Strategic Planning for Writers

Matt wrote to say, "You have a background in strategic planning... So can you give me an example of how you use that with an author?"

Certainly. My contention is that some agents pay lip service to "helping authors with career planning," but many don't really have a method for doing that. (From the look of it, "career planning" to many agents is defined as "having a book contract.") I have a background in organizational development -- the study of how organizations grow and change over time. And during my doctoral program at the University of Oregon (Go Ducks!), I served as a Graduate Teaching Fellow at the Career Planning and Placement Office. That experience allowed me the opportunity to apply the principles of organizational theory to the real-world setting of those in the arts who are trying to make a living. So here are a few things I like to consider...

First, I want to get to know the author. Who is he (or she)? What's the platform he brings to the process? Does she speak? If so, where, how often, to whom, to how many, and on what topics? Does he have experience with other media? What kind? What's her message? What books has she done in the past? What other writing is the author doing that could boost the platform?

Second, I want to find out about the author's past -- the significant events and accomplishments. I also like to make sure I'm clear on things like strengths, gifts, burdens... all of that helps give me context when discussing career paths.

Third, we have to talk about perspective -- what is important to the author? How does he define success? What does she need to change? What do they want t0 accomplish?

Fourth, we sit down together (or talk on the phone), and I talk about personal organization. Every author needs a TIME to write, a PLACE to write, and a GOAL that he or she is writing toward. Do they have a plan in place? Are they moving forward? Do they have a project they are working on? Do they have a filing system to keep track of projects? Do they have a writing calendar, so they know what  and when they are working on each project? I encourage authors to create a budgeting calendar -- something that is very important to every working author. Of course, each writer is unique -- what they are writing and how fast they write it will be different for each person. But knowing their financial goals and what sort of help they need from me makes my role clear.

Fifth, we start to talk about an actual writing plan -- what will happen over the next two years? The next five years? What plans are they making? Do those plans reflect their values? Does it match up with their life purpose? Does it maximize their strengths? Is their spouse in agreement with it all? Knowing an author is at peace with the overall plan is important if this is all going to be real.

These things all work together to create a career map for an author. Various documents are derived from this information -- a writing calendar, a budget, a wish list, maybe a statement of purpose. But my goal isn't to get an author to write some grand purpose statement -- my goal is to help an author create a workable plan he or she can use to move forward in the career. I aim to keep writers results-focused. I'll often ask an author questions such as, "What person would you most like to invest in this year?" or "What single thing would you most like to purchase this year?" or "What obstacle seems to be holding you back right now?" In talking through issues like this, we start to gain some clarity as to what an author wants to accomplish.

And, to be completely open about this, sometimes an author will work through the process and decide she really doesn't want to be a full-time writer. And that's okay -- the goal is to figure out the calling. I want the authors I work with to be crystal clear in their two- or three-year career plans. That way an author can understand what "success" is, and each one has a means of measuring progress.

On a related note, Dan wants to know, "What does a writing budget look like?"

Here's the basic idea...

1. The author sets a financial goal for the year. It's got to be something that is livable (if the writer is attempting to make this a full-time job) and reachable (so there's no setting a goal of "a bazillion dollars"). Let's say, for someone just moving into full-time writing, the goal is $24,000 per year. Skinny, but a real wage for most writers. So figure out how much you need to earn in a year from your writing.

2. I encourage an author to break that annual figure into monthly chunks -- so in our example, the author's goal is $2000 per month.

3. The next step is to add up what the author expects to earn on the writing they are doing. How much in contracts does she already have? What other writing does she know she'll be doing and getting paid for? That will help her figure out how much money is coming in, and how much she needs to add. Let's say an author has a royalty check coming in May, expects to have completion money on a book contract in July, and is expecting to sell a project in October. All you have to do is to figure out the amounts and write them onto your writing calendar. Nothing will give an author more clarity than hard numbers written down on a calendar -- it's a way of saying, "I'm making this... so now I need to work to make that."

4. The obvious thing to do next is to match up dates and amounts. If you know you're going to be working on a book in March/April/May, you can write down how much you're making on that project. By looking at your calendar, you'll see where the holes are that need to be filled with writing projects. And by looking at your budget, you'll see how much you need to make in order to fill in the gaps.

5. And here's an important step... The author should shift his or her budget from a monthly system to a quarterly system. So in our $24k-per-year scenario, the authors stops thinking in terms of "$2000-per-month" and starts thinking about "$6000-per-quarter." That pushes off the immediate, "How-am-I-ever-going-to-survive" worry a bit. Writing income never arrives on a monthly basis anyway, though it's fair for a writer to plan for a decent paycheck four times per year. So you move your income into quarterly groupings, lowering the pressure and giving yourself a better big-picture view of your budget.

6. The conversation then moves to something like this: "I'm going to make $6000 this quarter. It's going to come from three sources -- my completion money, my royalty check, and those magazine articles I'm completing. And the money is going to go toward..." (because part of having a budget is determining where the money goes, not just where it will come from).

I hope this all makes sense. Oh, and I always remind authors of the MacGregor Formula for full-time writing: 24m(s)+4b=RJ    (Let me translate that for you... If you intend to move toward a career as a full-time writer, you need to have the next 24 months of writing mapped out with enough money to equal a salary, PLUS the next four books contracted. That will equal a "Real Job." Once you're there, you can consider quitting that day job and focus on your book career. If you're not there, you want to be very careful about giving up guaranteed income. Making a living at writing is a tricky business.)

Yeah, this is a lot to choke down in one gulp. Feel free to ask questions if you need me to clarify.

Chip

Comments

[Christina Berry]

All kissing up aside, you sound like a dream agent. Are you really able to do this with all of your clients? It seems your list would have to be small to invest so much in each person, but you represent quite a few people.

[Ashley Weis]

Hey Christina, I'd suggest talking to a few of Chip's authors to answer that question. Since getting to know a few of them through various ways/reasons I've realized something about Chip: he does what he says and he does it well. Period.

I mean, he was voted, I think, number eight of the top 200 agents in America. Am I right on that Chip?

I think my favorite thing is that his author's seem to really value their friendship with Chip along with the agent/writer relationship. That's important, and I think he cares about his writer's a lot... which is why I'm 100% he really does do all of that with his clients.

Wow, how's that for kissing up? I was just kidding anyway. This pregnancy/sickness is really getting to me. A little delusional, that's all... ;o)

[chip responds]

Keep taking the medication, Ashley...

Do I do this with all my authors? I try to. I share the information with all of them. Some find it very helpful, others less so. But I try to encourage all the authors I represent to think through this information, yes.

And actually, I don't represent a big list. Compared to most agents, I have a fairly short list.

[Susan Page Davis]

Here's what Chip did for me TODAY: Helped me pick editors I want to meet with at the ACFW conference. Reminded me to leave time to meet with editors I already work with. Encouraged me by telling me that my own instincts were right. Thanks, Chip. :) It wasn't a BIG deal or a lot of his time, but yes, he's there for all his authors.
Susan

[Karla Akins]

Thank-you for sharing so openly. I am doing everything that you wrote about right now. I am answering all the questions and putting together a writing calendar. God Bless you for helping a newbie! Now I know what to look for in an agent. You seem to genuinely care!

[Kristi Holl]

Chip, are these the questions you ask before deciding to take on a client? (I wondered since the platform question came first.) After reading the questions, I can only say no wonder you have happy clients!

[chip responds]

Hello Kristi - These are basically questions I'm asking after I've decided to work with an author long-term. First I need to find out if I like the individual and if he or she can write. THEN we move on to the career stuff.

Thanks for the nice comments. -Chip