Site icon Michael Boezi

Authors: Your Goals Offer Guidance

Michael Boezi
Authors, writing, publishing, self-publishing

Now that I’ve introduced the Glass Box Project, it’s time to get down to business. What do I need to do to get started?

The first thing is to set some goals for the project. I don’t mean just deadlines and milestones, though those are important. I mean, what do I hope to get out of the project? When planning your content strategy, it’s always good to understand your reasons for pursuing a project.

My goals for this book project:

By articulating these goals, I have a better understanding of the project and what I hope to achieve. This will help me make better decisions. You don’t have to have all the answers up front, but it at least gives you a direction and informs your choices.

Some of these things I am doing anyway, by writing my blog. But a blog is a poor publishing platform for the type of thing that I’d like to accomplish. Even if everything’s tagged properly and organized in a helpful way, it’s still not cohesive. I want to offer a nicely packaged, convenient resource for authors. A book is really good for that.

Here’s a sketch of some of the issues where my goals offer guidance, even this early in the project:

Audience: I feel that my optimal audience is non-fiction authors—probably first-timers or self-published authors who have been through the publishing process once or twice. I need to keep this in mind as I’m writing, and try to stay focused on this constituency.

Tone: What voice should I use? I want this to feel inspirational, so I should use really positive, encouraging language. But I want it to be instructive and informative too, so I should try to be direct and practical. I need to be confident, but never officious.

Timing: Is it urgent? Do I have to get this out right away? Is there an optimal time to publish? This would certainly affect the writing schedule. Given that I think that the ‘how’ is what will set me apart, I don’t think that I’m in danger of getting scooped. If I wasn’t confident about this, I wouldn’t be doing the project ‘under glass.’

Book page: My goal of bolstering my credibility means that this project is about me more than it is about the book. The book has to be helpful in order for it to be useful to you, but my brand is me, not the book. My contention is that this is the same for (almost) any non-fiction author.

Marketing: Though it’s one of my goals to try to earn new clients, I have to be really careful with this. I don’t ever want to come off as “salesy.” It’s a turn-off, and will erode the credibility that I’m trying to build. The goal is not transactional—it is to provide value generously.

Pricing: Yes, it’s way too early to be discussing this, but let’s examine the issue briefly. The choice is exposure vs. monetization, and you have to pick one. If my goal is exposure, then my instinct is to make the book free. I may change my mind later, but it seems to be the right way to go with this project.

Click to Tweet: Exposure vs. monetization: You can’t have both.

Format: In other words, printed book vs. ebook. If the book will be free, there’s no reason to produce a printed book. Not until I have a need for one, such as speaking engagements, etc. Plus, I like the idea of having a resource that’s searchable like an ebook is.

Mission: Free is complicated. While it adds some credibility to a mission, it can also have a devaluing effect. There’s only one way to find out about this—ask your audience. I would love to hear your opinion this. If not now, then don’t worry—I will ask again.

Community: I want this project to be for you, but what do you want out of it? And what’s the best way for me to interact with you—and have you interact with each other? Again, let me hear from you. Feedback, encouragement, criticism, and general opinions are welcome:

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