Last Updated on by Michael Brockbank
I’ve talked a bit about my goals for 2023 and how I wanted to publish more books. But I’m not sure I really went over the exact process I’m going to take to accomplish this. So, let’s take a look at how I intend to grow my personal library throughout the new year.
In fact, I’m going to schedule a “look back” in Asana for the end of next December. Let’s see how close I can actually get to my goals.
Granted, I often have an incredible amount of projects on my plate on any given day. However, I’m confident that I’ll be able to accomplish some great things soon, especially since I’ve been following my new schedule.
Setting Up Publishing Goals and Plans of Action
The trick to creating goals that have a positive influence is being realistic with yourself. This means creating objectives that you have the potential of achieving. If your goals are too outlandish for your abilities, you’ll only set yourself up for failure.
On the other side of the coin, you don’t want writing goals that are too easy, either. The purpose of goals and challenges is to push yourself beyond perceived limitations.
If you’re curious as to how to set your own goals to publish more books, here is my exact plan for 2023. Perhaps it can help you establish your own routines.
What Constitutes a “Book?”
First, let’s decide on what we’re going to call a “book,” in the first place. Obviously, it’s a manuscript that goes beyond short-story status. For me, it’s going to be published works that go beyond 35,000 words.
According to the average word count of genres, the books I write this year will be roughly 80,000 to 90,000 words long. But, that also depends on how the story unfolds. I’ll write until the story is complete, regardless of how many words are written.
Also, I’m going to focus on three platforms in 2023 to publish these books:
- Self-publishing (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.)
- Wattpad (Because I enjoy writing fan fiction)
- Inkitt (Because I want to see if it’s comparable to Wattpad)
Throughout the year, I’ll probably find more. Nonetheless, these are my major foci for the coming year for publishing “books.”
Prioritizing Goals for Publishing
Now that we know what we’ll track as a book, it’s time to prioritize the effort. This means making goals to publish more books a priority over the other things I would like to do throughout the week.
For example, I will finish my daily tasks for clients first thing. After all, they are who pay my bills. Immediately after my client work, though, I’ll start working on the books. This means shifting other projects such as blogging and YouTube videos to the end of the day.
The reason I am prioritizing my manuscripts in this fashion is that I’ll either forget or run out of time. It’s also why I include my books within my workday. By the end of my day, or even on some weekends, I am simply too burned out to write another word.
Not a lot of people consider just how mentally taxing it is to be a freelance writer. Especially one who tries to handle as much as I do. There is far more to my job than just hammering out a few words.
In any case, I know I have to prioritize my books in this fashion. Otherwise, I’ll never work on them. Just take a look at how long it’s taken me to finish VII on Wattpad. I started it back in 2016!
Two Hours Per Day, Minimum
Thanks to my writing spreadsheet, I know how much I can write on average when it comes to virtually anything I’m working on. That’s because I’m a bit of a dork and monitor every minute I spend on everything I create.
To meet my goals in 2023, and to publish more books, I’ll need at least two hours per day. Keep in mind, I’m also focusing on a Monday through Friday schedule.
I find it relaxing to take the weekends off, for a change.
I’m basing this amount of time on the number of words I plan to write specifically for manuscripts and how much I’m able to write per hour. Yet, it all really comes down to simply spending some quality time writing and editing those books.
These blocks of time are uninterrupted and are set up as a guarantee to myself that I’ll work on what needs to be done.
The Plan to Write 270,00 Words for Books
As I would love to publish at least three books in 2023, I’ve decided to set writing goals for 270,000 words. This is estimating roughly 90,000 words for each novel I plan to finish.
In the grand scheme of things, this is just 1,039 words per day, Monday through Friday. To put this into perspective, I am cruising along at around 1,400 per hour rewriting and finishing VII.
When I wrote Kingmaker, I was doing so at about 800 words per hour.
This is why I keep track of everything in a spreadsheet.
So, why don’t a dump more time to finish the books sooner? As I said, I have a lot on my plate. Clients, blogs, podcasts, and YouTube channels still require attention if I want to satisfy the needs of the many.
Besides, being able to publish three books per year isn’t all that bad of a clip. Especially considering everything else I have going on at the moment.
Keep in mind, this is also on top of my writing for clients, blogs, and YouTube scripts. Next year is going to be awesome for word-count goals!
Trying and Reviewing Writing Tools
As I still need some decent content for this blog, I plan on trying and reviewing various online tools and apps. This includes platforms that are specifically designed for aspiring authors.
However, this also means that I need to squirrel away some time to try these platforms out, in the first place.
That’s one of the more difficult parts for me, actually. I tend to schedule production every day with the intention of trying these apps and such in the evenings or on the weekends. And that rarely happens.
This means that I’ll schedule time in my “workday” to try out these apps and tools. And in reality, I can consider them part of my work because they’re giving me a chance to create content while also helping along with finishing my books.
