Setting author goals helps you be successful because the very process of goal-setting makes you think very carefully about what you want to achieve, why you want it, and what you are prepared to do to get it. Goals keep you focusing your energy, time, and resources on the things that you really want (rather than getting distracted or spreading yourself too thin–a very real problem for authors today!)
When you track your progress toward your goal, you’ll feel satisfied that you’re making positive moves in the right direction, which makes the sense of accomplishment that accompanies achieving your publishing goals that much sweeter. Here are some tips for goal-setting.
Objectives must be clear so there is no misinterpreting their intent. The more specific you can make your goal, the less doubt there will be on whether you reached it.
Will you be able to track your progress? Something like “do more on social media” or “be the best in the business” is impossible to track, but “get 50 extra followers a week” is trackable.
Authors have a love-hate relationship with deadlines, but committing to a date will help you stay on track. Break bigger time periods down into smaller ones and think about what you’ll do in one month, six months, 12 months, etc. Giving yourself a limited time frame to achieve a goal will keep you on track, even if that time frame is a month, a year, five years, or more.
Don’t set yourself up for failure–are your author goals doable with a bit of hard work and commitment? Set goals within the realm of what is possible for you to accomplish. Your optimism should not exceed your ability to deliver.
If your goals are written down, they give you something to refer back to. It also makes it less likely that they will be subject to later (mis)interpretation.
Arrange your goals from the most to the least important so you do the most important tasks first and are able to maintain your focus.
Planning is a verb, a series of sequential actions that can be represented by the acronym PIE—Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation. Preparing objectives is the beginning of the planning process, the foundation upon which your implementation and evaluation occur.
Once your plan is complete, move to the second part of the PIE acronym and implement your plan, taking action to reach your objectives.
Are your actions taking you closer to or further from your author goals? The evaluation portion of the PIE acronym tests your relative progress to make sure it is forward and goal-directed. If it is not, make the corrections necessary to get you back on course.
If you dwell on the things that go wrong, that is where your attention will be focused. Don’t fight problems, right problems. Set goals to reach profitability, not to avoid a loss.
Negativity can overpower your thoughts when revenue and profits are down. Wait until you have regained control of your attitude and are ready to view challenges as opportunities versus impassable roadblocks.
Purpose breeds passion, the unfailing belief in yourself and your ability to make your goals become reality. Your targets will rarely motivate you to sustained action if they are not set from an unfailing sense of destiny. Will your author goals get you closer to your vision? If not, you are taking a step in the wrong direction.
Close your eyes and visualize yourself achieving your goal. What steps do you need to take to get there? Don’t be disheartened if it feels like a long way away. Break it down into stages and always remember to set SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-based.
This chapter was compiled from the following posts on the IngramSpark blog:
"How to Set Author Goals” by Brian Jud, Executive Director of the Association of Publishers for Special Sales
“Achieve More by Setting Author Goals" by Leila Dewji, co-founder of I_Am Self-Publishing
