Latest on the Blog

Welcome! 

This is the original blogging site for P.J. Howell, where you can learn more about available books, reviews and events, HOWEVER, new blog posts are now shared on my new website, which you can visit here. 

In case you've missed them and haven't received the updates, here's a breakdown of what's new on the blog:

The P.I. Post

In these posts, I'll be sharing stories that are related to private investigators, as well as unique topics and interesting case reviews. The first P.I. Post for this series shares interesting details about how state prisons uses convicts and cold case cards to solve cold cases. I'll continue to share The P.I. Post about every other month, but you can read the first installment of The P.I. Post here.

Character Coffee Chats

For those who enjoy reading the Jorja Matthews mystery series, these coffee chats will be in the form of "interviews" with the characters in the series. The first chat is with my protagonist, Jorja Matthews, and each month I'll share a coffee chat with another character. With these chats you'll enjoy more time with the characters, learn additional details about a character's backstory and you might even learn new details about events as they are unfolding in the books at the time of the coffee chat. You can read the first coffee chat here.

Nonfiction Nuggets

There are many real-life cases or circumstances that are similar to what my characters go through and this is where I'll share some of those nuggets as I come across them. The first Nonfiction Nugget is about a medical condition I believe Jorja's bio-mom could have been diagnosed with due to her actions. I'll be sharing these posts about every other month in between The P.I. Post series, but you can read the first installment of the Nonfiction Nuggets here.

I'll also continue to share regular updates with regard to my writing, new releases and overall author-type musings, so head on over to the blog on the website to make sure you haven't missed anything!

                      

And you can always receive monthly updates and stay up-to-date with my posts by signing up for my newsletter. You can sign up here or click on the image below!

Thanks for visiting and have a great day!

Blog Posts Update

Are you caught up with my recent posts? In case you missed any from the past few months, which are all found on the blog page of my website, here's an idea of what I've shared:

My New Favorite Productivity Tool

I’ve developed ways to stay on task and overall they work well, but every so often something happens to cause me to question my time management skills. I enjoy using notebooks but recently I was feeling overwhelmed by the multiple notes I had compiled and I wasn’t doing a great job of keeping my to-do lists organized, until I decided to try this digital tool...

Continue reading here...

Quarterly Update: Creativity Takes the Wheel

With my new productivity tool, I was able to pinpoint where I’m less prolific than I wish to be, beyond the desire to publish more often. Then I was able to brainstorm how I can be more productive, but in a creative way. A light bulb went off and I came to realize the business side of being an author doesn’t have to be…all business. It can be fun and it can be creative. It should be creative, not only to keep the interest of followers, but myself as well. After all, if I’m not enjoying it, how can I expect others to?

Continue reading here...

My Top 10 List for a December to Remember

This year, the month of December was already memorable because it’s the last month of 2020. But my preference was to take that title away and make it a December to remember in spite of that fact.

I also refused to coast through December on auto-pilot just because I’m looking back at what was or looking ahead for what I hope will be...

Continue reading here...

Looking Back before Moving Forward

My last post of the year and how I’ll accept the bad, learn from any failings I can’t blame on 2020, and appreciate the good as we near the light at the end of this very long tunnel before heading into 2021 with a positive mindset...

Especially when I came up with new creative ideas for the blog on my website! 

Continue reading here...

I'll be sharing another new post the first week of 2021 with more detail about what types of new posts I'll be adding to the blog. You can follow my blog if you want to stay up-to-date with those posts, and you can also sign up for my newsletter so you never miss a post, as well as any news, updates, bonus material or release information.

NFReads author interview

Check out my author interview with NFReads!

Please introduce yourself and your books:

My name is Paula Howell but I write under my nickname, P.J. Howell. My current published titles include a mystery series, as well as a few short stories and a non-fiction. The Jorja Matthews mystery series is about a female private investigator. The reader tags along while Jorja works as a PI on legal cases and attempts to unravel mysteries surrounding her own family history.

What are the real-life stories behind your books?

I’ve worked in the legal field for 30 years, 15 of which were as a private investigator…

You can read the complete interview here.

NFReads is an online publication which began out of a love for learning new things and later morphed into a general interest website with a focus on stories behind creative works and people’s lives.

There are other author interviews on the website you can also review under the “writing and literature” section. The link can be found here.

