Writers in the Storm

by Jenny Hansen

Earlier this year, we started talking about Microsoft Excel and all the ways writers could use it without hyperventilating.

In case you missed the other two posts, I've linked them below:

Part 1 - Excel Shortcuts and Helpful Tricks
Part 2 - Doing Formulas without Freaking Out

Laura Drake also did a post last November about Keeping Your Novel Organized In Excel. (It was excellent!)

We did all that baseline work to ensure that everyone was on the same page, with at least a moderate level of skill and comfort. I'm hoping you've been at least opening your Excel and giving it a periodic keystroke.

Today’s Part 3 is going to cover some more time-saving tricks like Quick Formulas, Data tools like Filters and Subtotals, and Saving a Workspace.

Get ready to rock some Excel!

Quick Formulas

Since I’m starting to explore some freelance writing options, my sample file details a list of all my (fake) freelance work for 2011. This is a file that I definitely need to have so I threw a quick one together (see below).

When you have a list like this, sometimes you want to have numerical information on the fly. Perhaps you need to know how much you made from your February assignments, but you don't have time to create a formula or function.

By highlighting the amounts to the right of the February dates in the example above, you can get this information from the Status Bar (located at the bottom of your screen) .

In the later versions of Excel, a right click brings up the Customize Status Bar shortcut menu, allowing you to turn on extra Functions or see your data at a glance. Select some cells with numbers in your own practice spreadsheet...now point to the Sum down in your status bar and right click. Fun, huh?

Earlier versions of Excel were not quite as detailed as what you see below:

Mac Note: The way to get the Windows “right-click” features in Excel on the Mac is to hold down the Option button on your keyboard while you click your single mouse button.

Data Tools

Take another look at the spreadsheet list above. There are a few important things to note about this file:

1. This list has column headers like Customer #, Service performed, Due Date, etc.
2. This list is filtered, which means I can see only a certain State or Service performed by clicking the drop down arrow and applying the Filter for a column.

Here is the Data Ribbon, which has all the Filter, Sort and Subtotal types of buttons so you can try this magnificence out.

Subtotaling is another cool data feature in Excel.

Note: You must Sort a list by the column that you wish to Subtotal. For example, if I want to see a total dollar amount for Blogging or Editing, I would sort by Column B before I applied the Subtotal Feature.  See below for a list that has had Subtotals applied. (When you want to remove the Subtotals, click the icon on the Data Ribbon again and hit the “Remove All” button.)

For you, this would be magic with your e-book sales. If you sorted by book title, you could see how much each book made. :-)

Excel Workspaces

Most of us work with more than one Excel file at the same time. For example we might need to see two sheets in the same workbook, or we might need to open a file that contains our royalty statements from Amazon, another from our traditional publisher, and a third file where we keep a conglomeration of ALL our book sales.

If you’re like me and you only get little pockets of time to work in, one file might take you four or five computer sessions to finish. I love Excel’s Workspace feature because it lets me open all my workbooks exactly where I left off the last time I closed Excel.

Yes, really. I can have three files open on my screen and not only save the files, but I can save the View of these files. This viewing arrangement is called a Workspace.

The Workspace button is located on the right side of the View Ribbon and looks like this:

To save a Workspace file:

1. Arrange your files as you like (use the View buttons – also located on the View Ribbon, shown below).
   
   

   

2. Before quitting your Excel session, select Files>Save Workspace (this is located in the File àSave As… dialog box in earlier versions of the program and on the View ribbon in later versions of Excel).
3. Specify a file name and choose OK (it'll have an .xlw extension)
4. To pick up where you left off in the last session, reopen the workspace file: Use File>Open and choose the workspace file.

Note: A workspace file contains only configuration information, not the actual workbooks and worksheets. Therefore, you can't simply copy the workspace file -- you'll need the workbook files, too.

So, there you have it…some quick and easy tools to keep lists in Excel and to work with multiple files.

Are you on Excel Information Overload or should I plan some more Excel posts for the future? Y’all will have to let me know!

What are your "Writerly Uses" for Excel? Do have any questions for me?

About Jenny Hansen

Jenny fills her nights with humor: writing memoir, women’s fiction, chick lit, short stories (and chasing after her toddler Baby Girl). By day, she provides training and social media marketing for an accounting firm. After 20 years as a corporate software trainer, she’s digging this sit down and write thing.

When she’s not at her blog, More Cowbell, Jenny can be found on Twitter at JennyHansenCA and here at Writers In The Storm. Jenny also writes the Risky Baby Business posts at More Cowbell, a series that focuses on babies, new parents and high-risk pregnancy.

