Without author goals, you will be wandering aimlessly.

Goals provide direction for your activity, whether your goal is to finish writing a book or to sell 5,000 copies of a book you’ve just released.

When you’re clear on your goals, you’re able to create an action plan that will help you reach them.

Does goal setting ensure that you’ll have a winning plan? Not necessarily. But you have a much better shot at success if you know how you define success and are thoughtful about the path you’ll take to reach it.

The goal chunking method

I write about goal setting on this blog every year (here’s a link to past posts) because I think it’s too important to skip.

I’m using a new approach for mine this year. It’s called goal chunking, and it’s a strategy I picked up from a one-week challenge offered by business coach Nicole Liloia.

Goal chunking lets you break down your big goals into smaller ones. For example, a freelance writer might set a specific amount of money he wants to earn for the year, then break that down according to the different types of writing he’ll do to earn that amount. It might be through writing books, magazine articles, corporate newsletters, and custom content.

Each of those will have its own income goal.

Authors might goal chunk by setting income goal targets for:

• Each book the author has available
• E-books versus print books
• Book sales source — online, brick-and-mortar stores, libraries
• Series sales
• Spin-off income from speaking or consulting fees, sales of movie rights, and so on

Authors might also use goal chunking to set goals that aren’t related to income.

Let’s say your goal is to write and publish a book in 2019. You can make that goal less overwhelming and more manageable by breaking it into smaller goals for chunks that might include:

• Selecting the best topic or storyline for your book
• Word count written by specific deadlines
• Deciding on the best cover designer with experience in your book’s category
• Hiring an editor
• Improving your author platform
• Determining appropriate influencers to approach for blurbs

Regardless of how you approach it, with goal chunking, you set a large goal, then break it down into smaller pieces. Each piece gets its own action plan.

If you have a few big author goals, follow this process for all of them.

How will you determine your author goals?

What works for me might not work for you, of course. Find a goal setting approach you’re comfortable with and get those goals on paper.

When you know where you want to go, map out how you’re going to get there.

This step is critical. It’s simply not enough to say, “This is what I want to accomplish in 2019.” You also need to know how you’ll get there.

Even Pablo Picasso, a “creative” like you, understood this, saying, “Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.”

What’s one of your goals for 2019? Please share it in a comment. 

It might seem obvious to you, but it wasn’t to me.

In the past, I would just stop working on the project and move on to something else.

That left a lot of half-finished projects in my wake.

There was a pattern

I began to notice my pattern: When the going gets tough, I watch a Hallmark movie.

Realizing that — noticing that there are situations where I stop moving forward — was pivotal, though.

I started asking myself, “Why?” I needed to understand what made me stop.

When I gave myself the time to accept I had hit a wall and explore why, I was able to identify the obstacles holding me back.

As I did this more and more, I noticed that I usually came upon the same obstacles:

• There’s not enough time.
• I don’t know how to do it.
• I don’t have the right tools or resources.
• I’m afraid I might fail.
• The next step is so big or complicated that it overwhelms me.
• Something else became a higher priority.

What are your obstacles?

Are any of those things obstacles for you, too? Or do you encounter other obstacles that keep you from making progress with your book or how you market it?

I thought about this as I continued to work on my 2018 goals with my goal buddy this week.

There have been too many years when I had plans that didn’t materialize. Last year, for example, I was excited about a new book idea. Something stopped me from finishing it.

Pay attention

So this is the year I pay more attention to my rhythm.

I need to notice when I’ve stalled. That will allow me to identify the unseen obstacles in my path and figure out how to move them out of the way.

I’m experienced enough to know I won’t always be able to do that alone. And I’m smart enough to bring in help when I need it.

In a year from now, I want to be able to tell you that I not only identified my obstacles, I figured out how to get over, under, and around them.

My wish for you is that you can say the same.

I hope that you will also pause to think about why you stopped working on your book, its marketing, or anything else that’s important to you. That will help you plan how you’ll navigate around the obstacles you’ve identified.

Let’s use this quote to remind us.

