Thrillerfest Go on a writing course/ invest in expanding my fiction skills. I did the Guardian Fiction weekend but primarily I went to Thrillerfest in July 2012, so that was definitely the best investment in my skills. Plus I met some amazing authors!
The Creative Penn, my business
- Change the site focus to more on the business and less on free (since I pay my bills with this site now). I have focused on more copywriting skills. I did rewrite the Author 2.0 Blueprint. I changed the Home page to reflect what is on offer. I will be doing more of this in 2013.
- Release 3 new multimedia courses. I produced 5 new courses this year including the ProWriter series with CJ Lyons
- The other course was “Turn Your Ideas Into Cash”, a course on how to create multimedia courses (very meta!) which I did as a joint venture with Women Unlimited, a site for entrepreneurs. I
- The income from the business (including fiction) needs to match my husband’s salary by the end of 2012. My income does not match my husbands – but I did reflect here on the first year of being a full-time author-entrepreneur, and I have learned a lot of valuable lessons.
- Go on a silent retreat. Hmm, didn't manage this. But I have taken up archery which is a kind of meditation 🙂
Other Celebrations
- I signed with a NY literary agent. This wasn't a goal and I still change my mind every day as to whether I want a publishing deal or not, but I definitely want to sell foreign rights, so this is a start, and I would like to explore the hybrid option of having some books with traditional publishing and others as indie. Here are the reasons why I signed.
- Non-fiction: I re-wrote and re-released “How to love your job or find a new one”, the book I used to change my own life (later republished as Career Change). I love this book and I hope it helps loads more people. I will have a print version out in the next few months to make it even more accessible.
I had a specific weight-loss goal and I didn't quite make it but I did lose 10% of my body weight, which I celebrated by eating lots of chocolate 🙂 I will take the rest off in 2013 as I am finally on a sustainable diet. This isn't a weight-loss blog but if you're interested in this type of life change, I put this down to:
(a) Weightwatchers app on the iPhone which acts as a food diary so you accurately understand portion size. This changed how much I ate every meal. Any type of food diary works.
(b) Tim Ferriss' slow carb diet recommendation of eating protein for breakfast. I have 2 boiled eggs most days and it's amazing how you don't get hungry when you start the day with protein.
(c) Going Gluten-Free and not replacing the wheat stuff at all e.g. no bread – read ‘Wheat Belly' if you need convincing.
OK, your turn 🙂
Quite a number of you shared your goals at the beginning of the year, so I'd love to hear how they have gone.
Or please do share what you've achieved as well as what you haven't in the comments below.
Let's celebrate and also kick each other in the butts with encouragement to achieve more in 2013! I'll be back in a few days with my goals for 2013.
Top image: Big stock photo glass of champagne gold background
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1 2 Next »2012 took me from a 'shitty first draft' to a spot on Amazon's KDPS Top Ten. A huge thanks goes to you, Joanna, for the information, encouragement, and promotion!
I just wanted to pass on three critical investment tips to other indies: Invest in professional editing. Invest in a professional cover. And invest in absorbing the wealth of material available on TheCreativePenn.com.
Have a tremendous 2013... and enjoy a much bigger tribe. :)
Thanks so much Garry - and you definitely have some celebrating to do! I absolutely agree about investment in editing and cover design - we need to continue to stand out in a crowded market. Thanks for your support of the blog as well - as long as I continue to be useful for people, I will keep the site going!
I started my novel about being a smallholder in Aug 2012. I have finished my first draft (90,000 words), and currently on the editing stage. Once that's done (about quarter of the way through) I intend to get it published. Of course, I've spent far too long on Facebook when I should've been writing or with my loved ones. I need to get fit again, definitely a goal for 2013. A Happy and Creative New Year to all.
Nicely timed, Joanna- I posted my year in review yesterday which I called "A Year in the Life of a Writer 2012". Thanks for the opportunity to share it. This has been a very big year for me with some amazing successes. I hope everyone is able to benefit from my experiences: http://garytaaffe.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/a-year-in-life-of-writer-2012.html
My goal was to self-publish two novels that I had previously written. I did that to great results for a newcomer. My goals for this year is to be patient and build on this success with a goal of publishing two more books this year. I also hope to become more proficient with social media, dump what doesn't work and is time consuming and concentrate on those venues that are most beneficial. A Happy and Prosperous 2013 to One and All.