Sometimes, I’ll be able to do several things at the same time. This will be a bit of a time saver over the long term.
Case in point, I wrote Kingmaker specifically in Reedsy’s book editor app. This gave me a chance to write the book while trying out a new piece of software. So, I’ll be doing more of that this year.
I guess 2023 is going to be a great year for writing reviews and creating “best of” lists for this website.
Periodic Challenges
One thing that I’ve been doing since I started freelance writing in 2012 is building challenges for myself. Mostly, this is because I am constantly working on self-improvement through a variety of means.
For example, I’m currently working on setting a new record for the number of words written in a single month.
I’m sure that as the year progresses, I’ll create similar challenges for myself. For instance, what happens if I spend time writing my books for 30 days straight? Can I write a book in 60 days? How many weekends would it take to write a book?
Actually, the 60-day book is a challenge I intend on completing next year. Though, it’ll most likely be for Wattpad or Inkitt as I don’t know what kind of editing I’ll be able to do within such a short timeframe.
My point is that challenges can do wonders for keeping you on task, building confidence, and helping you realize your potential. Even if you don’t complete the challenge despite putting in maximum effort, at least you’ll learn a great deal about yourself and what you can handle.
Get New Glasses!
And finally, I am getting new glasses as soon as possible. It’s extremely difficult for me to read any book, at the moment. Every time I try to read through a few pages, I strain my eyes and it gives me a headache.
That’s probably one of the reasons why I feel so drained by the end of the day. I am writing and reading for roughly 10 to 12 hours Monday through Friday. Luckily, I do so from a 27-inch widescreen monitor on my desk.
In any case, I’m virtually positive that getting a new prescription and glasses will make a world of difference.
Where to Get Ideas for Your Books
I was asked recently where ideas come from when writing my books. To be honest, they usually just pop into my head seemingly randomly. Or, I’ll start to write something and then the story takes on a life of its own.
Not to mention how it helps to have a dark, twisted, and morbid sense of humor.
Real-Life Mysteries
There’s nothing wrong with getting inspiration from different sources. One of the things I like to do is watch unsolved mystery shows. Then, I let my imagination fill in the blanks to “solve” those mysteries.
For instance, how were the pyramids of Giza built? Depending on whether you’re into sci-fi or fantasy, there are a few different answers from a creative viewpoint. Who’s to say magic wasn’t involved? Perhaps aliens built them but for a purpose other than what people speculate.
Plot Generators
You can also use plot generators to start the basis of a good story. These are kind of like writing prompts but with a bit more meat.
Essentially, generators are nothing more than randomized elements put together to create something somewhat unique. Now, I say “somewhat unique” because the same things will eventually display depending on how many variables there are in the app.
In any case, I’ve seen some great ideas pop up while playing around with Reedsy’s plot generator. That may be a good place to start.
Fan Fiction
Another one of my favorite methods, and often part of my goals to publish a book, is fan fiction. If there is an existing world that you truly love, there’s no harm in letting your imagination become a part of the landscape.
For example, I love writing “What Ifs” for various popular franchises. In fact, I plan on greatly expanding on my Wattpad story, “Beginning of the End.” It’s a what-if that takes place in Star Trek if the Dominion prevented the Federation from retaking Deep Space 9.
I also plan on a few tales from the Fallout gaming franchise.
That’s one of the reasons why I like using platforms like Wattpad. It allows fan fiction without the worry of getting sued.
Why Set Goals to Publish on Wattpad and Inkitt?
Platforms like Wattpad and Inkitt offer a lot of value, especially for new authors. Granted, you’re not going to make money selling your works. But not everything has to center around immediate cash flow.
Sometimes, taking the time to practice and hone your skills is worth the effort. In fact, I wouldn’t be where I am today as a freelance writer if not for spending countless hours practicing my writing.
So, what are some viable points for making platforms like Wattpad part of your goals to publish books this year?
- Practice makes perfect, especially when people honestly critique your style.
- Marketing yourself as an author and building a dedicated audience.
- Helps get you into the routine of writing out your next masterpiece.
- Can be a lot of fun, especially if you interact with your readers.
There are actually quite a few benefits of using Wattpad that go beyond just trying to make money. And it’s common for big companies to pull good writers from the platform to write out books and video scripts.
It just goes to show that you never know who is reading your work after you hit that “publish” button.
What Goals Do You Have to Publish Your Books?
Remember, goals are just a way to help get you into the right mindset. You’ll still need to put in the effort to make those things happen. And a good plan of action can go a long way to help you achieve those dreams.
Yes, mine is a bit elaborate for what I want to do. But that’s because of how chaotic and busy my days are on a regular basis.
Keep in mind that you’re only in competition with yourself. Set goals and tasks according to what you can handle throughout the week. It’s all about building momentum and helping you realize what you’re capable of achieving.
Even the grandest of mansions start with a foundation. What kind of work will you put in to make yours stable?
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