“Never give in to the obstacles that lie in your path towards the achievement of your dreams.” ~~ Lailah Gifty Akita

If one of your obstacles is lack of a solid book marketing plan, be certain to download my free template. I walk you through every step of the process. All you have to do is click the blue bar below to get your free Book Marketing Plan Template:

What’s holding you back? What are your obstacles? Tell us in a comment. 

This is why goal setting for authors is so important.

Give yourself an advantage:

1. Put thought into what you want to accomplish in 2017.
2. Write that down.
3. Create a plan that will help you get there.

Don’t be a scaredy cat

You don’t want to be like some of the members of a small women business owners group I used to belong to. We took turns selecting the topic for our monthly lunch meeting. After I chose “goal setting” for December, I arrived at the restaurant excited about learning more about how the others approached this important process.

Two said they never set goals.

Ever.

Their reason?

It scared them.

They felt they would be failures if they set goals that they didn’t reach.

If that same fear is stopping you, don’t reach for the stars the first time you write down goals. Set your dream goal aside for another time. In its place, write down a few goals you’re more likely to achieve.

For example, a dream goal for your first book might be to get a cover blurb (endorsement or testimonial) from the most famous author in your genre.  A more realistic goal might be to get a cover blurb from an author in your genre who is starting to enjoy moderate success.

As you start to reach your goals and get more confidence in the process, you can start adding in a few “stretch” or “reach” goals.

Goal setting tools, tactics

As it turned out, I could never convince those two group members to set goals. I hope I can convince you, though, because I really want you to succeed.

I’m such a believer in goal-setting that I write about this topic almost every year. Rather than re-hash what I’ve said before, I’m sharing links to a few goal-setting articles I’ve already written. My advice in them remains the same: Get a goal buddy, write your goals down, create a plan that will help you reach your goals, take action:

• This article describes several goal-setting tools for authors, from planners to apps.
• I explain the process I follow with my goal buddy in this post.
• Get a handle on the steps to take with this article.

My goal buddy and I are meeting this week to review what we accomplished in 2016 and where we want to go in 2017. What are you doing now to establish goals for 2017? The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll get the clarity you need.

Don’t leave your success to chance. Plan for it. Write down your goals. Take action!

What’s your favorite goal-setting approach, tool, or resource? Please share it in a comment. 

I often share information here on how to set and stick to goals, but this year, I’d like to offer a few tools that will help you do exactly that. Sometimes, a tool that either walks you through the process or helps you do a piece of it is exactly what you need to finally take action.

The first three are true goal-setting tools — they help you figure out your goals. The rest help you maintain the activity that will help you reach those goals.

1. Passion Planner

I learned about the Passion Planner from a friend who contributed to its Kickstarter campaign and I’m hooked. This tool helps you dream big (or small, if that’s what you’re comfortable with), identify the steps you need to make that dream come true, and get those steps into your calendar so you schedule time to make them happen.

The eight steps in the system start with making a wishlist and prioritizing to setting dates and working at it.

You can download the entire product in PDF form for free if you share information about it on social media (the site outlines the specifics).

If you decide to purchase the printed version, please provide my email address in the referral box on the order form so I get credit — with three referrals, I’ll receive a free printed planner. My email address is sbATbuildbookbuzz.com (thank you to anyone who does this).

2. Create Your Shining Year planners and goal books

Leonie Dawson has created a couple of versions of this workbook that has completely transformed how I approach goal-setting (please note: that’s an affiliate link). There’s a “Life Goals Workbook” and a “Business Goals Workbook;” I use the latter. Both are available as printed products or digital downloads.

One of the key pieces for me from this system has been reviewing the current year’s accomplishments before looking ahead to the next year. This provides an important attitude adjustment because I sometimes end the year frustrated or disappointed because I didn’t do everything I wanted to do. Reminding myself of what I did do gives me important perspective.

The information page for these products is beautiful, but busy. I recommend skipping all the chatter and clicking on any “order now” button to get a clear and distinct product list.

