Why writers should set goals
Once I made the decision The Buzz would be a book that I shared with the world, I set short and long term goals.
Initially, it was my intention to get a literary agent and sign to a major publisher. But early in the process, I made the decision to publish The Buzz myself and start my own publishing company Write One Publications, Inc.
It was the BEST of both worlds.
I could publish my own books AND help others fulfill their passion.
Obviously, the whole process could have been overwhelming. I was going from author to publisher.
Not to mention completely changing fields…
But goals (baby steps) made the process easier to tackle.
Goals should be specific and realistic and have a targeted completion date. Allow for challenges, because while we’d like for everything to happen without fault, that’s not always the case. Goals are more than writing something down, they require persistence and forces you to strategize while encouraging personal growth.
Some goals are easier to attain than others! What can you realistically accomplish in the next six months? the next year?
Your All Star team is there to help you achieve your goals. Your mentor will provide guidance and wisdom while motivating you to achieve your goals. And the people you’re networking with will also help you to implement. They will be the people who assist you, either by purchasing your finished product or assisting you in getting your book published or by just acting as your support system.
Step one should always be research. I can’t emphasize this enough because people sometime make this a future step. Do the research FIRST and set realistic goals based on what you’ve learned through research. Don’t rely on someone to relay this information to you. Read it for yourself so that you completely understand what you are embarking upon.
Head over to…
Library of Congress and read up on copyright laws.
Visit Fiction Factor and all of their sister sites to find out more about your genre.
Amazon has a ton of books for writers. Read up on everything! You need to understand the business and how to market and brand yourself, etc.
Network with other writers, avid readers, publishers, and literary agents.
Need an agent? Visit AgentQuery.com. And lastly…
Never stop setting goals.
My publishing company has been up and running since 2008 and I now have new goals. One of my current goals is for my publishing company to provide value to you the reader aside from the books I publish. Which is why I’ve started this blog to provide tips and advice to aspiring writers, encouragement and feedback during the writing process, and from the perspective of a publisher what I’m looking for in a writer. I am sharing a little piece of my life as a writer because as a new writer and publishing company this is a necessary goal to increase awareness of my publishing company, books, and author.
I’ve shared a short term goal and I how plan to achieve it.
What is it that you want to achieve in the next six months? Is it to get your manuscript finished? To find a literary agent? To find a publisher? Share your goals and how you plan to implement them in the comment section below.
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Great advice. Thank you.
Thanks Paula!
Thanks for sharing Theo. Writing everyday…that's pretty impressive!
My first goal when I started writing was to write everyday! This meant writing very late at night sometimes, or at the break of dawn,even when I didn't feel like it. Writing requires a lot of focus.
Hi Stephanie,
Stopping by from MBC. Great words! My goal is to finally write my memoirs about a particular time in my life! I started today. Thanks
Sorry Stefanie, spelled your name wrong! LOL.
It's okay
I'm so glad to hear you started your memoir. Let me know how it comes along.
Peace Stefanie… Very enlightening. I thank you…
Thank you for reading!