Blog Planning
Planning your blogging and writing year… It feels like a never ending job. For me, it’s everything from deciding on my projects for the year, through to what rights are where, what is due to revert and what do I need to do in the coming months.
Now to be fair, I’m slightly anal in my planning. (Not to be confused with Planning my actual writing! I’m a Pantster through and though.) My blog planning is set up a year in advance… I mean I even have a folder with monthly and daily goals! If it’s not filled in by the end of January I’m going to have a melt down.
I have a list on my wall of rights, when they revert (that means when I’m due to regain the rights from the publishers) and when I need to write my reversion requests. I have another list of books due out, those I plan to write/edit/submit. Which books I plan to self publish and which I plan to submit to publishing houses. In 2021 the number I plan to submit is low… think about 3.
Then with my PA I have another list. This is the stuff she’s doing monthly for me and the daily updates.
Why do I plan?
Well, I look at my individual situation. I have one daughter who has a mental health issue. My husband’s job is very manic at times and elderly parents. We lost FIL very suddenly in 2018. Life throws curveballs at us all the time.
From my perspective, a plan allows me to see at a glance what I need to do and when. I don’t write in December and January so can use this time effectively to prepare blog posts, to set up events, to chase up stuff that gets missed.
November every year is Nanowrimo, so I have to factor that in. 50K in 30 days of writing and ensuring I have the time to commit to that outcome. Then I have to allow for travel to and from signing events and preparation.
Will this work for you? I don’t know. No one but you can ultimately answer that question. The one thing I have learned is test a range of resources. This year I actually went to Etsy and bought a reusable blog plan, that I can print out every year. I’m still finding tweaks I’d like and maybe I’ll end up with a hybrid of what I bought and what I’ll make up for myself.
Above all, whatever you decide, let it work for you, rather than make you work to have it be effective.
NB. Be aware this original blog was created on my old website platform, so some of the backgrounds will be different now.
Imogene is published in a range of romance genres including Paranormal, Science Fiction and Contemporary. She is mainly published in the UK and USA.
In 2011, Imogene Nix (the pen name not Imogene herself) was born. Imogene sat down and worked tirelessly for 3 months culminating in the books Starline, which became the first in a trilogy titled, “Warriors of the Elector.”
Imogene has successfully been contracted for twenty-five titles. She has also completed several others. In 2017 Imogene decided to self publish most of her further works – a plan which is in train.
Imogene is a member of a range of professional organisations world wide, and believes in the mantra of mentoring and paying it forward.
She loves to drink coffee, wine & eat chocolate and is parenting her spoiled dog and a ferocious cat along with her husband and 2 human daughters.
With Suzi Love, Imogene released Self Publishing: Absolute Beginners Guide and as Ciara Cave she has released Book Sighings for Absolute Beginners to assist beginning authors on the road to success.