I hope you take a moment to read the interview and if you know of anyone who might also enjoy it, don’t hesitate to pass the link on to them.

Take care and happy reading!

Yearly Writers Conference…check. So, now what?

I look forward to this time of year, not only because I enjoy the arrival of fall (and wearing boots again J), but also because I look forward to a yearly writers conference not far from where I reside. The Southwest Washington Writers Conference is an easy drive and a great price for an all-day conference. In addition, all participants can appreciate the fact that money is donated to the Centralia College Scholarship Foundation to offer scholarships to students. It’s a win-win situation for all, in my book.

This year the conference had the addition of a master class for a half day before the actual event. The instructor we had the benefit of spending the afternoon with was New York Times bestselling author Hallie Ephron. I enjoy meeting authors who have been in the trenches and who are willing to share their experiences and expertise while they offer tips on the craft of writing from their perspective. I especially enjoy hearing from authors, like Hallie, who have been writing and publishing books for some time and who have experienced the change in times when it comes to the publishing world.

I’ll never assume to know it all when it comes to writing and I’m a total nerd when it comes to learning on a regular basis. I also thoroughly enjoy the inspiration I gain after attending a class or a workshop and this weekend was no exception. When it came to craft, I attended the master class and a workshop with Hallie while she shared tips on writing character-driven plots and character voice and point of view. The rest of the conference I focused on attending workshops related to marketing, my absolute favorite part of being an author. Um…not!

While I admit marketing isn’t my favorite part of being an author, it is an extremely important part, beyond writing the book in the first place. Marketing will forever be a WIP, especially when the online rules of engagement seem to change on a daily basis. During the conference, I enjoyed a workshop with one of my favorite speakers, Veronica Noize, where she discussed social media marketing. I’ve attended a couple of workshops over the past two years or so with Veronica and she is not only knowledgeable in her expertise, but also highly entertaining.

Beyond social media marketing, I sat in on a workshop on book launch tips offered by speculative fiction author Jill Williamson, as well as a workshop on email marketing tips offered by cozy mystery author Traci Hilton. And…now I have quite a few notes to review and websites to check out, forms to download, ideas to follow up on and some to-do’s to follow through with regarding my current WIP.

   

While I do enjoy attending conferences and workshops, and I leave feeling inspired, I’ll admit that I also feel a bit overwhelmed. There is so much to being an author beyond just writing the book and as much fun as it would be to only focus on writing, the book won’t promote itself. Attending workshops like these only confirm I still need to continue to do more when it comes to marketing. That fact can either put a sour taste in my mouth, or I can swallow the deed like a champ with a chaser of determination.

Case in point? Newsletters and email marketing. I’ve been working on the idea, I have a huge to-do list, and I’ve received so much advice I think it’s only paralyzed me when I think I’m finally ready to pull the trigger. However…I know that email marketing is the strongest and best way to keep in touch with readers and continue to gain sales. Should be a no-brainer, right? But it has been the one task that I keep putting off.

So, I’m taking responsibility for not yet having completed that task and I’m tossing it here on my blog so those who follow me can help keep me accountable. Go ahead…keep me on my toes and ask me every so often how I’m doing with that task. Tell me you’d like to join my list and receive regular newsletters from me, if I’d just get it up and running. J

Until next time…

Bi-yearly check in – Still loving what I do

I’m moving into the second half of my second year away from the day job while I continue to focus on writing and the business of being of an author. Another six months has passed and now I’m critically reviewing my calendar to determine what I’ve accomplished and what I can do to continue to move forward toward my goals.

First of all, the most important thing is that I did publish another novel the first half of this year. Priceof Betrayal, the fifth in the series, was published in May. Yay! On top of that, I republished the remainder of the series with new covers so that they all have the same vibe. It was a huge undertaking and took me away from writing for a bit, but in the end it had to be done and I’m happy with the results.

As for the remainder of the first half of this year…

I’ve continued to work on my young adult and my new series idea in between completing the fifth in the series while revamping the whole series look. While I had hoped the young adult would have been completed by now, I will have a final first draft ready soon. The new series is still a WIP and I’ll continue to work on it when inspiration peaks, while I work on the sixth book in the Jorja Matthews mystery series. I also have some other book ideas and, believe it or not, they aren’t mysteries.

