How do you juggle between writing, marketing, and having a life?
Things used to be simpler when all we had to worry about was selling to a NY publishing house. When I wrote for Kensington, I turned in one book a year. Easy, right? I wrote my Bad Hair Day mysteries and nothing else. No blogs or Facebook posts. I didn’t have a second publisher to worry about making deadlines with double the work. Promotion consisted of mailing out packets of bookmarks to booksellers, letters to reader groups, and personal appearances.
It wasn’t until my option book was turned down that I started writing in other genres to see what would sell. Now it’s years later, and Wild Rose Press has picked up my romances while Five Star is publishing my ongoing mystery series. I am preparing to self-publish an original mystery and a few other items on my agenda as well. Currently, I have four books in various stages of the publishing process. This means edits and page proofs, along with research, plotting and promotion.
Never before have we had so many options. It’s an exciting era, but it’s also utterly time consuming. Who has free time when we can publish our entire body of works through various formats, and spend hours on the social networks promoting them?
Establishing priorities is paramount. When I’m in a writing phase, I set myself a daily quota of five pages a day. That’s my minimum, and I have to be at least halfway through before I’m permitted to peek at my email via Microsoft Outlook. I have to be finished before going online. This is the only way to get your writing done. Do it first before anything else intrudes.
When I’m in a revision phase, I also set limits. Maybe it’s one chapter per day to edit or 50 pages per day to proofread. Again, this work must get done.
As for the rest of the day, it’s spent on promotion and marketing, interspersed with errands, meeting friends for lunch, or whatever else is on my daily schedule. I’m fortunate that I can write full-time. My retired husband helps out with errands, freeing more of my time. Some of you may not have this luxury. In that case, you have to set your own limits.
How many pages can you reasonably write in one day? How many pages can you edit or proofread on a steady basis? How many days a week can you devote to your writing career?
Do you enjoy social networking and marketing, or would you rather watch paint dry? Does someone have to handcuff you to the keyboard to get you to participate?
Where it comes to marketing, create a specific promotional campaign for each upcoming title. Follow this template so you’re not reaching blindly in the dark. As for the social nets, pick a select few and check in there often. Visit the other sites whenever you get to them. Schedule tweets ahead of time if you have a chance. I’ll visit Facebook several times a day because I feel this one is the most important.
Twitter comes next for me. I’ll pop in there every now and then and do a few posts. Pinterest isn’t on my daily role call. I’ll pin photos after I do a blog post with pictures I’ve uploaded. Goodreads is on my list but not on a daily basis, as is commenting on other people’s blogs and posts. You have to do what feels right for you.
I’m a big believer in lists. Write down your writing and business goals for the year. Each day, decide what you have to accomplish. These lists will give you a concrete path to follow. Write down the marketing plan for your next book. This will give you a specific focus, i.e. a blog tour or a book trailer. What you don’t want to do is flounder about, because that’s truly a time waster.
So what’s your plan for today? Mine included writing this blog. Marketing task number one is done. On to task number two.
Good advice, Nancy. Especially the counsel to write down goals. That, combined with the right use of time, is really 90% of the battle.
I so believe this I’ve written a couple of booklets on goal setting and time management. Creative types need a little sergeant on their shoulders.
Yes, having creative as well as business goals gives us direction. Those I don’t reach one year get added onto the next year’s list.
I’ve cut my blog readership down to just this one and one other, because grading essays and teaching takes so much of my time that I get maybe half an hour, three or four times a week, to write. God, I’d KILL to have time to write, edit (assuming it’s good enough to pub), proof, and promote every day.
It can always be worse. Then again, it can always be worse for me…at least, in this economy, I have a steady gig and my own insurance….
I can see where it would be hard for you to find time to write, but as you say, the job pays your bills. This is where setting realistic goals for your writing will help, even if it is a half hour three times a week.
Good points. You have to know what you have to get done, and you have to be aware of your body’s natural rhythms. I can’t create ‘new’ stuff in the morning, so I grab my coffee and do my social media stuff. I also know I can’t switch projects, so right now, my WIP is on hold while I work on the edits for the next release. I tend to do most of my ‘creative’ stuff mid-day, so I try to arrange my schedule to write during those hours, with a second stint in the evening.