3. Goals on Track

Goals on Track  is both an online tool and smartphone app that helps you create the right goals from the start, create an action plan, track your time and actions, and stick to the process (please note: that’s an affiliate link).

For your first step, start on the website and use the pop up window to subscribe to the free newsletter. That will give you access to a free, downloadable goal-setting template that’s based on widely accepted best practices. I use it; it’s really helpful. Subscribing to the newsletter also gives you access to other free, relevant, downloadable resources.

There is a free, 30-day product trial available, but you have to provide credit card information to get it. The trial will give you access to both the web-based tools and the smartphone app.

4. Goal-buddy.com

Goal-buddy.com, a free online tool, prompts you to take seven steps to identify your goal and make it happen. It even lets you schedule email or text reminders so you stay with it.

The site also offers goal templates, but the selection is so limited that you might want to use that option to create your own templates.

5. Way of Life app

The free Way of Life app helps you change your habits so you’re using your time to achieve your goals. Set your goals, get reminders, and track how often you do what you’re supposed to do to reach those goals.

For example, imagine you’ve created the goal, “Do one thing every day to promote my book.” (To help with that, check out the new Build Book Buzz 365 Daily Book Marketing Tips sent to your inbox, one a day, every day, for just 99 cents.) You add that goal to your goal list, then set reminders.

Set a reminder to pop up on your phone at the time of day you are most likely to take action on that task so it gets in front of you at just the right time in your schedule.

Search your smartphone app store for similar tools, including Balanced and Productive.

6. Joe’s Goals

Joe’s Goals is a simple, but effective web-based tool that will help you track your goal-supporting activity once you’ve set your goals.

Create a free account, then start adding tasks and how frequently you need to do them. Check in and check off according to your schedule. This resource works like an app, but it’s not phone-based — it’s online.

7. Tools you have already

While I love and use these resources, you might prefer good old-fashioned paper and pencil, a Word doc, or an Excel file.

Really, it doesn’t matter what tool you use to create, write down, and track your goals. What counts is that you do it. If you haven’t been doing it consistently year to year, it could be because you haven’t had the right tools. I hope this article gives you an option that resonates with you and spurs you to take action.

As you move into 2016 with well-defined goals and a good start on a plan that will help you reach them, remember these words from author Melody Beattie.

Do you use any tools or resources to help you set goals? Please share them in a comment. 

Or about how if you don’t know where you’re going, you won’t know if you’ve arrived?

The point is: You need to set book marketing goals. And now’s the best time to do it.

I’m working on my goals today because I’m meeting with my goal buddy Marcia Layton Turner, founder of the Association of Ghostwriters, on Friday to review them. We’ve been doing this annually for years because we both understand the value and importance of goals to our business.

We make sure that our goals are “SMART” —

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Realistic
• Time-bound

Two-step process

We use a two-step process with our goal setting.

First, we review our goals from the previous year and evaluate why we did or didn’t reach them.

Second, we use what we learned from the evaluation process to plan for the coming year.

I find this review process particularly helpful because over time, it has helped me spot patterns that I’ve factored into the next year’s goals and action plan.

Goal-setting tools

We both use three primary tools with our goal-setting process:

1. The Create Your Shining Year biz e-book business planner from Leonie Dawson.
2. A Word document where we list our goals with bullet points.
3. An Excel file where we track monthly goals and the tactics that will help us reach those goals.

I start the process with Leonie’s $9.95 “biz” planner. Marcia and I started using it two years ago and it has completely transformed the process for me. (That’s why that link is an affiliate link — I like to support tools I use and love!) My planner documents each year have become a permanent record of the progress I have (and haven’t) made with everything from my social media accounts to the types of products I create. Her system has transformed the goal-setting process for me.

Once I’ve filled out the planner pages I use, I pull up a Word document so I can record my goals there. The biggest challenge for me as I list my goals is being realistic. I have lots of ideas about what I’d like to do and accomplish, but experience has shown me that I rarely accomplish as much as I’d like to. There just isn’t enough time in every day to do everything I’d like to do. Because I’ve learned from my experience, my goals each year have become more attainable — and as a result, I’ve been much more focused and less frustrated than in the past.