I’ve continued to review and revise my business plan in order to try to stay on task. I’ll continue to use this plan, along with monthly and quarterly check-ins because I like to revisit what works or doesn’t work and I need some form of accountability. I especially need these tools to stay focused considering the number of writing projects I want to complete and the new book ideas I’d like to get started on. I’ll agree that there’s something to be said about focusing on one project at a time. Do it and get the job done. But I’d rather not put big ideas away for that long, so I’m working on time blocking. I can block out three two-hour sessions and work on a different project each session, with breaks in between, unless I want to work on one project all day. However I manage it, at least when I do work on a project, it’s the only one I work on at that time.

Getting ready to greet hospital staff

I mentioned before how Jozee and I were taking classes so that she and I could become a therapy dog team. Since then, Jozee and I completed our training and took the required exam. We are now a therapy dog team for our local hospital where Jozee can say hello to visitors as we wander the halls and where she specifically visits with the hospital staff as part of a care-for-the-caregivers program. It really has been a wonderful experience and we visit every other week. For those who wonder…Jozee is bathed and groomed before each visit and we follow strict healthcare guidelines whenever we’re at the hospital.

Speaking of Jozee, I started a new blog: Jaunts with Jozee. I need to add more posts when I have some time, as I’m only six in, but it’s a simple blog about Pacific Northwest parks we visit with Jozee and what we enjoy about each of them, along with photos to share.

In order to help me form better daily habits to stay on task, I also started morning pages and I'm making an attempt to form a better morning routine. I’m not 100% at either but then I’m not perfect. Changing your habits or forming new ones really is a difficult process and I’m learning quite a bit about why we do things the way we do (or don’t do them). We humans really are funny beings when it comes to what we feel comfortable with or what we do to avoid making changes, whether it’s for mind, body, business or soul, even if that change is good for us.

In the midst of everyday life and my jaunts with Jozee, my plan is to continue to form better habits when it comes to writing, the business side of being an author, health & exercise and a morning routine. Each week might be a mixture of enthusiasm and uncertainty laced with satisfaction and a tad of frustration, but in the end I’m doing what I love and I love what I do.

Quarterly check in…Making a business plan work for me

The decision to finally begin using a quarterly business plan is probably one of the best decisions I’ve made…besides making the decision to begin writing in the first place. J 

Each quarter when I review my progress and map out another quarterly plan, I can see in black and white where I’ve done well and what needs attention or tweaking.

When I reviewed my progress based on my expectations for the first quarter of this year, it was immediately apparent that my intentions had been great, but not realistic. I thoroughly expected to have the first draft of my young adult completed by March along with the final draft of the next book in the mystery series on top of an eBook for marketing purposes.

But I didn’t hit the mark.

My young adult is still in the works and the eBook didn’t see the light of day. The main reason is that I spent much of January and part of February reviewing and revising my manuscript so that it could be ready for my editor. The editing and revisions on my end took more time than I had anticipated. It happens and it is what it is. And even though I was able to work on my young adult (and a completely new series idea!) for a few weeks while my novel was being edited, final revisions have been my main focus for the past few weeks and now I need to focus on cover & formatting and publishing & marketing.

When I spent time prepping my second quarter business plan, I didn’t beat myself up about the uncompleted projects. Instead, I used the plan to appreciate the progress I’ve made and to assist me as I reworked my action list on how I might complete the remaining projects during the coming months.

It’s not an exact science – projects take longer than anticipated or unseen hurdles pop up but that’s why reviewing my projects on a quarterly basis works for me. Based on how my schedule has gone or if my personal life has affected my progress, I can assess, analyze and amend the plan as needed. Having a plan doesn’t always mean I’ll always stay on course, but it’s better than the alternative of driving by the seat of my pants. I may write that way because I don’t mind taking a fork in the road when it comes to writing, but when it comes to all the admin responsibilities and other tasks related to an author’s life, I’d prefer to have it down on paper so I can stay in my lane.

However, when it comes to business plans, there are many opinions about what to include…vision, business structure and planning, writing and publication plan, market analysis, audience research, marketing strategy, pricing strategy, sales projections, financials, platform building, growth and development, and so on.

But I wanted a plan I could look at every day and use in a relevant way. I found many ideas and played around with a few, but overall I just wanted something simple. After researching the idea more and feeling bogged down by suggestions, I was saved when I finally discovered this post by Jane Friedman about a suggested business plans for writers. I like Jane’s suggested format, so that’s what I use. It’s simple with four columns: Area of Focus, Goals, Timeline (my word; she says “Timing”) and Action List.

