Does this look familiar? It is something new I'm trying. Once a week, I'll be tieing my Instagram posts with my Blog here. This entry is about planning ahead. Read on for more...
Purpose of planning ahead. Let's face it, we're all busy. If we could find a way to make the most of the 24 hours in a day, we can enjoy life a little more. Planning ahead and scheduling our posts/blogs can do that. But you can also plan your books ahead of time too! You're already planning your book ahead of time as it is, why not schedule the next book too? I'll get into that in a second. The purpose of doing this is so you can enjoy life. You can get more done without second guessing or wondering what's next. You already know.
Here's what I do. The Process.
After the idea comes, I take care of the cover. It doesn't always stay the same, but at least I know what the story is about by designing the cover ahead of time. As I learn, I adjust the cover to make it better. Then I decide when I want to write it. As the excitement for the story grows, I change when I write it. Then I create a board and keep it as my screen wallpaper on my laptop so I know when book will come next. As you can see, I also keep the published books at the top so I know what I've already done. If a new book relates to one I've already written, I've got it where I can see them to compare the design. And it's all done in my business colors for an extra touch lol. Now, when I plan my year, I know what books to include in my marketing and get the word out for them. By having the covers already finished, I'm one step closer to a marketing plan.
If you outline your book in advance (planning the book before writing it), it's very similar to what I'm doing for my writing in general. If you don't (like me) then this would be new for you. I didn't always do this, but I was getting excited about my book covers and wanted to get ahead of the game. It has helped me big time. If my characters won't let me plan their stories, at least I have this control! I schedule my posts too. I will work on an entire week's worth of posts for facebook and instagram a week ahead of time in one day. This gives me an open window to actually talk to people. I have more time in my day.
Setting Goals.
There are different types of goals that I set. I have my yearly goals. Since I have already chosen what books I'll be writing and in what order, I just set a goal for when I want it to be finished. Writing goal. Editing goal. Publishing goal. I do this at the beginning of the year and write it down. Every month, I go back to that goal and adjust it if I'm ahead or behind the goal set.
This larger goal set is broken down to much smaller weekly goals that I also write down. These are more simple and are so easy that I usually get ahead of myself. That's okay because these goals are tied to the bigger yearly goals which keeps me on spot for the books so I don't miss the publishing dates. As I reach those dates, I announce them. It keeps my marketing in sink. This is something I'm still learning btw.
As the year progresses, you make adjustments here and there. If you're ahead of yourself, you can make time for breaks. And if you can learn your habits and know how long it will take to write a book, you can plan ahead even more. This does take time to learn and doesn't always work so set a backup plan if necessary. And never set anything in stone. That's why it's important to keep an eye on your goals and make adjustments to them. You want to set them so you can actually meet the goals.
Why.
As mentioned earlier, the whole purpose of planning ahead is to save you time. When you save time, it have more of it for writing or doing whatever like working on your hobby or being your family which is important. This keeps you sane. It also makes you appear smarter because now you know ten years from now, you know what you'll be doing, God permits. People will think you're amazing and you are.
For those people who reach out to designers and pay them, you may not be able to get a cover ahead of time like I've been able to. But you can make a mock cover. Just something that can inspire you. You can make something easily on Canva. If you know enough of the story, you can search the photos for something and add a working title to it. This will help motivate you. Another reason for planning ahead. And when you are ready to get that official cover made, you can use the mock cover as the inspiration if you want to. The designer will have something to go on and make it better. Or suggest ideas, brainstorming is already good.
So, why plan ahead?
To save time
Inspiration
Motivation
Free up time for other things.
