Unexpected Third Quarter Reset
July 17, 2020 by Tracy Reed in category WritingHappy July.
It’s hard to believe we are in the middle of July. This really isn’t the summer I planned. What’s that saying, “If you want to know if God has a sense of humor, make plans.”
This has been a year unlike any other and that is pretty much how it will be described. We will tell future generations how we survived 2020.
I sympathize with all who have suffered any type of loss during this time.
I have elected not to dwell on the negatives. Instead, I’m focusing on what I can do to update my writer life. I made a list of things I wanted to get done. I was surprised at the length of the list. Here’s a sampling of my tasks…some are still WIP:
- Update website – In my defense I do this about once a year. As my writing style evolves, so does my site.
- Re-read my own books [I really suggest doing this. It’s good to see how you’ve progressed as a writer. It’s also good to see what might need to be changed or tweaked. I’m currently re-reading my series The Good Girl, because I’m working on the third book. I need to make sure there’s a cohesive storyline across all three books. To my surprise I discovered a few format glitches I missed.]
- Refilled my print inventory – I’m doing this a couple of titles at a time.
- Moved books to Ingram Spark – this one is taking a little longer than I expected.
- Started a street team
- Did my first review session with Hidden Gems. I don’t know about you, but it’s been difficult getting my list to post reviews. I heard good things about the service and thought I’d try it. Needless to say I was nervous about the reviews, but so far it’s been good.
- Ordered swag samples. I want something in addition to book marks and pens. If there are signing events next year, I want to be prepared.
- Participated in a newsletter building giveaway.
- Edited a book and started another one.
- Judged a contest
- Read for pleasure
- Rebranded a series – this one is still in the works. This was my first series…my first born, so I’m a lot protective. I have to break the attachment and do what’s right for the series. That means new covers and if necessary, new titles. I’ve been testing the covers and have yet to make a decision. I’m pretty sure it’s going to be man chest. I’ve been studying my sales and two of my best selling books have man chest covers.
- Created a new logo, that I like
- Set a regular newsletter schedule – I really needed help with one. I realized I was putting pressure on myself to send out a weekly newsletter. I stepped back and looked at this like a reader. Based on my open results, my readers really don’t want to hear from me every week. I’m now on a twice a month newsletter schedule.
- Re-instated my book box. I really like subscription boxes. I realized something very valuable, whatever I push energy to will succeed. In order for this one to work, I have to promote it. And that might mean getting help with this one.
I have yet to master a regular social media schedule. I got close earlier this year, but fell off the wagon. I heard about two planning apps: Planoly and Plann. I’m trying them out on my lingerie site. Once I complete a month of use, I’ll share the results. I will share this. On my lingerie Instagram page, I did the pre-planning and it yielded sales and a couple of new followers. Again, If I’d placed a little more energy into it, I believe the results would have been better.
What new or different thing have you done for your writing career?
Stay safe.
0 0 Read moreLet’s Do This Again
June 5, 2020 by Tracy Reed in category WritingPlease forgive me for the replay. I’m in the middle of editing. Considering the state of our world right now, I thought it might be interesting to repost my plan for 2020. This post made me laugh. Like most writers, I have had to alter my plans for the year. In spite of the unstable time, I’ve been able to keep on track with my planning tools. Please stay safe. Use wisdom and don’t rush to get back to the old normal. Instead, get excited about the new normal. See you next month. Happy June.
REPOST FROM JANUARY 2020
Happy New Year and Happy Decade. First I want to apologize for the mishap last month, internet issues prevented me from doing anything.
Let’s get this year and decade off to a great start. I don’t believe in resolutions. For those who do, good for you. Instead, I choose to set goals and plans for myself. This is what works for me. This method keeps me focused and forces me to strive for the next level. Do I always reach my goals in my designated time frame, no. But that’s okay, I simply push them back and keep working towards them.
To briefly recap 2019. I started the year with great aspirations to publish four books. That didn’t happen. Instead, I released one book, A Southern Gentleman Vol 2 in October. I did however, release four boxsets, Secret Love, Real Love, Loving Her and Falling For Her Boss. I didn’t get more books published because I made a decision in 2018 which carried over into 2019…ReBranding.