So I thought I might share with you what I include in my business plan.

In the focus column I include four main areas: Writing, Publishing, Marketing and Platform. These areas have their own row and for each focus area, I add projects and ideas as goals, note an expected timeline and add an action list for each particular project.

The goals column for writing and publishing would include whatever projects I’m currently working on, whether they are in first draft, final revisions or just the nugget of an idea that I want to begin researching and making notes about. I note in the timeline column when I anticipate completing each project, or I leave it open-ended if it’s still an idea that’s a WIP. Under the action list for writing, I use bullet points to list tasks still pending for each project. Those tasks might include the date the manuscript is due to the editor, how many words per day/week will result in my completing the novel within the timeframe I’ve guesstimated, what areas need further research, cover option or ideas I need to check out, and anything else to keep me focused. Under the action list for publishing, I use bullet points for tasks relating to final formatting, anything necessary to do right before publishing and also tasks I need to complete once the book is published.

My goals related to marketing are based on the projects underway and soon to be published, along with ideas on how to market previous listings and what I might do to further market myself. These might include online promotions for previous listings, a specific promotion for a newly published book, social media marketing, or live events where I can promote myself as an author. My timeline column for marketing can be all over the place for new books, since I’m hazarding a guess based on when I think I may publish. That timeline is more forgiving, but it can also help me stay on task to keep up with regular or seasonal promotions for past publications and for any upcoming events I have already scheduled. The action list for marketing will include bullet points with specific ideas on how to promote a newly published book, an event or tasks for regular and seasonal promotions, but it can also include a brain dump of random ideas that I may like to utilize during the next quarter.

Goals relating to the focus of platform building are not necessarily specific to each quarter. My goals usually include a brain dump of what I hope to begin working on soon, or what I need to focus on in order to expand and build on where I already reach an audience. These goals reflect new ideas for engagement, visibility, interaction with readers and networking. The timeline is very forgiving, and sometimes I just list a season or the first or second half of a year, since I have no idea how long each project might take me. This action list is added to regularly whenever I come across a new idea that might help me with that particular platform idea.

This is how I’ve been organizing my business plans for the past year and so far, it works for me. I’ve tweaked a thing or two but overall, I can easily manage it, refer to it and update it (i.e. scribble all over it) as I go along and at the end of each quarter.

How I keep up with it, though, is due to quarterly and monthly check-ins. However, since this post has become long-winded, I’ll have to share my thoughts on those another time.

What works for one doesn’t always work for another, but I thought I’d share what’s been working for me. If you organize your writing, or any other creative business with a business plan, I’d be interested in hearing additional idea or thoughts.

Until next time…keep planning and carry on!

Super Bowl or Superb Owl? My thoughts on editing...

I heard on the radio the other day that a Google search for the Super Bowl may land you on a page about the superb owl instead if you misplaced your space. I tried it, with and without a space, but most of the items on my search list only included Super Bowl news, with a couple of exceptions:

Owl hanging out in our front yard

Wiktionary, a free online dictionary, included this usage note: This spelling is used, jocularly or seriously, to try to avoid being sued by the NFL, when trying to associate places, events and products with the Super Bowl without acquiring a license first.

And then there was this tricky post from the NY Times which was a mix of a beautiful owl photo, some wit about how you may have landed on their page, football links and, if you're really just interested in owls, a link to an article you may enjoy.

Since I'm partial to owls and not football (although I do enjoy Super Bowl commercials), I'll stick to real posts and articles that relate only to owls without game day tidbits sprinkled in. [Side note: Word wants me to fix the term "superb owl" to "super bowl" - even the computer likes football more than I do. J]

But when I heard that bit about the Super Bowl vs superb owl search results, I found it interesting...

How often do we search the Internet for one thing, only to become lost down the rabbit hole of another subject we didn't realize might be interesting? How often do we type words and sentences, not realizing one misplaced space or missing letter completely transforms what we were trying to say? Or worse, when auto correct thinks it knows what you mean to say and completely changes the whole meaning of your  message (sometimes embarrassingly!).

