O is for Organisation

A very underrated trait, being organised. Very underrated indeed.

And when you’re the director, writer, editor, formatter, marketer, and all the other jobs involved in running an indie author business, then you’re very likely going to come unstuck if you’re not organised.

From timelines to budgets and remembering which version of your story is the ‘final, to-be-published one’. Trust me I’ve got that mixed up a few times, too - once even published an earlier version by mistake!

So it pays to be organised, but what does that actually mean and involve?

Timelines:

Firstly, a disclaimer:

• This is all advice, which is based on my own experience and what I’ve read online or heard directly from others.

• You will have to tailor your timeline to your own circumstances - illness, disability, finances, family, work, life things!

• All of these will impact this, so factor them in at all times.

• One general tip - always factor in MORE TIME for everything than you think you’ll need. Your future-self will thank you!

Things to include in your timeline (not exhaustive):

• Writing

• Editing

• Beta Readers

• Proofing

• ARCs

• Cover design/illustration

• Cover reveal

• Pre-Orders

• Marketing

• Publicity

How long to expect most to take:

• Writing (3-12 months - sometimes longer)

• Editing (3-6 months - sometimes longer)

• Beta Readers (1-2 months)

• Proofing (1-2 months)

• ARCs (1-2 months before publication)

• Cover design/illustration (9-12 months before publication - may be less)

• Cover reveal (3-6 months before publication - may be less)

• Pre-Orders (1-3 months max - or not at all)

• Marketing (1 month before and 3 months after - minimum)

• Publicity (1 month before and 1-3 months after)

Other things to include in your timeline:

• Breakdown of editing stages

  • Developmental (you may do more than one - I did!)

  • Line

  • Copy

• Formatting (software!)

• Website

• Newsletter

• Shop

• Merch

• A month built-in for the panic/anxiety/self-doubt

Things to budget for (not exhaustive):

• Writing (free? Laptop? Maybe you have Scrivener etc?)

• Editing (0-£1000 or more)

• Proofing (0-£200-300)

• ARCs (digital - free! Physical copies - print/postage cost)

• Cover design/illustration (0-£1000)

• Uploading your book (KDP - free! IS £50 or free if ALLI)

• Marketing (0-£300 or more)

• Publicity (0-£500 or more)

Other things to budget for:

• Breakdown of editing stages

  • Developmental (you may do more than one - I did!)

  • Line

  • Copy

• Formatting (£200 for Vellum, Atticus cheaper)

• Website (0-whatever you want)

• Newsletter (should be free initially - substack is hot rn)

• Shop (so you can take payments via website - small cost or %)

• Merch (bookmarks, posters, etc - 0-£whatever)

I also did a video on this topic as part of my 1000/100 series podcast when I first started out a couple of years ago:

Organisation is also about things like making sure you clearly mark files in a way that future-YOU will be able to easily identify them and find them - I’ve lost my front cover before in my files (and was lucky to recover it from the emails my illustrator sent me!) so keep things in order, always be extra clear with your labelling and you’ll be organised enough to avoid the same mistakes that I have!

As always, I hope this was useful and I’ll see you next time!