Producing for an Audience / Creating for yourself?
What is the Point / Publishing Path & Road Map? / Writing & Vision
Traditional business strategy plans have components.
Sounds a bit theoretical?
OK, here is the version for author publishing:
Vital Plan / Selling Book
What makes your book so Special?
Who will want to buy your work?
Competition
Format (s) of your Book
How do you plan to promote your product (Book / eBook)?
What are your Marketing Strategies?
Calculations & Pricing
What is your timetable for writing, editing, book production, marketing etc?
Before you explore author publishing capabilities in this series, let us first have a look at your business strategy plans as an indie author and the most important question:
Why are you writing?
Are you creating for yourself (as a hobby, just for the fun of writing) – or for an audience?
Before Publishing
Can you answer these questions?
How many books with the same topic / the same genre are on the market?
Why should a potential reader buy your book as opposed to other same or similar books out there in the market – sometimes some who have been established for some time (some with good Reviews)?
What is the sales ranking of these works?
How are these books priced?
What is the social media ranking of the most successful writers in this genre?
Where are these books sold on-and-off-line?
The advice you read here is based on the assumption that you want to entertain, inform, increase your audience and ever earn some money with your writing.
If you are producing work for an audience, it means:
• Playing by at least some rules of the industry
• caring what others think of your work
• establishing an author's platform from which to communicate
• interacting with your audience and being available to them
• doing things not from your perspective, but out of service to your audience
• putting on a performance, or adopting some kind of "brand"
• marketing your work and being visible
If you are creating for yourself, it means:
Writing is worthwhile for you, regardless of who sees your work.
Why should authors have a business strategy plan?
Unfortunately many writers first create their work – and ask questions later. Any indie author can write a book, but only a successful author knows s / he is now in business.
Again: "Writing is an art – publishing is a business!"
A serious business!
What is the Point? Path & Mapping> Writing & Vision
What is the point?
There is no point to go without some kind of strategy in place if your objectives really are in building a writing career.
It is never too early to treat your writing as a business – no one would open an events business without a plan!
Publishing Path & Road Map?
A business strategy plan can help new (and established) indie authors to clarify the proper publishing path for their works.
A business strategy plan serves as a road map, helping to keep the project and related endeavors similar to marketing and platform building on schedule and for the author to track the results of his or her endeavors.
Writing & Vision
The business strategy plan starts when you start thinking about writing a book, it covers all aspects of your future work.
At the moment you begin a novel or non-fiction book, you must already have a clear vision of the message, the audience and even the outlets where it can be sold.
Traditional business strategy plans have these components:
– Executive summary
– Business description
– Market strategies
– Competitive analysis
– Financial factors
– Operations and management plan
– Design & development plan
Genre> Competitive> Market
Sounds a bit theoretical? OK, here is the version for
Indie author: publishing:
Topic / Genre & Target Audience Readers
• The topic / genre of your work fiction / non-fiction
• You target audience / readers
Competitive parameters on the market
• Your competition online and in book stores
• The likely contents, length, format etc. Of the book
Assessment of possibilities on the market
• Your marketing and promotional strategies
• The expenses you face for publishing and promotions
Selling> Make Special> Why Buy?
Vital Plan / Selling Book
It is vital to have a business strategy plan because your books and you are the products to be sold.
It makes some writers uneasy, but without a plan, you can not really figure out a way for your book to sell itself. Think of it as a map, guiding you from starving writer to successful indie author.
What makes your book so Special?
No point in writing a book if you do not know why or if it is special. Many writers write books that they would love to read, many write books who's marketing studies show readers are buying, some write books because the subject is risky or has never been explored before. Learn why you and your book is special – and most important: what is the readers benefit from buying your novel or non-fiction book.
Who will want to buy your work?
Jot down all those people who reasonably will want your book, why the will want it and how effective they will be at getting more people to want it. Know who your readership target is. Do you have enough (at least 2,000 on each social media outlet) contacts to spread the word about your book? … and with I say 'contacts' I do not mean other writers, I mean READERS, bookworms, book lovers, book Clubs, avid readers, reviewers! That is the type of audience you will want to look for.
Competition> Format> Promotion
Competition
• Research in bookstores and online, how many and which books will be comparable to the one you are writing. Check them out in libraries, on reader forums.
• Visit independent stores and go to big chains research these books on all online stores – find out what genres are they placed, what reviewers say, how their indie author pages are designed etc. To get a real picture of your competition – and your potential readers. A is a large choice of options are available from the Author of this article.
Format (s) of your Book
• Books can be sold in many formats and also in many languages. Research at least these three popular formats:
• e-book format PDF ePub iBook
• audio format
• Print format
How do you plan to promote your product (e / I-print Book)
You know people, hopefully lots of people. Online and off-line. And those people know people. Without you can spend thousands of pounds every month for advertising, you should plan now, before you write your book social networking, book events, gaining interviews, speaking engagements, seeking book reviews and attending book shows. Schedule all these activities in advance, add as many readers as possible to your current accounts on reader community sites, all social media sites.
Marketing> Pricing
What are your Marketing Strategies?
OK, your book is available on a major online web site or in your local bookstore, but where else might it fit in perfectly?
Other online retailers where you can sell your book? Stretch your mind and think creatively:
Libraries, book clubs, foreign right sales … there are so many possible outlets for your book.
Find out what is their responsibilities are, and how much you would make on each sale of your book.
Calculations & Pricing
Both, digital and print books need to be proofread, edited and then formatted, not to forget a really fabulous, enticing cover.
Pricing on print books is large based on the number of pages in the book and quality of binding, costs for cover design and book layout. Pricing is also dependent on making print books available for a wider distribution than just one of the major book outline stores online. Since a wider distribution is used, books must be priced so that the other outlets will be offered wholesale pricing.
Turbulence in the rapidly changing e / I-print book world should also be taken into consideration. Pricing may be subject to change based on sales, current pricing trends and need to create upward movement in Amazon rankings. Books may be deducted if it fits with marketing strategy and promotion.
Do not forget other expenses, such as web design and hosting, advertising, marketing expenses, phone and internet, travel cost etc. The good news: you can deduct them from your writer's income.
Timetable> Writing> Editing> Production> Marketing
What is your timetable for writing, editing, book production, marketing etc?
After you have figured out your market, your reader audience, your competition and your sales planning, you will feel much better, having a clear vision of your writing / publishing career.
A business strategy plan does not have to be scary, especially for a simple business such as your writing business. In fact, a business plan should be somewhat comforting. It spells out what you want to accomplish, in which time frame and how you plan to do it.
Cashbook / Budgets
Example spreadsheet (s) are available from the Author of this article.