Writers in the Storm

Writers In The Storm is delighted to welcome back Susan Spann with another amazing post covering all the legal bits of information we writers need to know. Susan has delved into everything from publishing choices to a quick overview of an author business plan.

Today? She's going in deep! Enjoy...

One Bite at a Time: for Eating Whales and Writing Author Business Plans
by Susan Spann

The old joke asks, “Do you know how to eat a whale? – One bite at a time!”

The same advice holds true for writing an author business plan. As a whole, the idea may seem daunting, but once we break the process down writing a plan becomes not only manageable but a useful writing tool.

Today, we’ll look briefly at each section of a successful one-book business plan. In October, we’ll talk about writing synopses and creating effective timelines. November’s guest post looks at marketing, and we’ll wrap the series up in December with comparative analysis and financial factors.

Follow along, and you can start the new year with an author business plan of your own!

As I mentioned last month, the author business plan has seven sections, and the plan we’re writing focuses on a single book rather than the writer’s whole career.

1.         The Business Plan Summary comes first but I normally recommend authors write it last, since it basically summarizes the rest of the plan.

For now, jot down a few notes about your book – your genre, one-sentence logline, and a couple of goals you hope to achieve. Eventually, the summary will contain a half-page synopsis of your novel and a summary of your entire business plan, including your genre, target audience, and other “at-a-glance” relevant facts. For now, though, notes will do.

2.         The Book Description contains a synopsis of the book. Mine actually contain a pair of synopses – the one-page version and the two-page version. If you haven’t written your novel yet, it’s OK to create a placeholder – a brief summary of your story that you can replace with a synopsis after you finish the book.

3.         Marketing Strategies involves three distinct sub-sections: pre-release marketing, week phase, and “post-release” – for marketing efforts after the release phase ends. We’ll explore this topic in detail in November.

4.         Competitive Analysis involves examination of similar works in the marketplace, analyzing why readers will (or should) want your book instead of (or in addition to) the other options, and brainstorming strategies to maximize your advantages and minimize your weaknesses.

5.         Development Timelines help keep the author and the work on track.

All authors will need a schedule for writing and editing the work itself. Authors pursuing traditional publication (but still in need of an agent and publisher) will want a second timeline for obtaining representation, and independent authors will need a timeline for the production and publishing process. Marketing timelines are also useful. We’ll talk more about timelines, and how to write them, in October.

6.         The Operations and Management Plan describes who will handle specific parts of the writing, publication, promotion and sales process. In an author’s business plan, this section may be simple or very complex, depending on the author’s needs and the publishing path the work will take.

7.         Budgets and Financial Factors round out the business plan. As with operations and management, this portion may be simple or complex, depending on the author’s plans and past experience.

In a panic? Don’t be! Business plans take work but they’re not as difficult as they seem.

We’ll walk through the sections together, step by step, and by December you’ll see that anyone can put together an effective author business plan.

Do you have comments? Questions? Looking for more information? Please let me know in the comments – I’m here to help and I love to hear from you!

About Susan

Susan Spann is a publishing attorney and author from Sacramento, California. Her debut mystery novel, CLAWS OF THE CAT (Thomas Dunne Books, July 2013), is the first in a series featuring ninja detective Hiro Hattori. Susan blogs about writing, publishing law and seahorses at http://www.SusanSpann.com. Find her on Twitter @SusanSpann or on Facebook.

by Jenny Hansen

As the September blog mistress here at WITS, I'm taking a page out of my personal blog's playbook and marking the beginning of Autumn with a celebration of you.

I'm doing this a few different ways...

First up, we're doing what I call "Pimp & Promote." We try to do this once every few months at More Cowbell and it's a habit I originally picked up from Chuck Wendig.

Note: if Chuck's name is unfamiliar, you are seriously missing out.

For those who are new at this…Pimp and Promote means you:

1. Promote: share one thing that you’re proud of, whether it’s a new book, an idea or a blog.

2. Pimp: Do the same for someone else whose work has lit you on fire this week.

I'll get this party started with a quick promote of the WriterStrong series we started last week here at WITS. August McLaughlin did our inaugural post and we have many, many more to come. I'm very excited about what's coming up here this Fall. We're gonna rock your world. :-)

For my PIMP, I'm going to take a moment to call out the three top commenters here at Writers In The Storm this month. Wordpress lets me see this sort of nifty statistic and today is the perfect time to say thank you!!!

WITS wouldn't be what it is without all of you but these three are the icing on top of our blogging cake this month.

Florence Fois, who many of you know as Ramblings from the Left, is one of most avid commenters here at WITS. It makes me smile whenever I see her name come across my screen. She'll have the effect on you too, I promise.

Ella Quinn participates, engages and even re-blogs our posts. She's a dream blog follower, plus her blog has spice and variety all on it's own.

