The 7-Step Business Plan for Writers

business plan for writers
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Today’s guest post is by author Angela Ackerman (@AngelaAckerman) of Writers Helping Writers.


As you’ve probably heard, there’s no such thing as “only being a writer” any more, and while many might not want to handle the business side of things, to give ourselves and our books the best chance of success, we must.

In May 2012, when Becca Puglisi and I self-published The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, we had quite a few challenges. Living in different countries, we needed to create a formal partnership, set up businesses, and figure out how revenue would work. We had to learn publishing and take on marketing and promotion. Neither of us had a business or marketing background, so we relied heavily on research and intuition, and did our best to make the book discoverable. (You can read about our initial marketing plan here.)

Our unusual book on showing character emotion created buzz among writers, igniting word of mouth. Suddenly our lives went from busy to crazy as we tried to keep up with the burst of attention, writing guest posts, teaching workshops, and providing interviews. Books sales continued to strengthen, and we sold foreign rights. A few universities listed the book as required reading, and publishers began approaching us. At this point, Becca and I realized how far the book could go, but because we were being pulled in so many different directions, we didn’t know how to best take advantage of these opportunities.

The need for a business plan became our No. 1 focus. Fortunately, my husband is a management consultant who creates plans for many of his clients. With his help, we identified three areas that would help us grow in the year ahead:

  • improving our professional image and brand credibility: creating a website, presenting at conferences and hosting workshops
  • providing new product for our audience: writing two new descriptive thesaurus books
  • expanding into the education sector: contacting colleges and universities to spread awareness of our writing resources

The roadmap we created allowed us to avoid distractions and focus on what would help us grow.

As we near the end of the year, Becca and I now have a professional website, three writing resource books that have collectively sold nearly 50,000 copies, and we increased our credibility through speaking engagements, teaching at conferences, and hosting workshops. In the near future we are looking to create awareness of our books at the collegiate level, rounding out our business plan objectives.

Since much of our productivity and growth are a direct result of forming a business plan (and sticking to it), I want to share steps you can take to create your own.

Step 1: Brainstorm

Imagine your year ahead and what you would like to accomplish as a writer. What will help you reach your goals, whether it’s publication, releasing more books, beefing up your online visibility, or honing your craft? Write down everything that you want to accomplish, and don’t forget smaller goals, as these are necessary steppingstones to achieving larger ones.

Also, choose goals that are within your power to make happen. For example, while you might really want representation, “getting an agent” is not necessarily something you can attain yourself; the agent decides whom they represent. However, “researching and querying all suitable agents” is a goal you can set and meet.

Step 2: Find Your Themes

Read through your list and look for bigger themes. Are there several goals that fit into a similar area of focus, like platform building or writing improvement? Grab some highlighters and group these together. Then, choose a name or tag line that summarizes each theme or area of focus.

Common themes might include

  • Social networking improvement (platform building and connection)
  • Education (attending workshops, finding a critique partner, improving one’s craft, studying the industry, etc.)
  • Publishing (trying for an agent, working towards a traditional contract or self-publishing)
  • Marketing visibility (researching and implementing ads, hiring a publicist, finding one’s audience online, soliciting reviews, etc.)

Step 3: Assign Importance

Now that your goals are organized into different focus areas (themes), step back and look at the big picture. Based on where you are now, which areas are the highest priority? For example, querying agents (publication related) and honing your writing skills (education related) might both be areas you’d like to focus on, but if your writing still needs work, it will be a waste of time to query agents immediately. Likewise, if you are winning notable contests and trusted critique partners are hard-pressed to see how you can improve, likely you should make getting your work in front of agents and editors a priority.

This step involves soul-searching and honesty. Sometimes desire (wanting to be published right now, for example) can get in the way of what we actually need (to hone our craft further). To be objective, set emotion aside. Ask yourself hard questions about what your career really needs. If it helps, pretend you are advising a writer friend. If they were in your shoes, what important things would you suggest they work on to get ahead?

Step 4: Pick Two or Three Main Goals

Now comes the hard part: choosing which goals to pursue. Which two areas of focus did you mark as being the most critical? These two themes (say “Education” and “Networking”) should be the primary focus of your business plan. Pick specific goals that will help you most in these areas.

Once you choose a goal, think about the steps you must take to achieve it. For example, if your goal is to “Build a Platform” you might have action items like open a twitter account and build a followingtake a class on social networking, and join a group blog. For inspiration, look at the highlighted lists you made. Chances are you’ll find smaller goals listed there that will help you achieve your larger one.

Two primary areas of focus or main goals are good for a business plan, but if you have a third area you’d like to tackle, list it as a secondary goal. Do the same exercise as above and list out tasks (action items) that must be carried out to achieve this goal.

When making these decisions, think carefully about your time. We all have roles and commitments outside of writing, and these things require a lot of energy. Business goals should be achievable, so don’t take on more than you can handle.

Step 5: Set a Timeline for Each Goal

Stick to your plan by setting timelines that fit your schedule. Becca and I chose a seasonal timeline, so we knew which goal to pursue at which time of the year. This helped us meet completion dates. If you are unsure how much time a certain task will require, set a deadline with a fallback date. This way you won’t be discouraged if you miss the initial deadline, and you’ll have a buffer if needed.

Step 6: Bring It Together in a One-Page Plan

A visual helps when it comes to following a business plan. By condensing your plan on one page, it will force you to be succinct in what must be accomplished to meet each goal. You can use a spreadsheet or table to do this (Excel, Google spreadsheet, a piece of paper, etc) or download this template. Here’s the business plan Becca and I created for ourselves:

Business Plan for Writers by Angela Ackerman

When your spreadsheet is filled out, print and display it where you write. This will remind you of what you should be doing and help you make good use of your time.

