Success comes in many forms

I have often sat and wondered just what success meant.  Can I define what it means to me? Was it the balance in my bank account? Or maybe the number of followers I have? Perhaps it is something else, maybe something someone has done better at than I? To see if it was within my grasp, I first needed to define it, and to do so, I had to truly look at more than the dictionary's definition.

Recognizing how you identify success is extremely important. If you don't know what success looks like, how will you know it when you see it?  This leads into the big question: What is success to you?

If we compare our success against another person who has made more money or is better recognized, how can we really measure our success. Which is not to say we should discount those who have gained more than we have. It's human nature to feel some emotional response to another's success. Be it jealousy, anger, or joy, it impacts our ability to see our own place within the spectrum.

The answer to this question is intensely personal. At least for me it is.

My measure of success is different than my neighbors.
And that's how it should be. It's very likely two people have the same goal, or goals. What's unlikely, is if they're going to do the same in the pursuit of those goals. It is only when you get down to it that you see the differences. Like the murky waters of a lake, what lies beneath the surface is where the action is.

So what do I aim to acheive within my writing career?

Thinking big, as if I had the world at my fingertips, my successful achievement would be to see my books on the NY Times best seller list for weeks and royalty cheques  in the seven or eight digits.

Pretty lofty, isn't it?

Perhaps. If I'm honest with myself  (and that's the key here) my success is not obtainable. It is. But if I sit down and really study what I'm wanting, then it means I have to look at the whole picture, not simply the royalty cheques, or the rave reviews. But I also have to look at the road to reach said goal, then it can be overwhelming and I am ultimately setting myself up for failure.

I was read the way to eat a bear was one bite at a time. The anology works. There isn't anything you can't do if you take it step by step. Having the drive to do it, and the will to overcome the negative energy, the self-doubt, the fear, is what is needed.

So if I look at my goal of NY Times Best Seller List, then to ensure success I have to break it down.

1. Setting Realistic Goals for myself.
2. Making them clear and concise.
3. I need to be honest with myself, and accountable.
4. The goals must be trackable.

Breaking my ideal success story into smaller, more easily managed bites, ensures, I don't end up on a sinking boat in the middle of shark infested waters with no lifejacket.  How much success I get will be determined by the amount of work I put in...and if the end goal stands when I get closer to it. What do you think? What does it mean to you to be a success.

Who do you write for?

Do you know who you are writing for?

Back in the day, when an author submitted their manuscript to a publisher, there was a certain expectation, they – the author- would know who their audience was. In some fields of publication this is still a mandatory practice, but in recent years has become less common when it comes to fiction. Publishers really expected authors to know in advance because it reduced the risks and increased the potential profits.

Having the understanding of who is incredibly important to ensure success and to show the publisher you as an author is serious. The publisher’s request for this information was to show them, the author held a basic understanding of their target market. Knowledge is power, and potentially sales, and having a grasp on where a reader base could be found, and who they are is an asset beyond measure.

In my recent experience, within the last five years or so, I've seen a few publishers actively request a marketing plan it as part of the submission package. Before you panic, let me clarify what I’ve seen. In most cases, the publisher wasn’t asking for a novel length plan on how the author was going to promote their work, but rather something to indicate they had put serious thought into three of the biggest questions for an author. Who? Where? How?

 

The first question is probably the biggest, because if you don't know who you're trying to reach, everything you do will have limited success. Sort of throwing something at the wall in hopes it will stick. So, lets break things down.

"Who am I trying to reach?"

Is she one of my potential readers?

The answer to this question changes is as diverse as we are, and can be answered by how well you understand your genre and who reads it. Every genre has a different reader, yet nothing will help if you don't understand who your reader is. Figuring out your target market is in of itself a complex issue, but do not panic. I know when I first had to think of this question I was freaking out. In the simplest function possible, your target market is the people who read in the genre you write. Bear in mind, if you’re like me, your fan base probably read in more than one genre. This can be a benefit in your favor.

So, we have to ask ourselves, and be brutal in our honestly: Are you trying to reach the middle-aged male reader who lives alone, is slightly anti-social, or shy, and so tries to avoid crowds? Or perhaps you're trying to reach a twenty-something single woman who reads only when she's on public transport? Maybe, the reader you're trying to reach is the stay at home mom with three kids and only a few minutes to read in the evening? Or, are your readers a unique blend of all of the above?

Having the awareness of who your readers are will help you with any promotional and or marketing effort you undertake. Once you understand the who of the equation, you can focus on some of the other aspects of discovering who you are trying to reach. Things like, where to find these wonderful connoisseurs of fine literature. What's the best option for connecting with them?

In my opinion, this trio of questions can either be a help, or a hinderance. Discovering the answers to them is vital to reach the consumer...but making them the focus of everything you say, do, post, write can also be limiting to an author. To be successful, one needs to know who they are as they write, but just as important they need to know who they are writing for while continuing to write.

So, it begs the question – as an author, who are you trying to reach? Do you know who you are writing for?