I was pondering the years I’ve been meaning to publish a novel but never have. I’ve written 3 in the last 5 years, but haven’t taken the final leap. Why? What’s keeping me from my annual goal of becoming an indie published author? I realized that setting the goal of being published is great and all, but it’s more of a byproduct rather than a goal. The smaller achievements along the way are what will get me there.
I started making considerable progress last year when I switched to smaller goal setting. Here are just a few examples from last year:
Finish writing and revising my book (better if broken into smaller increments). Check.
Of course, this is just the beginning. Now that I have a foundation, I can build up from here and make 2023 the year I finally publish a book. There are so many steps on this journey, but the best part is that we’re not alone.
Do you know where you’re going this year? How will you get there? Are you going the indie or traditional route? If you’re published, any tips for new writers seeking to indie publish? What pitfalls are you going to avoid next time?
This is a broad topic. All comments are welcome. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts! ~ WM
Good for you, Winston! This all sounds exciting. Best of luck with it :-)
I haven't made firm plans yet on publication of OWAW because I'm still deciding between publishing this year or waiting until the trilogy is complete and publishing all three books together. I welcome recommendations if anyone wants to weigh in!
Book 2 is being revised and should be posted this year, but Book 3 is really just a rough draft at this stage, so I really have to concentrate on that now as well. Lots to think about!
Thank you! I'm getting so much inspiration from everyone. If this ends up being the year it's because of the motivation found here on Substack.
Interesting publishing options there. I'm going to speculate out loud. If you publish the first book this year, the pros are that you will have something to market as a way to bring new readers to your Substack. That will generate buzz for books 2 and 3 as they are serially released (if you continue going that route). Also, as books 2 and 3 come out, you can discount the first book significantly (or make it free) with each subsequent release to garner more attention via Bookbub and Bookfunnel. The cons are that if you needed to rewrite any portion of book 1 because of something that occurs in book 3, that ship has sailed. But it wouldn't be the end of the world since you could re-publish a revised edition at some point once the whole trilogy is out.
I guess the real question would be if book 1 can be revised enough that you feel confident you won't need to change anything once it's published in print? If so, I say go for it!
Let me know if you need any help. I'll assist where I can.
You'll know when the time is right to go for it, but we're behind you all the way!
That sounds like totally sound advice, and I knew if anyone would have a thoughtful plan, it would be you! I think I'll go for it then, though I have a little work to do first. I will probably take you up on your generous offer of help at some point! And please let me know if there's anything I can help you with :-)
Please do reach out for any and everything! I'm still reading OWAW, slowly but surely. I saw that the final chapter came out?! That's exciting. Congratulations!
I'm trying to strike some balance between getting this Substack off the ground and finishing the outline for the novel I started back in 2020. I've already written part of it, but am trying to plan ahead for the massive overhaul it needs to be good.
I likely have too many irons in the fire as the saying goes. But as my focus narrows on the anthology, I am hopeful that it can be out this year; within the next 6 months if I really get after it.
I'm excited for your Substack and the stories you'll be writing. I find myself doing that, anticipating that there will be much revision and editing haha. And I hear you on the constant balancing act of managing several projects at the same time. I'm learning that quality over quantity will probably win out in the end.
Do you have a target date to finish your novel? Or a daily word count goal you try to achieve?
I probably should have a target date, but the novel keeps getting put on the back burner, unfortunately. I think if I can finish my outline in the next few months (in between everything else), getting the words down should go much faster.
So it sounds like you prefer outlining the story ahead of time? Lately I've been attempting to write short stories and then they turn into novellas or novels. It's a problem...sigh.
Well, sort of. I had been writing without one and then doing an after the fact outline so I didn't miss any plot holes, but by this point I think I know the characters and setting well enough to outline the rest. I hope.
I'm curious of the novels you've finished, is there one in particular you plan to publish? Anything you can share about genre or audience? The way you set small goals ended up being a life changer for me. When I got back into writing, I committed to writing every day, but only a few paragraphs or a page or so. It took me a few months before I felt like I could write a full short story.
Thanks for commenting. I'd say the closest one to publication has to be the anthology of the stories published here on Substack over the last year and a half. The genre is a bit all over the place and the audience will be people who enjoy speculative short fiction and poetry. I'm considering Kickstarter as a way to cover costs, since I'm purchasing the stories from the other authors and will be getting a full cover art illustration done. We'll see how that pans out.
