Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail.

It’s a simple but harsh concept embraced in the business arena but too often neglected by writers.  Why is that when the book industry is a business?  Would you construct an office building without a blueprint?  Spend millions of capital on equipment without a plan for how to use it? Produce a zillion widgets without determining who, if anyone, would buy them?

I believe successful career authors aren’t just incredibly creative people.  They are small business owners.  If you plan to sell your work, try thinking of yourself as a small business; your product is your writing.  Whether you’re next step is the Golden Heart or the submission process, or both, business planning offers a roadmap to take your product successfully to market.

Consider the following statements:

“I write when inspiration strikes.  I can’t plan for that.”

“Too much planning stunts my creativity / scares away the muse.”

“I don’t have enough time in the day.”

“The story isn’t working.  I’ll get back to it when it starts working again.”

Do they sound familiar?  Writing them down here was like having a party with a group of old boyfriends, and then realizing why I stopped seeing them, because they weren’t good for me.  I’ve said every one of those statements.  Sometimes they still tempt me!  But those statements led me to spin my wheels for months, even years.  Until I started writing business plans as a freelance writer.  A light bulb went off.  I have used business planning to take control of my career, or at least the parts I can control.  And sometimes it still seems like a work in progress.  But the key word is progress.  I’m actually making it happen now as opposed to just thinking about it.

I recommend starting the planning process with a notepad and pencil or a blank word document that you can maintain and tweak as your career progresses.  I also like to use spreadsheets for the more detailed planning stages.  Use the tools that work for you.  The key is to create a tangible business plan that will form the bedrock of your career.  It’s not set in stone, but it’s something you can refer back to the moment you get off track.  Personally, I like to create a folder on the computer called “Business Planning” and keep everything related to this process in one place.

Step 1 – Concept, Mission, & Vision.  Every business needs a concept, mission, and / or vision, usually an idea for a product or service that will add value to society.

What kind of books are you writing?  What kind of books would you like to write in the future?  What are you known for / what is your brand?  It might be helpful here to brainstorm a tagline that represents your unique brand.  This is something you do in all your books that sets you apart from every other writer.  Think voice and style.  Here is an example of concept, mission, and vision:

It is the mission of AUTHOR NAME to publish 4 to 6 contemporary romance novels per year targeted to the single title and category markets.  Every novel will deliver a spicy read with a generous dose of sensuality and spellbinding espionage.

It’s a little off the cuff, but you get the idea.

Step 2 – Goals.  Now, it’s time to boil your big picture down to some big goals.  Working with the above statement, I would break it down into the following:

1. Land a multi-book publishing contract with Harlequin / Silhouette.
2. Sell a single title, sensual romantic suspense trilogy to a major publishing house.
3. Develop an author website that supports and promotes the overall author brand.
4. Make the NYT Bestseller List within 10 years.
5. Become a household name in romantic suspense within 10 years.

Step 3 – Your Target Market.  If you haven’t done research into your target market, now’s the time.  Read in your chosen subgenre(s) and / or series lines; study the leading authors in your market(s); define your target readers (age range, sex, demographic, etc); and figure out what makes the audience keep buying these products over and over again.

The first three pieces are pretty easy to accomplish.  What might take a little more study and time is what drives the target audience.  Start with yourself.  What draws you in to this type of book?  Next, hunt for articles and read newsletters specific to the subgenre.  Conferences and workshops specific to the subgenre also offer excellent tidbits of information.  Create a mosaic and you will begin to see what makes this particular market tick.

Let’s take the target market for romantic suspense as an example.  Why do you think readers of these books love them so much?  A few things come immediately to mind:

1. A fast-paced, impossible-to-put-down read
2. An intricate, suspenseful plot
3. The thrill or adrenaline rush of a dangerous situation
4. Kick-butt protagonists
5. Romance amid an intense, frightening situation

These are just a few ideas.  But I hope you can see how defining your market can help you focus the stories you write and help you figure out how to position your voice.  What strengths in your work could press these hot buttons to your advantage?  How could you twist the conventions and differentiate yourself?

Step 4 – Execution Strategy.  This part is all about accountability.  I know, it’s a scary word, but if you haven’t yet held yourself accountable for your goals, you’re in for a tremendous boost of self-confidence when you push yourself to make things happen rather than let them happen.

I like to break down the big goals into little goals.  How detailed you get is up to you, and the plan itself can conform to a pantser or plotter’s needs.  Let’s break down our first goal from Step 2 – Land a multi-book publishing contract with Harlequin / Silhouette.  We’re going to use next year’s RWA National as our end date.  Here is a sample roadmap:

1. Brainstorm a Harlequin Blaze idea and write a draft synopsis / outline by December 1, 2009.
2. Write 1,000 words per day, 5 days per week, and finish a first draft by February 23, 2010.
3. Revise 1,000 words per day, 5 days per week, and finish a second draft by May 4, 2010.
4. Complete final revisions and proofreading on 3,000 words per day, 5 days per week, and finish the full manuscript by June 1, 2010.
5. Revise the synopsis and craft a pitch and query letter by July 1, 2010.
6. Pitch to target editor at RWA National July 28-31.

Remember, this is only an example.  You can break down your goal into as many steps as you like, and make the timeline as aggressive or conservative as you prefer.  Either way, this kind of planning can help you streamline your process and produce more in less time.

Step 5 – Sales & Marketing.  Never forget that you are creating a product.  If said product never reaches the market, the sale never happens.  For this step, I like to use spreadsheets to organize and track, but use whatever tool works best for you.

Ready.  Research your target editors and agents.  Make a separate list for each.  I like to design a page for editors and a page for agents, listing them in order of interest, making notes of likes and dislikes and any other relevant information about them.

Aim.  Create a submission planning and tracking tool for each manuscript.  This page usually lists the names of target editors and agents on the left and the following headings across the top: submission date, submission contents, response date, response and result, final response, details. If you do contests, add a section to track contest entries, finals, wins, and requests.

Fire.  Start sending that baby out!  Hit your agent list in groups of 5 or 10, send directly to editors if appropriate, and target editors and agents through contests.  Lather, rinse, repeat for each manuscript.  Using your submission management system, review the status of each project at any point in the submission process.  Never again will weeks or months go by during which your work is sitting idle when it could be circulating in the market.

While not critical before you sell that first book, you may want to brainstorm some general ideas for published book marketing.  These can include market positioning (which you probably already know from the target market section), marketing strategies (website, bookmarks, book trailers, etc), and bookseller networking strategies.  That’s a whole different post, but it can’t hurt to get educated and start developing this piece of your business plan so you are in the know when you get The Call.

Step 6 – About You. In a formal business plan, one of the most important pieces of the proposal is the management section.  You, the author, are the fearless leader of your small business.  So take some time and put together a thoughtful bio that is a reflection of who you are as a person, a professional, and a writer.  Keep it up to date as you add new credits.  Review it from time to time and never lose sight of the fact that you are in the driver’s seat.

It’s up to you to plan for success and make your career happen.

How much planning do you do for your career?  Do you set concrete goals?  How do you keep track and hold yourself accountable?