Gloria Richard makes me laugh all over the blog-o-sphere. She does it at More Cowbell, at her blog, Snark Park, and in a variety of other fun places.

I keep up with these three stellar ladies and I think you should too. Click their names to see an amazing recent post of theirs. Follow them on Twitter. Find them on Facebook.

I promise you’ll be glad you did.

It's your turn to try your hand at this "Pimp and Promote" business. Don't be shy if you're new at this. We'll hold your hand...and approve your comments. You are encouraged to oooh and aaaah over each other's links and then pimp a little more. :-)

Happy Monday, y'all!
Jenny

About Jenny Hansen

We're delighted to welcome August McLaughlin as our inaugural guest for the WriterStrong series. She's our go-to person for healthy eating and mental balance, all of which help YOU be BrainStrong.

Please join us in welcoming August by heaping blog love on her in the comments section.

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

Imagine waking up one day to a blurry world. Faces and objects you normally see clearly are indecipherable fuzz, and when you open your mouth to speak, nothing happens. Desperate to communicate, you try to reach for a pad of paper, your computer—anything. But your hands fall limp.

This is what happened to Jean-Dominique Bauby—the former editor of Elle magazine and author of the novel turned award-winning film, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. He wrote the entire book using the one action he could manage: blinking his left eye.

Yes, we writers will write our way through any storm. Take our hands, our feet, our ability to speak or see, or contaminate us with influenza and chances are, we’ll find some way. We cannot afford to lose, however, our minds.

What does the brain need? A few primary things, according to biologists, psychologists and neurologists and extensive research—exercise, glucose and sleep. For optimized function, we also require an nutritious diet.

Eating Your Way to a Healthier Brain
by August McLaughlin

1. Eat more fruits and vegetables. We hear this all the time, and for good reason.Antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables—such as berries, citrus fruits, tomatoes and leafy greens—are associated with improved memory and overall brain function, and a reduced risk for cognitive decline.

TIP: Eat at least one serving of fruits or vegetables with breakfast and at least two servings at lunch and dinner. 1 serving = 1 cup fresh or 1/2 cup cooked

2. Swap refined grains for whole. Refined grains, like white flour and instant rice, have had up to 90 percent of their nutritional content stripped away, including nutrients the brain adores. Whole grains, such as brown rice, wild rice, whole wheat, barley, spelt and quinoa, are loaded with brain-boosting nutrients.

TIP: Each shopping trip, buy a new or different whole grain food. Prepare a batch of brown rice, quinoa or whole wheat pasta to enjoy for the next several days.

3. Don’t diet. Dieting doesn’t simply starve your body; it starves your brain. Brain cells require at least twice as much glucose as other cells in your body. Going below your calorie or carbohydrate needs can cause foggy thinking, confusion, headaches, depressive moods, anxiety and creative dullness—not to mention hungry and deprived.

TIP: Instead of fixating on weight loss, focus on eating more nutrient-dense foods (like the ones mentioned here). This boosts your nutritional and brain wellness, and makes healthy weight control a byproduct.

4. Go fish! Fish, particularly cold-water types, like salmon, halibut and sardines, are rich in omega-3 fatty acids—nutrients many Americans lack that play a vital role in brain function. Symptoms of an omega-3 deficiency include depression, mood swings, sleep problems, skin problems and poor memory. (Blech.) The American Heart Association recommends eating fish at least twice per week.

TIP: If you don’t eat fish, incorporate ground flaxseeds, canola oil and/or walnuts into your diet routinely for similar benefits.

5. Caffein-ate with caution. Moderate amounts of caffeine boosts brain function temporarily in some people. Consuming too much, however, or more than 3 cups (8-ounce cups, not Starbucks cups ;)) can offset your blood sugar and hormonal levels, lead to dependency and wreak havoc on your sleep. Caffeine can stay in your system for up to 12 hours, according to the National Sleep Foundation, and the brain is the first thing to suffer from sleep deficits.

TIP: If you gotta have your java, drink it early in the day. Switch to caffeine-free herbal tea later in the day, which provides antioxidants without the insomnia risks.

What habits do you have that rejuvenate your writing brain? Are there particular foods or habits that make you feel sluggish? Do you have any nutrition questions for August? We'd love to hear about them in the comments!

About August

August McLaughlin is a Los Angeles-based writer and author with articles featured regularly by LIVESTRONG.com, EHow Foods, ULMagazine, Healthy Aging Magazine, IAmThatGirl and more.

Before completing her first novel, In Her Shadow, August worked in the fashion, entertainment and wellness industries, wearing hats ranging from Parisian runway model to culinary coach. Considering her longstanding passion for thrillers, she wasn’t surprised when her attempt at a memoir turned quickly into a fictional tale of suspense. She is represented by John Rudolph of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management and is in the midst of completing her second novel, Beauty Complex. 

August's Blog - Savor The Storm
August on Twitter and Facebook