I guess the reason I found the radio snippet interesting is because I've been editing and revising my novel in preparation for its final edit. You can edit and edit, again and again and still find errors you missed from previous passes. I've learned from using a professional editor how important it is to have those professional set of eyes review my work. While my eyes will eventually gloss over from reviewing the same paragraphs over and over, a professional editor will see the story with fresh eyes and the ability to catch those misplaced letters or words, extra spaces, unintentional meanings due to extra words and so much more.

There are many ways to edit: self edits, mixed with computer applications that will edit for you before beta readers take a stab at the story (where some are better than others at catching mistakes), but I've learned from my last seven publications, some with and some without professional edits, that a professional edit is key.

And if for some reason my words just don't make sense and aren't caught by myself or the computer, I can rely on the fact that my editor will ask me...did you man superb owl, or Super Bowl? J  

Have a great day and happy Super Bowl Sunday!

So long 2018…it’s been great knowing you!

Another New Year is about to begin…are you ready?

Ocean Shores

I wasn’t sure what to expect from 2018, to be honest, since this was going to be my first year away from the day job, but as I reflect on this past year I will say I'm happy. When I reviewed my year with photos, I was reminded of all the fun this year has been, and when I reviewed each month with regard to my author life, I feel satisfied with how I tackled my first year.

In February I was finally able to publish the fourth book in the Jorja Matthews mystery series, Cross My Heart. This was perfect timing considering the next two months or so I was sidetracked with my new puppy, Jozee, who demanded much more of my time than I had anticipated. 

The rest of this past year I focused on writing the fifth book in the series, which is almost complete and has an appointment with my editor in February. I also published another book, this time trying my hand with nonfiction with Note to My Author Self. This was a book I decided to share with readers but which was written for myself; because I needed to. Some books are just born that way.

Over the past year I took part in multiple events to include speaking engagements and book signings in May, June and November, an in-person women’s business conference, an in-person writer’s conference, multiple business and author webinars, and full day or week-long online seminars. Now that I’m looking back at the number of events I took part in, I realize I could have provided updates on these events in order to share some of what I learned at each event. I can still do that, in time if I get to it, but this next year I plan to stay on top of those updates. Due to some extensive organizing this past month, I’ve mapped out a plan on what I need to do in order to accomplish that goal.

I’ve worked from home before, when I was a private investigator for over a dozen years, so I knew I could do it. However, I also figured I’d have to expect setbacks after going back to an office job for a handful of years before changing things up to work from home again. The first half of the year I winged it in a semi-organizational way, but eventually I had to concede to the idea that I had to get serious with the business of writing and finally create a business plan. Originally, I planned on quarterly business plans with the idea of moving to six-month plans, but I’ve since decided I prefer going over them every three months. I know that reviewing my plan four times a year will help keep me on task.

I changed the look of my blog, which was time-consuming but rewarding when I realized how much I preferred the final result. I teeter-tottered back and forth about whether or not I would join National Novel Writing Month in November but eventually decided not to let the challenge take priority over my current WIP, considering how close I was to completing it.

I’ve updated my writing calendar so that I can begin 2019 with fresh new pages for my writing updates and to-do’s and I’m currently working on putting together a new bullet journal for this next year. I first wrote about using a bullet journal in January when it was still fairly new to me and I wasn’t even sure if I was going to be able to stick with it because my attempts at the end of 2017 were hit and miss. However, I’m pleased to say I was able to stick with it the whole year and I’ve enjoyed creating my new journal for 2019. I look forward to filling in each page as I move ahead in another productive year.

I hope you also look forward to the coming New Year and that it will be ripe with possibilities, full of inspiration and complete with satisfying results.

Happy New Year!

December is dubbed the project month

In addition to finding the perfect tree, decorating for the holidays and spending time with family, the month of December also means a handful of projects for me…

Completing the fifth book in the series so that I can begin editing and revising before it’s shipped off to my editor. I’m excited to complete this novel and move on to the next project, as well as my next project idea of a new series. In addition to other book ideas I’d like to play with, another series might be a lot to take on but I’m excited about it and I know that the idea will continue to chatter at me until I put words on paper. That series will be a WIP for a bit, so I’ll share more once I have more to share. J

The beginning of a new bullet journal for 2019 – this past year was my first year using a bullet journal and while it took some getting used to, I thoroughly enjoy using it over a preprinted calendar that doesn’t accommodate everything I need on a given day or in a whole week. I’ve decided to continue with bullet journaling, which is a good thing since I have SO many journals I’ve purchased that I need to make use of. I’ll schedule a post after the first of the year to share how I put together my bullet journal, for those who might be interested.

