Planning every day of a calendar to work on your brand: People do that?

 

My friend James told me that he was done with his planning his calendar for 2020. He had written out what he would do daily for his brand which is being an author.

Wow I am sure was the first words out of my mouth. Our friend Sandra was equally impressed saying with her full time job she would not be able to do this.

The thought of doing this that far in advance was overwhelming. But not just that not practical. Why? Life. Life always has a way of interrupting us especially when things are going smoothly and we are on a roll.

I know right off the bat there would be the time I would miss while I go back home to Maine to check on my mom. That is always a month long venture at least. I have to include my doctor visits, some that are out of town, my procedures and other stuff doctors throw at me. I have to factor in the days I am not feeling well. There are the trips down to my in-laws for various occasions.

These are just the few things that popped into my head. I am quite confident I left a lot out. And as my mom use to tell me, “This house doesn’t clean itself.” While her house didn’t my house doesn’t either.

So I knew I was not going to approach my planning like James did. I came up with a different outlook for 2020. In my calendar I placed a sheet stapled to each month. On that sheet I wrote what I want to accomplish for that month. It could be looking for reviews, interviews and conferences to researching my current WIP, going back to my writer’s groups and writing. When I did January my list was long but not long enough to be discouraging. I figured if I can get a certain percentage of it I will be okay with that. I wrote up my sheets for January and February. One item on February will be to do March and April and so on.

This is what will work for me. To plan every single day that far is illogical for me. But not just that I could be setting up myself up for failure and disappointment. Who wants that? No, not me.

New publisher, new covers and a new book: A whole lot of new for 2019

Well, the year 2019 is almost done. It seems every year goes faster than the year before. A lot has happened business wise for me which I have blogged about. Between a new publisher, new covers, a new book release, being on the Amazon Best Selling 100 list for audible for a few weeks and gosh so much for I am sure that all of this had a hand in this year going at a fast pace.

It is always time to look what my goals are for a new year which means pulling out my promotion calendar. I’m filling it up with what I have already set in place as far as interviews, spotlights, marketing and so forth.

Planning ahead for this is always a good idea so you don’t run around like a chicken with its head cut off. You don’t have to fill every single square of your calendar. But to have a general plan can only help your brand and yourself.

My goal will be to have a month by month expectation of what I want to accomplish and hopefully I will be able to get all of it done or as close as possible.

But why month to month when the experts say do day by day? Well, life. It has a way of shaking you awake and reminding you that you have family, friends and issues that need to be attended to. If you plan every day of the year for your business a simple snafu can derail you mentally and send you into a small spiral if you are not equip to handle small fires.

But do prepare. If I had not been prepared having a promotion for volume two and releasing volume three of my children’s chapter book series on the same day I would have been a real mess. I get why my publishers did it but it was a hectic day.

May 2020 be a year of joy, happiness, good health, love and more ups than downs.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Book release and .99 cent sale starts today: The Jasper, Amazon Parrot series

Today two things are happening to my Jasper, Amazon parrot series. Today volume three is released! Woohoo!

“Jasper, Amazon Parrot: The perils of The Jungle” continues the journey of Jasper and his friends who live in the Brazilian rainforest jungle. Inside you will find more danger that they will encounter by just living there.

If you have not read volume two, “Jasper, Amazon Parrot: Rainforest Friends and Family, yet well you are in luck. Our promotion starts today and ends on the 14th of December for the low price of .99 cents.

And if by chance you have not read volume one, “Jasper, Amazon Parrot: A Rainforest Adventure”, the one that started it all you are in luck. For an exchange of a review on Amazon and or Goodreads contact me and I can hook you up with a free copy. But yes a review is the string attached to it. LOL But seriously it is worth it.

Jasper and I are flying high and you are all encourage to come along with us.

Read the reviews. See the praises that are being left behind.

For Jasper 1:

★★★★★ – “Young children will love this story and certainly relate to it. The two parrots are adorable characters, teaching great life lessons to young readers. It’s fun, quick and meaningful. I highly recommend this first book in the series.”

★★★★★ – “Jasper is a delightful chapter book for young readers. I bought it for my 10 year old grandson who struggles with reading for Christmas. He read it in a few days and enjoyed it.”

★★★★★ – “A fantastic story for the younger readers who are transitioning from picture books to reading a story that unfolds pictures using their imagination.”

For Jasper 2:

★★★★★ – “These are very cute stories with gentle but lasting lessons to further children’s understanding.”

★★★★★ -“The heart of this series is the friendship between the various species. I also found the parent / child relationships strong and realistic. If you love animals, books that teach lessons in a strong manner, and an opportunity for something clever, give these a try.”

The Musings of A New Englander