I talked about ReBranding a lot at the end of 2018. However, I failed to underestimate how long it would take. In 2019 I started changing covers and blurbs, which opened a can of creative worms. I love the new covers and the new website. I still have work to do on the website, which appears to be a constant work in progress.
Since I do all of my graphic design, it takes up a little more of my time, which sometimes makes me a victim of poor time management. This is something I’m working on this year. [I’ll talk more about that later.]
It wasn’t until I released A Southern Gentleman Vol 2, that I realized I needed help. Me not getting help was costing me valuable time. I thought by me doing everything myself, I was saving money. In reality, I was losing money and valuable time. As my mother says, “you can always get more money, but not more time.”
A few weeks before my release, I booked a publicist [Honey Magnolia PR] to help me. The minute, I booked Honey Magnolia, I immediately felt relief. I had used a PR company before, but the results weren’t as good as I had hoped. So I was a little apprehensive to go that route again, but this time, it worked. I saw good sales and engagement.
My takeaway from 2019 was simple, be patient with rebranding and know when to get help.
A couple of years ago, I took you on a wild challenge of writing and publishing a title a month. This year, I want to take you with me on another journey…no, it’s not a book a month. SMILE. Planning. It seems so simple, but for me, it’s not something I’ve really committed to. Let me clarify.
In the past, I would start the year with a production schedule. Pretty much every month was filled with a title. There was a mix of new books, backlist updates and special boxsets. I figured the best was to get eyes on me was through titles. This is sort of a good plan when worked effectively. But I failed to schedule promotions and market the titles.
I went searching for a marketing calendar for my other business and stumbled on a couple of authors who like to use planners. One in particular, Sarra Cannon, opened my eyes to planning. She also shared her 90 Day plan. This is a remarkable plan. I’m, going to try it this quarter and share my progress.
This year, I’m also going to share how I use a planner to help me write and organize my business. Trust me, this is a world I never knew existed, but it’s filled with tips on how to work more efficiently.
Next month, I’ll share the results of my first month using a planner and update my 90 Day process.
Happy 2020!
What Are You Doing During The Quarantine?
May 5, 2020 by Tracy Reed in category Pink Pad by Tracy Reed, Writing tagged as quarantine, Tracy Reed, writingWhat Are You Doing During the Quarantine?
Happy May and happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers.
I have to be one of the few people not too upset about being on quarantine. I work from home so this isn’t that different from my everyday routine, except I can’t go to the gym, the salon or church. I sympathize and pray for everyone who has been infected or lost someone.
Before you virtually yell at me, or gather ten or less people to come and beat me up, step back, take a deep breath and look at the gift you’ve been given.
How many times have you said if I had a little more time, I could get this done. Or, I need to finish my book, but I’ve got a presentation I need to get done for my other job. Or maybe you’ve always wanted to write a book, but never had the time. This is your time.
Did you know if you had committed to writing 2000 words a day for the past six weeks, you’d have enough for a book? Or two novellas? If you continued writing until the lock in was lifted, you could have two books and possibly a novella or short story. Enough inventory to launch your writing career or if you’re already published…a new series.
I hear a lot of people complaining about being locked in and what they miss. This is such an amazing time.
During the lock-in, I finished a book and started another. I’ve updated my writing and marketing plans. I’ve been testing Facebook ads. This has also allowed me a chance to try some newsletter vendors I’ve never used before.
Don’t waste this time complaining or thinking you can do it later. There are quite a few businesses offering freebies or discounts to new customers. I tried a newsletter I had been wanting to try. I liked the results and will definitely be using them in the future.
When we went on quarantine, it effected both of my businesses. I don’t know about anyone else, but I really expected a huge spike in book sales because people were home. However, I failed to consider my readership. Quite a few of them have children which meant their free time was now being used for home schooling, not pleasure reading. So what was I going to do?
I really wanted to freak out, but I changed my attitude. I was in the process of finishing a book I wanted to in May. However, I didn’t finish it until last week, which means the release date needed to be pushed back.
Looking at what’s happening in the world and to my sales right now, I’m considering a different launch strategy. Possibly pushing the release back to late fall. If I do that, I would have the next in the series complete and release the books back to back. I never would have considered that strategy if it hadn’t been for this life break.
I have also been looking at additional revenue streams. I love print books. Especially hardcover. During this time, I’ve been researching other versions of my books…hardcover, limited edition and audio.