A new writing calendar for 2019 – although I have pages earmarked for “author stuff and ideas” in my bullet journal, I track all of my writing notes in a separate calendar/planner so that I can track my word count, author and marketing to-do’s based on my business plan, author events and so on. This calendar is also where I track the days of my characters in the series, which is something else I think I’ll share about in another post. My writing calendar helps me so that when I reflect on the previous year, in preparation for the coming year, everything is in one place and not mixed together with a bunch of personal items I’d have to sift through.

My business plan for the first quarter of 2019 – originally when I wrote about finally putting together my first business plan, I thought I might switch from quarterly to bi-yearly. However, after tracking my to-do’s over the course of almost three quarters, I decided to stick with quarterly plans. Having quarterly reviews fits my business model better and I believe they will help keep me accountable while a six-month plan might be a recipe for procrastination. I’ll be sharing more in a later post with a year-in-review and my plans for 2019.

Organization – seriously, this is a constant WIP but lately I’ve spent a lot of time going over everything I use in my writing life in an attempt to figure out what works, what I can utilize better and what I need to just cut loose (some days, Facebook is high on that list). I have so many ideas, not only with what I want to write, but also what I need to do when it comes to my author platform, marketing and promotion. Too many ideas, really. I want to work smarter, not harder, so that I also have plenty of time to write. Now that I’ve organized everything and condensed my lists, the focus is…what to really focus on. More on this will probably be included in my year-in-review or when I share quarterly updates after the first of the year.

I’m also thinking about my reading list for next year – not that I actually make a list. It’s more like a stack of books I keep adding to on my book shelf that I need to read next. While I have a large stack waiting for me, I’m torn between sticking to a bunch of smaller titles or finally beginning the Game of Thrones series. I loved the TV series and I’m looking forward to how much better I’m certain the books will be. Plus, I think reading them during the winter months of January and February will be the perfect fit.

If you’re curious about my 2018 reading list – here’s a list of the fiction titles I read this past year:

Cookbook Conspiracy by Kate Carlisle

My Sister’s Grave by Robert Dugoni

Fatal Frost by Karen MacInerney

Red Velvet Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke

Lemonade and Lies by Agatha Frost

I’d Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

Eaves of Destruction by Kate Carlisle

All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda

Postcards from the Dead by Laura Childs

The One That Got Away by Simon Wood

Dying for a Taste by Leslie Karst

Deadly Brew by Karen MacInerney

Deja Moo by Kirsten Weiss

Year One by Nora Roberts

Mistletoe Murder by Karen MacInerney (currently reading)

I may be able to add one more book to my reading list this month while I focus on my projects but it won’t stop me from enjoying the season and time I plan to spend with family. December is going to be full of seasonal festivities, family fun, productive projects and time spent reading holiday themed books when the mood strikes. I’d say that’s a great way to spend this last month of the year.

I hope your month will also be full of what makes you happy.

Until next time…

Productive writer = happy author

My blog has a new look! What do you think?

Giving my blog a facelift has been an item on my never-ending to-do list for quite some time, but I just kept putting it off. I finally put an afternoon aside and got to work, changing the tag line, adding tabs for readers and writers, and changing the whole look and feel of the blog. I personally like it and I hope you do too.

Booker has had a habit of sleeping on my desk since I got him -
and he takes up a lot more room now that he's 6 months!

Honestly, I’ve been down with a head cold for almost two weeks, but I’m happy to note that I’ve been quite productive. Not only did I keep up with my daily word count and give my blog a new look, I completed admin tasks necessary due to the merging of my paperback and eBook publishing distributors, promoted my latest book with an online book promotion, scheduled a book signing for next month, took part in an online webinar relating to author platform and also took part in an all-day online writer’s conference.

And now, with everything I’ve learned in a short-period of time, my head is swimming…I mean, seriously swimming and waterlogged with information. Due to that fact, I feel the need to organize, catalog, decipher, chart out, map out and make sense of all the tidbits of details circulating through my author-mind.

That tends to happen whenever I attend a writer’s conference like the one earlier last month or take part in an all-day online conference, as I did yesterday. The bulk of what I learned from the conference yesterday was mainly about marketing, and this is in addition to the author platform webinar, as well as a book launch webinar only a week before that.