Writers In The Storm welcomes back literary attorney, Susan Spann, with her next installment of her author’s business plan series.

By Susan Spann

Welcome back to our ongoing series on writing an author business plan!

We’re almost through – just two more sections to go. Today, we’re taking a look at Section 6: Operations and Management.

The Operations and Management Section of the author’s business plan contains a detailed list (sometimes more than one) of the people and entities on the author’s publishing “team.”

On one page, you should list each step in the writing, production, distribution, marketing, sales and fulfillment process for the book or other work in question, along with the name and contact information of the person (or company) who is responsible for its completion. Some authors prefer to use spreadsheets. Others like organizational apps, and still others use word processing software. The key is finding the method that works for you.

I recommend making two separate lists:

List #1:

The first is organized chronologically in accordance with the book’s production and publishing schedule.

“Writing the book” comes first – and yes, you should include that even though you’re the responsible party. Other entries might include peer editors or critique partners, professional editors, publisher names, marketing personnel and publicists. Independent authors may also have cover artists, distribution contacts, and printer information.

List #2

The second list contains all the names and contact information of everyone taking part in production, publication, and marketing the book – organized in alphabetical order for easy reference.

With the two-list system, the author uses list #1 – the chronology – to make sure each person does his or her job in the proper order and time. When properly cross-referenced with the production timeline, operations and management information is a powerful tool.

List #2 is the quick reference guide and also a helpful resource for the future. Smart authors often add notes to the contacts, identifying the ones the author intends to work with again on future projects.

The length and complexity of this section is mostly a matter of author preference.

Some people work from a list of contacts containing only basic information like telephone numbers, email and mailing addresses. Other writers like having a detailed list that names each person involved in the publishing process, along with specific functions that person will handle. At the end of the day, that choice is up to you.

At a minimum, each author should have a list of the names and contact information of people involved in the publishing process.

Keeping that information together, and easily accessible, helps the author save valuable time and energy. After all, every minute you don’t spend hunting down numbers is time you can spend on writing!

Are you writing your author business plan with us as we progress through this series, or saving the posts for use later? Do you have questions for Susan?

*******************

Susan Spann is a publishing attorney and author from Sacramento, California. Her debut novel, CLAWS OF THE CAT (Minotaur Books, July 2013), is the first in the Shinobi Mystery series featuring ninja detective Hiro Hattori. Susan blogs about writing, publishing law and seahorses at http://www.SusanSpann.com. Find her on Twitter @SusanSpann where she founded the #PubLaw hashtag to offer law and business instruction for authors.

By Laura Drake

About ten years ago, I had back surgery. After I healed, I went back to Domestic Goddess duties, but found I couldn’t vacuum anymore.

Something about the pushing and pulling killed my back. So I informed Alpha Dog (did I mention he’s also Texan?) that this duty would have to fall to him.

He didn’t disagree, but less than a week later, we had a delivery from the UPS guy. A top-of-the-line robotic vacuum. Alpha Dog demonstrated it like a kid with the hottest new Christmas toy. I dubbed her, “Rosie,” after the robot in The Jetsons (Yeah, I’m old.)

I was lying in bed this week, laid up by foot surgery, listening to Rosie do her thing. We could all learn some important things about writing from her!

Top 3 Lessons I Learned from My Robotic Vacuum:

1. Make a Plan.

Rosie actually has a computer chip that allows her to map out the room as she goes. Every time, around, she gets smarter, and more efficient, adjusting the plan for the next time.

We all have a writing process, even if you’re on your first book, and still discovering what it is. Don’t be afraid to adjust the plan, or change it if you find a better way. Keep your eyes open. Even if this is your thirty-second book, try new things. You may find one little tip that will help with the thirty-third.

2. Mistakes aren’t failure; they’re an opportunity to learn.

When Rosie bumps into a corner, or some piece of furniture that wasn’t there last time, she stops, backs up, turns a few degrees and tries again. If she hits it again, she turns a bit more. Eventually she gets out of the corner, or around the obstruction, and that area is clean. She’s done her job.

She doesn’t sulk, she doesn’t whine, she doesn’t give up. She keeps trying until she succeeds.

3. Don’t stop til the job is done, or your dust bin is full.

When she finishes vacuuming, she turns off her sucking mechanism (I don’t know, what do you call it?) sings a chirpy 7-note song, and returns to her station to recharge. I love that little song. It sounds like how I feel when I type “The End.”

To succeed, first you have to finish.

I learned all that from a dumb little machine and the floors are clean, too!

Should I chalk this up to really good pain meds, or have you also had epiphanies while (passively) cleaning? Have you ever learned anything from an appliance?

Laura