What nobody told me before I got published! Spot the difference...

Nobody told me this before I got a book deal and I wish they had. How my typical week day schedule has changed!

I’m telling you this because if you’re after that publishing contract, it’s a good idea to get some of this going now – certainly your social media and website, and also start thinking about speaker’s agencies and public speaking advice/courses, brush up on how to be super-organised and how to prioritise, and research where you’d launch your book. Oh and also start that next novel...

Without some of this already under your belt, you could be sent into a tailspin after you sign that contract.

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE:

What my writing schedule was like BEFORE the book deal:

5am – 7am Writing

7 - 8am Time to get the family up, cook breakfast, get off to school.

8am – 3pm Writing

3 - 6pm Kids home from school. Catch up with them. Taxi them to school sport. Watch sport.

6 - 8pm Dinner time and family time

8 – 9.30pm Writing

9.30 - 11pm Reading

What my writing schedule is like NOW, after publishing in one country and about to publish in USA:

5am – 7am Social media responses and posts

7-8am Time to get the family up, cook breakfast, get off to school.

8am-10am Publicity and marketing. Writing speeches/school talks. Responding to bloggers. Updating website. Organising signing and launch events.

11am – 3pm Writing

3-6pm Kids home from school. Taxi them to sport and respond to editorial and publishing emails/social media responses while watching them play sport.

6-8pm Dinner time and family time

8-9pm More publicity and marketing, social media responses, emails.

9-11pm Reading

Can you spot the difference? Writing time just shrunk from 10 hours a day to 5! And I’m on a steep learning curve about marketing, publicity, organising events, delivering speeches, planning school visits, social media, working with an editor, websites and more. So like I said at the start of this piece, try to get some of this done now, in between writing that novel. You'll certainly be less overwhelmed when you get that contract signed!