I don’t believe I’m signed up for any additional webinars or conferences, so now is probably a good time to take a step back to evaluate what I’ve learned and figure out how I can utilize certain marketing steps that will benefit me the most. And just going through the notes I have now from the conferences, there’s plenty of information for me to create to-do lists that will last me through the end of this year. However, in order to stick with my business plan, much of what I’ve learned will be focused on after the first of the year.

There’s the acknowledgement that I should take a step back, along with the fact that I’ve had good momentum with my own writing, specifically number 5 of the mystery series, and I would like to keep it up without getting bogged down with too many to-do lists when it comes to marketing or platform building. I have to also consider time away due to upcoming holidays and other events, one of which is NaNoWriMo if I decide to join this year, not to mention “me” time for self-care so that I can hopefully avoid getting sick again. Besides that, at some point I have to figure out when to get on my editor’s schedule; if I reserve a spot too soon, I won’t be ready when my time comes up; if I wait too long, she won’t have any spots open when I’m ready for her services. It’s a dilemma that can be avoided with some planning, which is why my business plan is important. If I continue to follow it, the plan is meant to help me stay on task with a schedule so that I can set and meet deadlines.

So I’ll continue to work on my series, as I attempt to complete the current tasks on my business plan, while I also put together marketing to-do lists for the coming year based on what I’ve recently learned. Each will tick off a box for my creative self, my business side and the student in me and each will give me much to look forward to.

But right now, I’m going to take advantage of some “me” time and enjoy a nice quiet evening with my family and a few zombies (I’m a Walking Dead fan J).

Have a great week!

Quarterly check-in and business planning prep

Vol. 4 in the Jorja Matthews
mystery series - get your copy here

We’ve said goodbye to summer with a warm welcome offered to fall and while we are still being treated to some beautiful autumn days, we accept that the season, and soon our weather, will change. And with the move into a new season, I’ve been working on my own preparations for change.

Change is necessary in order to avoid becoming stagnant. I’m learning that, bit by stubborn bit, as I continue to learn more about the craft of writing and the business of marketing my books. What works, what doesn’t, what I enjoy, what I don’t…it all begins in unknown territory and has a huge learning curve. I take solace in the fact that I’m not alone. I’ve enjoyed the number of webinars I’ve taken part in and the conferences and events I’ve been able to attend this year where I’ve learned some great tips and tricks of the trade from other authors and business entrepreneurs.

Thankfully, the business of writing is somewhat forgiving. If something about the process doesn’t go quite as planned, you can move on and begin again with the next book or marketing plan and hope for better results while avoiding prior mistakes. What’s great about the business of writing is that there are so many authors out there who have gone through this process, have learned from it and are willing to share their experiences so that others can learn from them. What’s frustrating about the business of writing is that it’s constantly changing and it can be somewhat difficult to keep up when you consider what you learn today may be slightly obsolete tomorrow.

It can be a challenge but if it were easy, as the saying goes, everyone would do it.

Recently published nonfiction book is
now available on Amazon

I was reviewing my business plan, now that we’re moving into the last quarter of the year, and once I finalized my plan through the end of this year, I realized I actually enjoy this task. I first wrote about business plans in May, when I finally got around to drafting my first plan. All the authors I follow and the books I’ve read about the business of writing stress the need for a business plan, but it just seemed too daunting, and too serious. Problem is…I guess that’s the problem with writers (and anyone else who sells what they love to do); we don't enjoy treating our craft like a business. I finally had to relent to the task once I acknowledged it was necessary to take writing seriously by treating it like a business. The artist in me doesn’t like it, but the entrepreneur in me understands. And whether or not I’m able to reach all the goals I have mapped out in my business plan, at least I begin the quarter with a feeling of accomplishment once I have the plan complete.

The trick, for me, when it comes to what I want to complete in the coming quarter is not expecting too much of myself, while choosing the right tasks to keep the momentum going. This is another area with a big learning curve and since this is only the second quarter since I began using a business plan, I expect it won’t work out perfectly.

But that’s okay...perfection would mean no room for improvement, and would take away all the fun.

My plan for the remainder of the year involves writing, having some fun with marketing and taking steps necessary to work toward additional marketing and platform building to build on after the first of the year. Some items may be easy, while others are taking me out of my comfort zone.

I'll just need to keep this quote in mind:

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” 

~Neale Donald Walsch~

Until next time, read on and carry on.