😅 And breathe.
I’ve just got to the end of a seven-month, back-to-back stint of client work for various #indieauthors.
It’s been amazing.
But I’ve deliberately not taken any novel-length bookings for the next couple of months*.
Here’s why:
1️⃣ I need some time to work on my business.
I’ve got the editing and proofreading down pat, but it’s the behind-the-scenes stuff that needs attention: onboarding clients and doing post-edit processes like invoicing. I need to give myself time to think about the options I have to make this easier.
There’s also marketing. I’ve been a bit scattergun recently. I don’t know if you’ve noticed. I’ve been trialling a couple of things in a few locations and I’ve reached some conclusions about where I can best spend my time. I need a strategy. Time to have a think.
2️⃣ I want to put time aside for in-person events.
There’s some networking in Lancashire I want to attend to meet people in creative industries. I’d like to get along to more creative writing groups (as they really pep me up). And, of course, there’s the big, actually-getting-on-a-plane thing of heading to Madrid for the #20BooksTo50K conference. I’m very excited about this!
3️⃣ I want to learn some stuff and I need time to learn it.
Although I haven’t got any courses booked in at the moment, I have a TBR that’s getting out of hand. I’m studying Save The Cat Writes a Novel chapter-by-chapter with the #MomsWhoWrite group. To learn the lessons of this properly, I’m basically plotting out a novel as I go along. (Whether this ever sees the light of day is debatable! But I can’t apply the lessons without something a bit more concrete.) There’s a book about using mailing lists that I want to read: Newsletter Ninja. Then there’s one on copywriting. I actually need time to map out my non-fiction reading schedule – what I want to prioritise and why.
4️⃣ It’s birthday time!
Jon Cronshaw and I both have our 40th birthdays soon. Jon’s is May. Mine is June. As this marks the year we’ve both been working towards – i.e. the year we’ll both be 100% self-employed – that’s something to celebrate. So, there will be some time off for both of us. Friends, family, food, drink, Eurovision (not in person, alas) and that trip to Spain: we are going to make sure we have a good time.
⏳ So, I’d better get on with it then. First job of the day is to use some Louisa van Vessem resources to help me get organised.
Let’s do this.
*If you’re an #indieauthor and you’ve got a novel that will be ready to proofread or edit from September onwards, get in touch now to organise a sample. Free 1000-word samples are available to make sure we are the right fit. Drop me a message so we can do the sample this spring/summer.
**If you’ve got any blogs or short stories that you’d like me to proofread or edit over the next couple of months, feel free to get in touch. I have space in my schedule for these.
CherryEdits 