Here are some things you can do during the shut in.
Re-stock print book inventory
Order new marketing materials
Re-stock swag
Book future ads
Set up some pre-orders
Recommend Books on BookBub
Update a series
Write a novella or short story
Listen to writing Podcast or You Tube shows
Check out what other writers are doing
Support your fellow writers
Create additional revenue streams
Read
Bottom line, concentrate on how to turn this negative into a positive. Don’t waste this time. Look at it as a set up for 2021.
Stay safe and wise.
Tracy
FIRST QUARTER RESULTS
April 5, 2020 by Tracy Reed in category Pink Pad by Tracy Reed, Writing tagged as publishing, results, writingHappy April and Happy Birthday to me. Today’s my birthday and I am celebrating at a very intimate and exclusive restaurant, my house.
There is no need to rehash or complain about what we are all enduring. Here’s my only comment or prayer, we are all victorious survivors and can endure more than we can imagine.
I’m going to keep it short this month.
I just finished my first quarter as a planner girl. It has been an amazing experience. I’m a lot more focused and I’m amazed at how much I got accomplished. There are some tools I really like and some that I didn’t. At least right now. I might revisit the ones that didn’t fit later. I will only be discussing the planning tools I’m using for my author business.
Tool: Kanban Board
I’m not going to say I love this just yet, but I really like it. It helped a lot to see my tasks in front of me daily. It also forced me not to bite off more than I could chew. When I put this in place, I was going to write a different book. About two weeks into the first 30 days, the book I scheduled just wasn’t. I switched books and the words flowed like a faucet. In fact, the book went from novella to novel length.
There were a few things that were moved because it involved the book I was no longer working on. My math might be a little off but here are the results. I started the year with 3 goals and 59 tasks. I complete the goals. I realize those are going to take a little longer than expected. The goals had 59 tasks. I completed 32 tasks, 15 didn’t get done and 7 were carried over.
As of this posting, I’m working on next quarter’s Kanban board.
Tool: Ads
I have been meaning to try Fussy Librarian and just hadn’t gotten around to it. However, I received an email offering me a chance to try them for free with a free book. I did and ad day produced great results. My book got to #4 in a couple of categories and in the top 100 with another one. The tails on the ad lasted about a week. I will definitely be trying them again.
I have an official ad budget and I’ll let you know how it’s working at the end of the quarter. I think I need 90 days to really assess the results. I am currently in the first stage, testing facebook ads. This is an area I really want to crack. I have spent too much time and money on courses for them not to work.
Tool: Planner Inserts
I have been testing a mixture of planner inserts searching for the ones that are right for me. I think I have a system I like. I’m not the planner who likes a lot of stickers. Although I did see some last week that I really like. I do use colored transparency tabs and some dots.
I created an engagement log sheet which I use weekly to chart my sales, word count and social media followers. This has helped me. When I write things down, it helps me visualize and push myself. Or know when to take a break.
Tool: Author Planner
My author planner is really a business bible. It contains a calendar, production schedule, newsletter and ad schedule, expense and sales log, print book inventory and event schedule. This is very handy. I use it in conjunction with my 90 Day Plan notebook. Any story ideas are kept in a separate notebook by my bed.
Tool: Instagram…Social Media
I did an online course on building your Instagram audience for my lingerie business and tried it with my author business. It works well for the lingerie, but not as well for my author business. I’m thinking about trying Planoly to schedule my author posts. When I post on Instagram, I make sure to click the other social media options. This helps me stay engaged and post regularly. Interesting thing, when I post a shirtless man, I get great engagement. Go figure.
WIP…as of this post, I am approximately 4500 words away from completing my book. I know last month I said I was about 7000 words away from completing my book. That was true. However, the story took a turn and I added a few more thousand words. I really thought I would have finished it sooner. But the delay has worked to my advantage. I’m not sure how a release would have done right now.
I’m not sure what I’ll talk about next month. Let’s play it by ear.
Happy April. Stay safe.
TWO PLANNING MONTHS IN
March 5, 2020 by Tracy Reed in category Pink Pad by Tracy Reed
Happy March. Get ready for it… because yes, I am going to say something very familiar…”I can’t believe this is the beginning of the end of the first quarter of a new decade”. That was a mouthful?