Terry
Terry’s Place
Good points, Terry. I do my creative work first thing in the morning and spend afternoons on marketing. As you say, we each have our own rhythm.
Time management is one of my hurdles – but sometimes in a good way as I get sucked into my writing and everything else falls away. I need to integrate marketing more organically but also have o make sure I don’t forget to pick up the kids from school:)
It’s wonderful if you get lost in the zone and can keep writing. But yes, this career today does include marketing ourselves, so you may have to set incremental goals for that aspect.
I admire your commitment to the task at hand. I’m working another job so sometimes, I don’t get my words in, more because of my inability to make the hard choices. Thanks for the reminder!
I can do around 1K (4-5 pages) on work days. Weekends. it depends. My plan when I get home is to write before I click on the internet. 🙂
Sounds like you need a weekly goal as well as a daily one. You’re averaging about 25 pages per week. That’s a good amount.
Really like the idea of establishing the writing goal and not jumping on to Facebook until it’s met. I jump the minute I run into a rough patch. That’s obviously not a good habit. Thanks for sharing
Facebook is a time sink for sure. Do your writing first. Go online as your reward when you finish your daily quota.
Juggle is exactly the right word when it comes to being a published author.
Like you, I have two publishers, and an indie line I self-pub. I have a book going to galley, a book with editor-requested revisions needed before the contract, a book in first draft format that needs the works, and another story idea percolating in my head. Plus two books out this summer/fall that need to have some promo.
I’m big on lists and goals. Because of my part-time reporter job, my daily schedule varies, so I set weekly writing goals. My pace isn’t as fast as some, but I’m like the little turtle that keeps plugging away.
Great post!
Wow, you have a lot on your schedule. You definitely have to stay focused to get all of those tasks done. I set weekly goals as well, usually 25 pages.
Oh, boy, how does time fly when you’re online!
Very timely and appropriate blog post, Nancy.
I’d only add the good job you do with your blog, where you also take guest blogs–ahem, like me–and invest the time to make sure the content is in good shape for your readers (I’m still embarrassed by the that typo you caught.:-) )
Nice post. Great!
Thanks, Jose. The blogs do take away from writing time but I like doing them and sharing what I’ve learned.
From your description, Nancy, I believe you organize your time very well.
Let’s hope so! I can get lost on the Internet so I have to be very self-disciplined to not peek at Facebook until my daily quota is done.
I write and get my word count in before I do anything. Email and business stuff comes in the afternoon. Edits at night. Rinse and repeat. The timing of publisher copy edits, galleys, and promotions can’t always be anticipated and seems to come all at once.
Writing is the only thing we can control. I try to focus on it first. The business side is a drudge by comparison.
Ditto to all you said, although I don’t mind the “drudge” to a certain extent. I enjoy the interaction online with readers. And I only write a blog if I have something to say. Same for FB and Twitter.
Will respond shortly, been out all day and now going to dinner. Continue to talk amongst yourselves!
Great post, Nancy. Like you, I always have a to-do list on my desk. But when I start a story, I write non-stop, eight to ten hours a day, checking my email early in the morning and late at night. Everything else is set aside, until the book is done. When I edit, I start living a normal life again, but I’m not good at promotion, so I just cross my fingers. LOL
Mona, you are great at promotion! You seem to tweet every hour, and your sales soar as a result. I admire you for being able to write in spurts like that. My brainpower decreases after lunch every day.
This is an excellent post. There was nothing really new to me, but I need a constant reminder to set priorities. More often than not I start out doing administratve and marketing duties and then the day goes by and I haven’t written one word in my WIP! I’m sharing the link on social media, btw, because I know that there are others like me out there. 😉
Thanks for sharing, Suzanne. And now I need to get off the Internet and get some work done!
I’ve always struggled with my writing time so I’m going to 100% try your suggestions. As a fairly new writer, I think I’m still feeling my way. Watching and learning from successful authors such as yourself is very beneficial to my career. Thank you.
Good luck to you, Sheri. Thanks for stopping by!
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