Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Lofty Goals

by Holly West

Apropos to Angel Colon's post from last week, I thought I'd share some of my goals. This isn't so much a post as it is a look into what I'd like to accomplish over the next few years. H/t to Neliza Drew for finally making me sit down and write them out.

2015:

1) Finish, polish, and submit current WIP (Nose Dive) to my agent. Ideally this would happen by November 2015 or at least in advance of the December holidays. Note: As of this writing, the first draft is done. DONE! Now some polish and it will go to my editor on 10/22.

2) Social Media, Newsletter, & Blog: Develop a more consistent and organized presence in all three areas with a focus on brand and providing meaningful content. Newsletter should be content, not promo driven.

3) Regular installments of a special project on Watt Pad. Not sure what this will be yet.

4) Depending on progress w/ current WIP, might do NaNoWriMo in November. Note: This is probably not going to happen.

5) Work on balancing work life w/ home/pleasure life.

6) End all outside volunteer commitments. Concentrate all efforts on my own goals. Note: I've already messed this one up with a couple of commitments in 2016.

2016:

1) Develop a crime/mystery series, likely under a pseudonym, for self-publishing. Goal would be to put out at least one book a year independently.

2) Depending upon response to Nose Dive (which will hopefully be under submission to publishers by Spring 2016), self-publish.

3) Write a fourth novel, likely a stand-alone, for submission to my agent by the end of 2016.

4) Request the rights to the Mistress of Fortune series revert back to me Note: This is a bit early to make the request, so I'll have to see where we're at when the time comes.

5) Take at least one major vacation

2017:

1) I'd like to have an ongoing contract w/ a traditional publisher and an ongoing self-published series.

2) Seek a new publisher for or self-publish the two Mistress of Fortune series titles. This might result in writing more in the series, which I might be up to by then.

5-year Goal (2020)

1) Regularly writing two books a year, ideally one self-pubbed and one traditionally pubbed.

Do you have a five year plan? Share it in the comments.

2 comments:

Scott D. Parker said...

I like your plan. Very much like the idea of doing a separate series under a pen name. It's part of my writing goals as well. I am doing NNWM again this year--planning it right now. Once I finish that novel, I'll have all the books I plan to publish in 2016 already written. Then, I'll have all year to follow up..and experiment.

I don't have a completed 5-year plan in place, but I'd like to have a traditional contract in addition to my independent work.

Renee Asher Pickup said...

I don't even have a five month plan... Maybe I should start there...