Writing every day is key!! I started doing 15 minute sprints with a timer. It helps with getting over the fear of worrying about quality and just getting it out on the page first. I'm so glad that you've been able to work your way up to short stories. I'm really enjoying your work on your Substack.
Good for you, Winston! This all sounds exciting. Best of luck with it :-)
I haven't made firm plans yet on publication of OWAW because I'm still deciding between publishing this year or waiting until the trilogy is complete and publishing all three books together. I welcome recommendations if anyone wants to weigh in!
Book 2 is being revised and should be posted this year, but Book 3 is really just a rough draft at this stage, so I really have to concentrate on that now as well. Lots to think about!
Hey Jacquie,
Thank you! I'm getting so much inspiration from everyone. If this ends up being the year it's because of the motivation found here on Substack.
Interesting publishing options there. I'm going to speculate out loud. If you publish the first book this year, the pros are that you will have something to market as a way to bring new readers to your Substack. That will generate buzz for books 2 and 3 as they are serially released (if you continue going that route). Also, as books 2 and 3 come out, you can discount the first book significantly (or make it free) with each subsequent release to garner more attention via Bookbub and Bookfunnel. The cons are that if you needed to rewrite any portion of book 1 because of something that occurs in book 3, that ship has sailed. But it wouldn't be the end of the world since you could re-publish a revised edition at some point once the whole trilogy is out.
I guess the real question would be if book 1 can be revised enough that you feel confident you won't need to change anything once it's published in print? If so, I say go for it!
Let me know if you need any help. I'll assist where I can.
You'll know when the time is right to go for it, but we're behind you all the way!
That sounds like totally sound advice, and I knew if anyone would have a thoughtful plan, it would be you! I think I'll go for it then, though I have a little work to do first. I will probably take you up on your generous offer of help at some point! And please let me know if there's anything I can help you with :-)
Please do reach out for any and everything! I'm still reading OWAW, slowly but surely. I saw that the final chapter came out?! That's exciting. Congratulations!
Thanks, Winston! I'm excited :-)
How much left do you have to write?
I'm trying to strike some balance between getting this Substack off the ground and finishing the outline for the novel I started back in 2020. I've already written part of it, but am trying to plan ahead for the massive overhaul it needs to be good.
Hey Leigh,
I likely have too many irons in the fire as the saying goes. But as my focus narrows on the anthology, I am hopeful that it can be out this year; within the next 6 months if I really get after it.
I'm excited for your Substack and the stories you'll be writing. I find myself doing that, anticipating that there will be much revision and editing haha. And I hear you on the constant balancing act of managing several projects at the same time. I'm learning that quality over quantity will probably win out in the end.
Do you have a target date to finish your novel? Or a daily word count goal you try to achieve?
I probably should have a target date, but the novel keeps getting put on the back burner, unfortunately. I think if I can finish my outline in the next few months (in between everything else), getting the words down should go much faster.
So it sounds like you prefer outlining the story ahead of time? Lately I've been attempting to write short stories and then they turn into novellas or novels. It's a problem...sigh.
Well, sort of. I had been writing without one and then doing an after the fact outline so I didn't miss any plot holes, but by this point I think I know the characters and setting well enough to outline the rest. I hope.
Ah, I see. That's smart. Good luck on the rest of the story! Let me know if you need anything. I'd be happy to help where I can.
Much appreciated!
I'm curious of the novels you've finished, is there one in particular you plan to publish? Anything you can share about genre or audience? The way you set small goals ended up being a life changer for me. When I got back into writing, I committed to writing every day, but only a few paragraphs or a page or so. It took me a few months before I felt like I could write a full short story.
Hey Brian,
Thanks for commenting. I'd say the closest one to publication has to be the anthology of the stories published here on Substack over the last year and a half. The genre is a bit all over the place and the audience will be people who enjoy speculative short fiction and poetry. I'm considering Kickstarter as a way to cover costs, since I'm purchasing the stories from the other authors and will be getting a full cover art illustration done. We'll see how that pans out.
Writing every day is key!! I started doing 15 minute sprints with a timer. It helps with getting over the fear of worrying about quality and just getting it out on the page first. I'm so glad that you've been able to work your way up to short stories. I'm really enjoying your work on your Substack.