Quarterly update & year-end review

It’s that time of year when the schedules begin to fill up with our regular priorities cushioned by seasonal events and to–do lists. This time of year, more than the rest, requires us to remember to take some “me time” in order to reflect, review and recharge so that we don’t run ourselves ragged with all the items we pile on our plates.

And I’m no different than the rest…I realized the other day that with everything I had going on, I hadn’t posted a quarterly review for July through September, and that next month I’d be sharing a final year-end review. So, I’m going to share it all here, which might make for a longer post, but next month my plan will be to focus more on what I expect from myself as we enter the New Year.

The third quarter of the year started off busy, mainly when it came to marketing since the fifth in the series, Price of Betrayal, was published during the second quarter and all of the covers for the series had been redone. The month of September I attended a fall writers’ conference, which also included an extra half day for a master class with a NY Times best-selling novelist. Conferences always put a little pep in my step when I get back home and attempt to use some of the advice learned during each class. But the rest of September I was buried by tasks involved with building my author website, since my blog on Blogger had been my home site since I first published No Mother of Mine. It was an overdue task and one I begrudgingly took on because I liked my little corner in the world of Blogger, but change is a necessity if you want to grow.

And I definitely want to grow as an author.

I moved into this last quarter feeling exhausted, mentally, from the computer tech learned and research conducted while building the website. But I wasn’t done…oh no. I also had to work on how I’d begin gaining reader emails so that I could send out a regular newsletter. Did I have to do this? No, I suppose not, but I’ve heard from enough experts in the field that marketing yourself via direct email is much more effective than social media, the reach of which is never really in your control. However, since everyone already has an inbox full of emails with “buy my stuff” requests, myself included, I prefer the method of not using emails as a constant source of marketing, but to offer updates, insights and interesting tidbits, which allows for a potentially better relationship with readers. My hope is that sending out newsletters will be like sharing updates with an old friend, which will make it enjoyable for the reader and also for me to write. My first newsletter went out the beginning of November and my second will go out the first week in December. It’ll be a work in progress for a bit and I hope for some reader feedback, but what I’ll be sharing each month will include some of the following: writing updates, sneak peeks, behind-the-scenes details, photos, upcoming events and news, special bonuses, freebies from myself or other authors, answers to reader questions, cool tools I use and want to share and favorites, whether it’s a quote, photo, book, website or article, hobbies or places I visit.

If you want to get on the list to receive my newsletters, make sure to sign up via this website – either on the home page or the contact page.

While I put together my first draft of the newsletter in October, I also prepared for a large event where I presented in front of the largest group yet (between 200-250 women). I will say this: it was by far the most fun I’ve ever had presenting, which is unbelievable since speaking in public had never been what I’d call “fun.” But I think this is proof that I am growing as an author. I love what I do and I enjoy sharing my journey as an author and prompting others to follow their dreams. About a week after that event, my hubby and I ran away to Maui to visit our son and his fiancée and it was a much-needed vacation complete with beautiful sunsets, warm evening and early morning swims, a few excursions and some time to relax and just “be.”

During the month of October I was feeling the pressure of how to keep up with all the projects I hoped to complete in the next year or so, or at least sometime during my lifetime, so I focused on productivity and created a mindmap, which I also posted about here on my blog. I will definitely be referring to that mindmap as I work on my next quarter business plan and as I continue to focus on what I expect from myself for the beginning of next year.

The first week of November and less than a week after our return from Maui, I had another event to prep for, which made for a hectic week but it was fun meeting potential readers and sharing more about my books. It’s been a busy season, and I’m grateful for it, but after the second event was over I had more time to focus again on my writing and editing projects, and it has been nice the past two weeks to really get back in touch with my characters. I have projects in all forms right now…near completion, just beginning and somewhere in between, so I have more than enough to keep me busy but it’s a different kind of busy. When I visit my characters’ worlds, I don’t feel the pressure of to-do lists or what’s expected of me as an author or marketer. I’m just visiting my friends and sharing on paper what they’re up to. Have I said before how awesome it is to be a writer?

Now that November is just about over (can you believe it?) and we move into the last month of the year (seriously, can you believe it?!?), I’m going to spend more time with my characters, determine what I need to do to move my projects closer to completion, update my business plan and map out how to continue to reach my goals in the coming months. By the end of December, I’ll be well prepared and excited to turn the pages to begin the New Year.