Changes to my favorite place…
Things we can do nothing about affect us all. How to survive. Continue reading
Ride One and One Not…Not.
quandry
Start :) Stop:(…
Plans Changed…
Having had some great walks and rides with both Rufus and Buddy last week, I woke up Saturday morning to the sad realisation that one of my dogs – ‘the palomino lurker’ Brin had had a Stroke over night which was a huge shock – as even though nearly 15 yo he has been very fit – for several days after this episode it looked like we were facing the ‘long goodbye’ and I cancelled my rides I had planned with my friend and stayed at my editing desk, with Brin near by instead – however he is adapting to his new reality and rarely topples over and his appetite is increasing a bit too 🙂
Yesterday afternoon I had thought to take Rufe out for a walk but instead when I walked down the field I discovered Buddy had two swollen hind legs
– vet was duly called out and we decided it was some kind of allergic reaction from something in the newest patch of grass they are grazing – a bit out of the wind right by the shed – no ie except there are a few fierce little stinging nettles there… Anyway today I moved Bud back up nearer the road – the swelling has gone down to mostly just around the fetlocks – but is still there – so we will see how he goes – and assuming that Brin stays the same and or improves I hope to be out for some rides next week:)
And Looking Ahead – As You Do….
My Thoughts On An Editorial Calendar…
Finish type up of Q2, Scrivener file plus print out. This one I completed this week 🙂
Three Manuscripts
Typed MS Q1 + Q2 + HO
= THREE MS ready to take through HTRN which kicks off 14/12/15
22 week course
Q3+Q4 Type up – Target = 369,600 words/7 black note books
Assume 260 days (5 day week) =1421 typed up words/day/5 days OR 7105/week
OR 21 sides long hand.
I would say that equates to 5 hours/week minimum if not 7 hours.
5 hours could be one long session 5am -10 am or 1pm -5pm or 5pm-10pm one day /week
If this could be achieved as a priority each week then by this time next year when the others have been through HTRN once etc and I am in a better position to get them read and formatted then these will be ready to HTRN to follow through.
I would rather try to think of doing it this way than 1 + 1/2 hours a day for 5 days which if I am revising or writing new may be distracting.
BUT
What if you took photos of each page and saved to Evernote and onenote – printed out from that? Turned into pdf or annotated?
4 sides typed every day x 5 days/week is about 20/week and that means the 360600 is doable.
###TODAY I did 5 hours ?10/3 and did 12 pages – it was a BIG intrusion on the day.###
So 4 sides/day /5days /week = 369600 IN this next 12 months.
OR 20 sides /week BUT if that is 2 x 10 that is two whole sessions each time you try
OR 80 sides/month over say 4 or 5 days in one week with a break from everything else. I am not drawn to that I think it gives the highest chance of giving up as once missed it is a huge cock up – one 4 side day missed is easily caught up.
Can you write 4 sides in one hour?
I still need to be around on social media, I need to maintain my blog and keep searching out new ideas and techniques /how to etc
Friday blog post needs to be maintained as well as outposts -Make a list of topics you could talk on or each blog. But YOU must show up and do – that means Thursday or Friday am latest.
What about batch writing? I don’t think I have enough advance stuff to do that – tends to be journalistic personal experience or reaction or breakthrough find. I can drop mention the books as I go.
2016 needs to be focussed on getting the books out to market Nov onwards with marketing and development strategy in place and formatting and website shop etc organised -VAT and Tax checked out and sales cart in place.
Advertising etc needs thinking about if advertising in mags/radio etc
2017 Q2 needs to be released just before Easter and HO
Q3 summer half term
Q4 in time for summer holls
If these segments are broken into more books than 4 then that wants adjusting.
Evergreens and We rode For series ought to be in production by then and HA finished and under HTRN to release Easter 2018
Aim is to have 1 evergreen and one YA out each year – standalone Ancestrous needs writing…
And then there are those who say you cannot hit a target you can not see and that looking more than three months ahead is pointless….
I think it is good to plan but foolish to write it in stone.
Putting off things is pointless…
Mostly it is better to get on with it – if you don’t like something don’t mess about – do something about it and move on.
Generally – excepting the Dental Hygienist who I would dearly like to put off again tomorrow 🙁
Still Thinking This Through
Good place to think
Looking, listening and learning – what do I see? Hear? Know now? For Sure?
If I am going to sell ebooks.
1. I need books – finished, revised and beta read. Formatted, jacketed and I need to be able to upload them to the places where they can be sold.
2. I need a self hosted web page/s if I am going to run a shop for direct down loads and giveaways.
3. I am going to need a blog front to create interest and do all the things blogs do – link to Face book and Twitter etc.
4. It would be sensible to make it all look similar – ‘professional identity’ Back grounds, pictures etc with all the expected widgets and gizmos and buttons.
Then we get into SEO – well I will – when I get that far.
Most of that makes sense to me as I familiarise myself with it and mostly just requires me to just do it, and then get on with writing more books.
But in Guru Land and Advisor Plains and Coach Worlds where I wander wondering at the moment – I am starting to see issues and to feel uncomfortable. Or may be I am just being British.
The primary sources have been in this game from the start – highly successful now – they are no longer alone – they don’t rely on the free third party software they suggest – their teams use the Pro versions – if they don’t use their own designed in house.
They don’t sit down and write every day several times a day they ‘fill buckets’ and ‘schedule content’ – they launch ever tinier bits of ‘How To’ with mind trapping hooks, wallet opening, loan inducing marketing strategy – they talk of scarcity and of making the mark feel they belong to a community… they talk about peddling your message… Of ‘monetizing platforms’ to the point you don’t have anything to sell of your own – you just recommend other folks stuff or carry advertisements… reminds me of that song ‘Money For Nothing’ and everything is ‘Amazing’ and ‘Super’ and they want you to be ‘a good follower’.
Why? They didn’t follow anyone. This brings me to the second and third tier guru, advisor or coach aka some one like you and me who has a product to sell being encouraged to pay money to learn to imitate someone else – the fact is that the up shot of my several months of study on this – is that I now see the genuine folk I thought were real are actually preprogrammed and scheduled team auto responses cleverly packaged and aimed at me – so do I really want to schedule email, Facebook and Twitter comments throughout the day or worry about Thursday’s ‘content?’ Do I scour other folks sites to parasite my blog posts off their headlines or just pass them on? Or do I speak when I have some thing to say? Get on with writing my books and getting them ready to sell?
I have to say at this point I don’t know – I keep sheep I am not one – BUT all the folks I have come across are genuine and generous and if that translates to them making mega bucks by selling a tiny product for a few ‘bucks’ millions of times does that make them wrong or make the advice bad? No it doesn’t.
It seems to me – at this point in time – that most are saying the same things –
1. Don’t wait for perfect – go with what you have or have decided on and alter it later.
2. Product and Marketing are equally important – there is no one without the other.
3. No matter how big these people turn out to be they all say start using free stuff and don’t give up the day job with out a plan – and as you grow buy in what you need in terms of design and help even – heaven forbid – content, then look at giving up paid employment.
This all seems perfectly solid, sensible and responsible advice and rather at odds with the ‘Money For Nothing’ content products messages that seep in.
So I find my self deep in hooks lines and sinkers and trying to clear wood from trees to see which bit of the jungle out here I am in now.
1. What tech stuff do I need for a frame work?
2. What buttons will I need to get pushed?
3. What strategy for marketing will I choose?
4. Who am I?
5. What am I?
6. Why do I want to do this?
7. What do I want to do?
Answers 4 – 7 Marie-Claire is a writer who wants to sell the books she writes.