What's Your Plan: Why you need a business plan for success

As writers, we are used to planning. We plan when to write and what we are going to write. But many of us do not plan what we are going to do with our writing, other than the fact that we want to write a book. However, if we actually want to sell our books, then we need to come up with a plan to make that happen. When you choose to publish a book, you are making a decision to go into business. 

If you decide to independently publish, then you are making a decision to go into business for yourself — the business of writing, producing, distributing, and selling books. 

Writing a business plan for your book will help you solidify what your book is about, pinpoint your target market, identify competing books in the marketplace, and develop your marketing strategy. With that in mind, it is beneficial to begin this process early, preferably before you have begun to write the book. The business plan can help ensure that you are writing a manuscript that is designed with your target reader in mind and improves on those currently in the market. 

At the next St. Louis Publishers Association meeting on Wednesday, October 12th, Kim Wolterman will explain how the creation of a business plan for your book can help pave the road to successful book sales.

Kim Wolterman is owner of Provenance Publishing LLC and author of Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed(room)? Researching a St. Louis County Home, From Buckeye to G.I. and Keys to Unlocking House History. She was once one of those authors who didn’t see the importance of preparing a book business plan since she was going to publish independently. She’ll explain why she now believes that ALL authors should go through the process of developing a plan for their books, and how to make a business plan work for your book.