I start by listing what I’d like to accomplish along with what I need in place to accomplish it. My goals relate to income, the types of work I do, and overall quality of life. Others might approach goal-setting differently, but this works for me.

When I’m satisfied with the list, I open an Excel file and use one sheet to create monthly income projects that will lead to the amount I’d like to earn. On another sheet, I list milestones for other goals — it might be the number of Twitter followers I need or the conferences I attend. On a third sheet, I create a calendar with the tactics I’ll need to execute to reach that month’s goals as well as the goals in another month, since so much of what I need to do takes months and often years to accomplish.

Why bother?

With goals in place, I am much more focused. As a result, I accomplish more of the right things.

Book marketing goals will help you determine where you want to go with your book and how you will get there. For example, if your goal is to sell 10,000 paperback books in the next 12 months, you’ll skip the local book signing and focus on those activities that will help you reach a national and perhaps even global audience with your message.

If your goal is to use your book to become a national speaker within three years, you’ll set goals for the number of presentations you need to make in 2015 and outline what you’ll need to do to get them. And you’ll set goals for the kinds of media and other exposure you’ll need to help you get those speaking gigs.

Again, failing to plan is planning to fail.

Set goals this year so you know not only where you need to go, but how you’ll get there. You won’t regret it.

Do you set goals every year? What’s one of your goals for the coming year?  If not, why not?

I’d like you to be one, too.

You might be making resolutions today. Performance consultant and author Donna Hartney reports that “lose weight” is the most popular New Year’s resolution, and maybe that’s on your list, too. But I hope that you’ve set book marketing goals, as well. They might relate to specific milestones or accomplishments, such as selling a certain number of books or getting interviewed on your book’s topic by an influential media outlet. Perhaps one of your book marketing resolutions is to learn more about your target audience and how to reach it.

No matter what you’d like to accomplish for your book this year, it’s less likely to happen if you don’t set goals for yourself. And today’s a good day to do that.

What did you accomplish last year?

I started my annual goal-setting process a few weeks ago using Leonie Dawson’s “Create your incredible year workbook and planner” and its companion business year calendar for 2013. Both were given to me by my goal buddy, Marcia Turner, founder of the Association of Ghostwriters.

What really struck me about Leonie’s process is how she forces you to recall the current year’s highlights before she lets you plan for the coming year. I’ve always reviewed the present year’s goals as I planned for the following year, noting where I had succeeded and which goals needed to be carried over to the following year or deleted because they were no longer relevant.

Leonie adds another key step that I found useful, though. Her process includes listing the year’s accomplishments. This was pivotal to my attitude going forward, quite frankly, because 2012 was a tough year for me. Family issues pulled me away from my business, and I ended the year feeling like I hadn’t accomplished as much as I would have liked. Yet, when this workbook forced me to list the year’s highlights, I was able to fill an entire page. That was a big surprise for me — and it got me thinking about what I might achieve with slightly different circumstances in 2013.

Find a process that works for you

No matter what process or method you use, though, please do use one. Take some time to think about what you want to accomplish with your book in 2013. Maybe you want to share your message through public speaking. Perhaps you want to use social media more effectively to promote your book. Or maybe you want to learn more about the various tactics available to you and which of them are the best fit for your book.

Remember to:

• Write your goals down.
• Create an action plan that will help you reach them.
• Review your goals and your plan periodically so that you stay on track.
• Make adjustments as you learn.
• Record your accomplishments.
• Celebrate when you achieve a goal.

As you get organized, let me know how I can help. If you don’t subscribe to my Build Book Buzz newsletter yet, consider doing so as an investment in your education. It’s free . . . you just need to make the time to read it.

Finally, happy new year! I wish you much peace, happiness, and book marketing success in 2013. Let’s move forward with hope and optimism.

What’s your single most important book marketing goal for 2013?