Speech Notes:
A Roadmap to Success
by
Tina Wheeler
Decide How Fast You Want to Take This Trip? (One car is not better than another.)
Identify the type of vehicle you’re driving:
Have Best Selling Author Goals + writing workaholic = Race Car
Have Midlist Author Goals + Juggling a full life and writing = SUV
Have Hobbyist Author Goals + Cruising along = Convertible
Adjusting Speed
Identify Where Your Desired Goal + Stress Tolerance + Productive Time Intersect
Warning: If any of these will remain low, do not trade in for a race car.
Avoid running out of gas by pushing you (your vehicle) beyond its limits.
Choose a Final Destination
Five Year Goal – Ex: making a list, income level, # of books per year and/or desired
publisher
What will it take? Break into yearly goals
Choose genre(s) and pen name(s) – Narrow is easier to manage & builds bigger fanbase
Map Your Trip
First, consider any contract restrictions and publisher expectations such as books per year.
Pick a lane
Self-Publishing + Small Press
Self-Publishing + Small or Large Traditional Presses
Small Press + Large (Big 5) Publisher
Short Story Under 10,000
Novelette 7,5000 – 19,000 words
Novella 10,000 – 40,000 words
Novels 50,000+ (category romance starts at 55K)
Select story size based on goals and time allowance. Novellas are easier if you’re
pressed for time.
Hybrid Pubs say they are both – tread carefully – costly
If you go this route, pick one that will teach you how to do it yourself.
If you have the money, you can hire a book shepherd, but it’s cheaper to network, watch webinars, and YouTube videos.
Get Ready
Choose which publisher has priority and work the others around their expected output.
Choose number of books/novellas/short stories per year to reach your goal
Plan your production schedule
Will you write more than one book at a time?
Fitting in extra projects - weekend/after meeting a daily goal/specific weeks
Do you need to schedule revision only time?
How many chapters or words do you need each month?
How many words, scenes, or chapters can I write each working week?
How many hours per working day do I need meet that goal?
Scheduling Tools
Chunky Method (average your words per session)
Word tracking apps like WriteTrack.cloud
Spreadsheet, planner or calendar
Get Set
Prepare for your writing space
Designated/decluttered writing space
Keep needed resources like name books or writing thesaurus handy
Create and Save Helpful Tools (Delete old files you don’t use)
Charts/outlines of your book or characters save time
Templates for eBooks/printed self-pubbed books/art fact sheets/expected items
Checklists (book production, marketing, booksigning packing lists)
Saved front and back matter for self-pubbed books
Use Time-Saving Self-Pubbing Resources
Vellum/Atticus/Kindle Create for formatting
Draft2Digital for distribution (Upload to Amazon yourself for bigger payout)
Limit Your Go-To Resources – Too many people claiming to be experts
My Resources for Learning Craft and Publishing industry:
Your Writing Community
Tina Radcliffe’s newsletter – tinaradciffe.com
YouTube How To… videos
Christian Publishing Show
Mark Dawson’s Self-Publishing Formula
Author Support Network Facebook Group
Write For Harlequin Community Facebook Group
K-lytics.com
My Writing Resources:
Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi Writing Thesaurus Series
Laurie Schnebly’s Believable Characters: Creating with Enneagrams
Cheyenne McCray and H.D. Thomson’s Writer’s Secret Weapon
Focus Your Advertising on What Works
Brand – what readers expect from your book – expectations build an audience
Newsletters – You control it. Export copies of your emails and save.
Newsletter/BookBub/Social Media Builders – Booksweeps, AuthorsXP
Websites – More important if you sell wide. Amazon has Author Central.
BookBub – Free notices sent out to followers for new releases
Social media – Limit to where your readers are and what you do well/hire help
Go - Write
Trigger your mind with routines
Designated writing space and time
Aroma
Food/candy
Timer
Carving out more writing time
Hire help if possible
Sprinting/Write-ins
Take it with you – print chapters, writing & recording devices, pen & paper
Changes at Home
Delegate chores/errands
Toss out anything you don’t use – less to clean
Ask for consumable gifts
Cook less – make double batches/freeze or trade, delivery programs, double
takeout orders.
Clean in chunks as you go
Get a Roomba
Enjoy the Ride (Recharges your batteries)
Stay connected with friends
Play
Reached Your Destination (met your goal)
Pick another destination, tweak your roadmap, and go.
Remember Persistence Pays Off