Step 7: Commit and Challenge Yourself Daily

Once your plan is complete, stick to it. When new opportunities come up, see if they fit your plan. It’s important to take advantage of potential windfalls, but only if they further your goals and you have the time.

Before you print your business plan, type this statement in bold at the bottom: Is what I’m doing or about to do helping me achieve my goals? Before you commit time and energy to new projects, challenge yourself with this question to evaluate if it’s worthwhile.

In today’s publishing landscape, writers must become master jugglers, wearing many hats. Whether you’re published or pre-published, having a business plan is one of the smartest things you can do to keep yourself on track, maximize your time, and ensure that you reach your milestones.

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Adrienne

This is FANTASTIC and just what I needed to see this morning! Great post and I love your books Angela. They continue to help me hone my craft.

Angela Ackerman

Thanks so much, Adrienne. I really hope this plan helps you map out your best path forward. Happy writing (and business planning!)

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[…] Angela is at Jane Friedman’s blog, sharing a 7-Step Business Plan for Writers, because in this new world of publishing, it is more important than ever for writers to engage in […]

Saoirse O'Mara

Good step-by-step guide to create an overview of goals and an action plan for writers. It’s certainly a useful tool, although I wouldn’t call it a business plan since that usually also includes the financial aspects of a business. It’s a good starting point, and for writers who have other financial means to pay the bills, this is probably all they need. Writers who want to turn their writing into a full-time career can easily expand this action plan to include the financial aspects (cash budget including business and personal income and expenses, investment plan, three-year-estimate for business turnover and expenses to get a mid-term overview).

Thanks for posting this!

Angela Ackerman

Hi Saoirse,

Yes, this isn’t meant to take the place of a full scale plan–I wanted to share something that both pre-published and published authors could use as a starting point, especially those who might find the idea of a creating a business plan daunting. Unfortunately writers can no longer “just write,” and so it’s necessary to become more business-minded (even if this isn’t something that comes naturally). Thanks so much for the comment!

Saoirse O'Mara

You’re welcome 🙂 If you ever plan on publishing a blog post about expanding this with the financial aspects, let me know and I’d be happy to write a guest post about it (I’ve written more than one complete business plan in my life, both for myself and others).

Angela Ackerman

Sounds good–thanks for offering, Saoirse. I will keep this in mind! 🙂

Saoirse O'Mara

You can contact me at saoirse.omara (at) gmail dot com (just realised that my name isn’t clickable lol).

Linda Andersen

Thanks for sharing ideas for a business plan. I need to save this one!

Angela Ackerman

Happy this will help you Linda. 🙂 Have a great week!

Eleanor Sullivan

Although I don’t need a business plan right now, I want to thank you for The Emotion Thesaurus! I bought if first on Kindle, then realized I’d like to have a paper copy, too. It’s been an immense help when my editor says, “More emotion, Eleanor, dig deeper,” a refrain I hear often. So, thanks for helping me mine my own and my characters’ emotions!
Eleanor Sullivan, Graven Images, A Singular Village Mystery

Angela Ackerman

HI Eleanor,

I am thrilled that The Emotion Thesaurus is helping you! Writing character emotion is such a struggle, because we want it to feel authentic, but tend to get trapped in reusing the same descriptors to show it. Hopefully the entries in the book offer you a path to spark your brain quickly so you can stay in the flow and write the scene. Thanks for the comment!

Sue Frye

Awesome suggestions, Angela! Love the chart! And this is a good time of the year to focus on goals and new beginnings!

Angela Ackerman

Sue, it is the perfect time, isn’t it? Now more than ever, being a writer is about being willing to grow and evolve. The good thing is that there is so much content out there to help us find our way. I hope the chart helps you. 🙂

Angela Ackerman

Thank you so much Jane for having me here today. I just finished watching your Google hangout with CEA, and can’t wait for the next installment! Thanks so much for the great summary of the shifting writing landscape.

florabrown

Angela, This is an well-thought-out and doable plan. I love that you included plans to get training where needed as well as being open to traditional and self-publishing. Your post made me remember that I have taken many webinars and workshops over the years. Before I take another one I need to go back and review all the content on marketing, building a platform, etc. that I’ve already gathered. Thank you.

Angela Ackerman

Very happy to help. As writers, we are in constant development, but if we try to focus on everything, or too much on one thing, then we aren’t making the best use of our time. Sometimes sitting down and looking hard at what we want for ourselves, both long term and short term, is a healthy step to moving forward more productively. 🙂

Lexa Cain

I’m so happy to hear about all your success, Angela. If anyone’s worked hard and deserves it, you do. (And how nice to be married to a business consultant, right?) Thanks for all the tips. 🙂

Angela Ackerman

Haha, Lexa, yes his brain has come in handy, although I appreciate the fact that he hasn’t tried to “take over” and only offers help if I ask. His business world and my publishing world have some overlap, but there are also things that work very differently between the two, so I need to understand my world enough to know what advice might work, and what will not. (And thank you–I feel so grateful to have such great supporters like you!)

Celia Lewis

So practical and thoughtful! Makes great sense, and I can implement it immediately. Also use for my ‘other’ passion, genealogy, and my goals there as well! I appreciate the clear language and straightforward style in this post as well.
Cheers.

Angela Ackerman

Yes Celia, this business plan can really be used in any area. even one’s personal development. 🙂 I am happy it will be of use to you. Thanks for the visit.