Let’s get started.
How did I do last month? Come si, come sa. The second month of planning hasn’t gone as well as I would have liked. At the same time it wasn’t as bad as I thought either. I got sick and that sort of effected my schedule. I have a simple but strict morning routine. I wake up at 6:30, slap the snooze button two or three times, thank God for another day, have quiet time or devotional, tend to a little personal business, grab a pre-workout snack, and go to the gym for an hour or more depending on how I feel. Then I come home eat some protein and get to work.
Unfortunately, sometimes I get a little distracted after eating and before heading to work. Heading to work, is me going down the hall to my office and putting my butt in the chair for a few hours. I researched successful people and their routines getting ideas for myself. What I came up with was six hours a day to operate both of my businesses. However, I seem to always end up working longer.
The first quarter of the year is always a little busy for me because I’m doing buying for my lingerie store. This is something that happens twice a year. There are other mini buys throughout the year, but twice a year I go on buying trips for a few days. These require me to be removed from writing, If you’re not familiar with buying season, it’s like going to RWA or RAM twice a year with more food, wine, less sleep and lots of walking.
When my mother and I return from a buying trip we need to decompress and enter the next phase, catalog review and placing orders. For clarification, this is like writing and publishing a dozen books in two weeks. Since I’ve been a published writer only once did I release a book during this time. I made a note to never do that again. This is where the planning part comes into play.
I was headed to Paris for a buying trip and thought since I had done everything for the book, it would be a piece of cake to complete the end of the blog tour while I was gone. I figured the time difference would work to my advantage. This was a major case of poor planning. The first couple of days were spent fighting jet lag and show fatigue followed by me trying to finish up posts for the blog tour. Needless to say, the launch didn’t do as well as I expected. My saving grace was a the BookBub ad I had during that period which got me a lot of sales.
I said all of that to say February was a real planning test and I didn’t score an A, but I didn’t fail either. So here a few highlights.
Plan: I didn’t finish my book.
Reality: I was going for a small novella, but it’s more like a small novel. I’m currently at 39,000+ words, plus I have a twist I really like. I’m about 7,000 words from the end. I’m trying not to do a cliffhanger, but it looks like that may not happen. I promised my readers I wouldn’t do a cliffy, but if I did, I wouldn’t let too much time pass between books. Upside, I have a cover.
Plan: I haven’t booked any newsletter ads.
Reality: I thought I’d turned off my Facebook ad for A Southern Gentleman Two, but it was still running. This mistake got me sales. And a chain of strange dialog about the ad. I really need to post about it. In a nutshell, the way the ad was written has made over a hundred people believe it’s a post about a real couple.
I did make an ad schedule for the rest of the year which I which goes into effect tomorro. I also have an ad budget. I’ll update you later on how that’s going.
Plan: I haven’t posted to my reader group as regularly as I want to.
Reality: I’m working this. Upside, I did a mini course on using Instagram and have seen a major boost in engagement and a few new followers. I also noticed a few sales related to some of my posts.
Upside, because of my new Instagram posting schedule, I’m posting to Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr almost daily. Next on my list is Pinterest.
Plan: New covers for my Alex Chronicles Series.
Reality: I have created three sets of covers and still haven’t found the ones I like. However, I have until the end of the month to make a decision.
Plan: Update my newsletter
Reality: This was on my list for March, but I did it in February. I visited Lauren Layne’s website and saw her newsletter. I fell in love with it, so I developed my version. I like it and hope my readers do as well. Another change I made which ties in with my newsletter is my logo. I was motivated to make a change after seeing my friend Saharra K Sandhu’s new logo. I now have a logo I like.
Summary: I’ve done 24 things, but I still have thirty five things left for this quarter. I know it sounds like a lot. However, I know some of those won’t be done because they relate to a book I pushed to later in the year. And a few are admin related [i.e., setting up ads, switching my lead magnet, updating my website, reviewing my schedule, etc.]. Those are things I need to sit down and take a couple of hours and clear off my planner.
To summarize February…it’s better than last year. I see a plan for the rest of the year I can implement. I also know, I’ll be way ahead of the game next year.
Next month, I’ll summarize my first quarter and tell you which planning tools have worked so far.
Have a great month and happy spring.
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