We’re halfway through the month… Are you still on track with your New Year’s Resolutions? Don’t let the momentum of your resolve slow down! Here are some goals specifically tailored to writers who want to become published authors:
- Remember why you became a writer. Sure, there will be times when you don’t feel like writing or you’re frustrated with what you’ve written. Remind yourself why you feel passionate about writing and resolve to reach your writing goals in 2016.
- Use tools. There are tons of apps that can help you make and keep your writing resolutions. We like WriteOMeter, which lets you set up goals, timelines, and writing prompts.
- Make yourself accountable. Whether you’re stalled out halfway through your book or still in the planning stages, let people know you plan to finish your book this year. They’ll help hold you accountable when your own motivation is flagging.
- Polish your proofreading. This year, resolve to work on the basics and make your writing as expert as possible. If you’re having trouble, we can help! Check out our services here and hire a professional editor to clean up the typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors in your writing.
- Promote yourself. You may not be a published author YET…but it’s never too early to define yourself as a writer. Resolve to position yourself frequently as an aspiring author — it’s part of your identity!
- Join a writer’s group. If you’re serious about becoming a successful author, it’s crucial to continually work on your craft. A writer’s group not only provides support; you can get tips and feedback from like-minded writers who can help promote your work.
- Business cards. Get a jump on marketing your book and have professional business cards printed. Use them to self-promote as you progress through your writing.
- Make yourself accessible. Make sure there are plenty of ways for people to reach out to you — phone, snail mail, email, social media, etc. This will prove vital, even long before your book is finished.
- Find your platform. If you don’t already have a writer “identity” on social media, get going on that. This should be separate from your regular social media pages. It’s a great space for you to poll potential readers, gauge interest in your project, and create a buzz, even before it’s published.
- Research your market. Resolve to learn all you can about your chosen genre. Now, while you’re still developing your project, is the perfect time to find out what’s big and what’s burgeoning on the book market so your work will be timely when it’s finally done.
- Go NaNo. National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a writing challenge that takes place throughout the month of November each year. The contest challenges writers to produce 50,000 words in 30 days, and many a novel has come to fruition because of NaNoWriMo. Sign-ups start in October, so resolve to get on board this year.
- Enter contests. Short story contests, essay contests, poetry contests — they all validate us as writers. Resolve to enter a competition several times a year to keep you writing and maybe even win some money!
- Be open to advice. If you’re unsure of your path, Outskirts Press has a staff of experienced book gurus who can advise you on how to proceed. Even if you’re not done writing, an assistant may be able to offer you advice or services that you didn’t know were available to you — assistance that could get your book to market much sooner and with much greater success.
- Go “ghost” hunting. If you’ve come to the conclusion that a book is too big of a project for you, resolve to get help. A ghostwriter can write everything from small edits to entire passages and chapters to a full book from scratch.
- Back up often. Don’t lose valuable data that could set you back. Resolve to back up important files to a cloud service or external hard drive so you’ll never lose data — and you’ll sleep better at night.
- Be a mentor. Most writers have benefitted from the wisdom and advice of other writers. Why not help share what you’ve learned about the writing and/or publishing process with someone else?
- Take some time for YOU. A healthy, well-rested writer is a more successful writer!
The New Year is the perfect time to either start that writing project or finish it — and get it published! Not sure where to start? Let Outskirts Press help!
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| AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT & SUCCESS STORY |
“I find that working with the publishing staff is a pleasure. Dana and her staff are all highly competent and thorough in the performance of their duties. I hope to work with them again in the near future.”
James C. Maddox grew up in Florida, where he still lives today. He retired after 27 years at a high-tech plant for the Department of Energy. At almost the same time, Jim completed another 27-year career with the Florida National Guard. He began as a private and worked his way up to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Jim’s love of the outdoors and wildlife knowledge is expressed in his other books, Lake Pan and The Dream.
In the highly anticipated sequel to Lake Pan, Jim and the gang are called upon to help when a rancher down in south Florida reports a problem: Something is eating the rancher’s herd of prizewinning experimental Brahma cattle. As the new director of the South Regional Fish and Game office, Anna Mae Jones knows that the rancher’s problem has landed squarely in her lap as he claims the marauding animal, whatever it is, is coming from her jurisdiction-the Everglades National Park. Anna sends one of her top park rangers to investigate the rancher’s losses, but he returns with disturbing news. The mysterious animal is big and unidentifiable, at least to Sgt. Wayne Shucks, who asks his new boss for help. Anna immediately thinks of the group of fishermen who helped further her career earlier at a lake called Pan. The men are ex-service members of the United States Armed Forces, and with their military skills and vast knowledge of the region’s fish, animals, and swamplands, Jim and his gang are perfectly suited for this assignment. If only Anna can drag them away from their bass fishing on Lake Pan.
– James C. Maddox, author of Bowfin
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