The Writing Life: A Different End of the Year Strategy

I call this time of year “the quiet time of publishing.” My email and phone grow quiet (at least much less active). People are away from their computer traveling to see family and friends plus involved in holiday activities. Because we are approaching New Year, many people are focused on setting new goals and making resolutions. After years of making resolutions, I found most of mine are broken or end in about mod-February. They don't lead to any lasting change. Instead I have a different end of the year strategy. I look at what can I do differently in the days ahead and possibly create a new habit. When I look for habits or something I will repeat over and over, I have found it increases the possibility that something will improve and change.

In this article, I'm going to divide these changes into different areas: learning, reading and action.

What Do I Want to Learn?

First, I want to make better use of the tools I'm already using (before I acquire new ones). Over the last several months I have been using AuthorLab (which great deal of $80 for lifetime access—follow this link to check it out). Last week I noticed the internal design completely changed with additions and new tools. One of them was called Testimonial Builder. This tool allows you to use reviews and endorsements to create useful images in seconds. Then you can post these images on various social media sites or your website or any other place online.

In the December issue of Midwest Book Review (follow this link), Editor-in-Chief Jim Cox reviewed my Book Proposals That Sell. You can read the full review at the link. I created this image which highlights one standout sentence: “If you only have time to read one 'how to' guide to getting published, whether it be traditional publishing or self-publishing, “Book Proposals That Sell” is that one DIY instructional book.”

You can create many different images with this tool and here's a few others that I created. If you are interested in learning more about these books, just follow the link I added to each image. I'm still learning to use this tool but I believe it will be a valuable one for the days ahead.

Another area that I want to learn about is the growing social media site: Tik Tok. While I have nothing on Tik Tok, I've met several people who have over a million followers on this site. Tik Tok is another innovative way to sell books. Bestselling author Mark Dawson is holding a FREE five day Tik Tok Expedition.

You can sign up and learn more (just follow the link). I will be doing it and learning from it. What areas do you want to learn in the near future?

What do I want to read?

As a writer, I have a steady stream of books on my shelf that I'm reading. Recently I learned about The Pop-up Pitch with the subtitle: The Two-Hour Creative Sprint to the Most Persuasive Presentation of Your Life by Dan Roam. It's a book I'm reading and when I finish I will be writing a review on Amazon and Goodreads. I've written over 1,100 Amazon reviews and just follow this link to see what I've been reading. Or you can see them on Goodreads where I have 5,000 friends and my reviews get a lot of attention. I will be continuing to read and learn in the days ahead. What are you going to be reading and learning from?

What actions do I want to take?

Thinking about growing as a writer is one part but the critical difference maker will be the actions you take. As I think about the year ahead, I'm considering my actions as a part of my strategy. Which ones do I want to continue and which ones will I change? My approach is different than normal but one I hope which will help you with your writing life. Let me know in the comments below.

Tweetable:

Do you make resolutions or set goals this time of year? This prolific editor and author has a different end of the year strategy. You can get the details here. (ClickToTweet)