"dump what doesn't work and is time consuming" - absolutely Janice! I am going through that evaluation right now, and really looking at what I spend my time on in 2013. I feel like I have achieved lots but could have achieved so much more, if I hadn't focused on some things that didn't yield enough benefit ... however, twitter is a places for friends so I will be keeping that :)
I have to write a post like this on my blog as well, like I did last year (inspired by you). Well, I definitely reached my goals, but I must admit I kept a low profile on my espectations. On the other hand I did much more than expected. I've published 3 books this year (my first publications), one I had written in the past and two written during the year, and I've sold quite a lot, considering that Italian ebook market is really small. I've written another novel during NaNoWriMo (which I won and it was my first one). In total I've written 133k words in 2012, more than in the previous 3 years together. That's really an accomplishment.
My resolutions for next year are: 1) publish book 3 and 4 my sci-fi series "Deserto rosso"; 2) republish the whole series as a single book also in paperback; 3) finish editing my previous novel to be published in 2014; 4) start translating "Deserto rosso" into English (it will be "Red Desert"); 5) concentrate on creating an author platform in the English market (starting from my English blog); 6) partecipate to and win NaNoWriMo again; 7) write at least 150k words... what else? 8) triple my ebook selling!
I think it's enough, isn't it? But you never know what can happen in a year. Maybe I will do something different or something more ;)
Fantastic Carla - that sounds brilliant - my goal setting is coming up on Jan 2nd so I will share my aggressive writing goals then as well - they sound a bit like yours i.e. WRITE MORE!!
Moving this comment from Jan 2012 post - thanks Mikey!
Author : Mikey Brooks
URL : http://www.inisdemikeysworld.com
Joanna you have been and continue to be an inspiration to me. You gave me the courage this year to publish my picture books and think of myself as a business. I openly started freelance illustrating and now have 3 books I illustrated as well as 3 that I author/illustrated. I'm still holding out on my middlegrade series. I have a publisher still looking at a submission *fingers crossed* but if that is a no go I have plans to independently publish that series. I have goals to write one more book in that MG series and start on another series I've been plotting out over the last couple years. I also have 3 more picture books planned and I hope to have many more author clients. I live working with authors an illustrating brings me happiness. I love when kids look at my books and they tell their parents how cool it is to them. :) Best wishes and all the success to you Joanna and Ill see you next year. :)
That's awesome work Mikey and I'm so glad to have been an inspiration for you. It means a lot to me that people get something from this site, as one of my own ongoing goals is to help get people's words into the world. All the best with your books for 2013.
You've had an amazing year! And very inspiring.
This year I gave birth two my second child--a girl, and I received and offer of publication for my YA Fantasy from Curiosity Quills Press a few weeks later!
It's funny, last year I had no plans to get pregnant and I never thought I would sign with a small press. How things change : )
Happy New Year!
Hi Joanna
In an attempt to set my goals for 2013 I have spent the last couple of days re-acquainting myself with your site, after a long absence doing other things, and I'm very impressed by all the developments.
I find it difficult to set too specific goals when at the very beginning of something like self-publishing because I am so new to it all, although I have sold a book via a blog in the past and completed a young adult fiction book, which almost got published by a traditional publisher.
I have a burning question/dilemma that hasn't really been answered in all my travels around your site and through your give-away report. This isn't probably the right venue for it but answering it might be useful to your regular readers. How do you find the balance between creating a platform for your work by blogging regularly and still creating a demand for your book. This isn't such a problem for much non-fiction readers obviously. I know myself that I have followed bloggers on non-fiction topics and not bothered to buy their book because they seemed to have covered everything in their blog. I also remember reading one author asking her substantial list why she hadn't sold more of her book when she had such an engaged community. Many said that they hadn't felt the need to buy the book because there was so much free information available. You have alluded to this yourself about the Creative Penn. I am happy to buy products when I need them by the way, and have a growing collection of downloads.
Also how soon would you start an author blog for a yet to be finished non-fiction book?
Thanks for your time
Deb
oops can you change that to read "fiction" rather than non-fiction. This isn't a problem for fiction writers but definitely is for non-fiction writers. Sorry rushing.
I've gotta say - you are an inspiration!
2012 was a wild ride for me and looking back - I was all over the place. I published 9 novellas, 2 novels, started an indie-assistant website offering services, grew my clientelle for book covers, hit bestsellers list, quit my job to write full time, signed with an agent (not a goal), signed a 3 book deal, took my family on our 'dream' vacation (first time in 16 yrs)…I don't think I allowed myself to slow down at all.
This year, I want to be more focused. I want to speak at conferences (which I am), I want to travel (which I am), I want to focus on novels and not novellas, write 3 novels and complete 2 for sure, not do as many covers as I did last year and focus more on my women's fiction rather than my romance.
I hope I can do it. I think I need to do it. Slowing down will be hard for me, but it's a goal!