I was pondering the years I’ve been meaning to publish a novel but never have. I’ve written 3 in the last 5 years, but haven’t taken the final leap. Why? What’s keeping me from my annual goal of becoming an indie published author? I realized that setting the goal of being published is great and all, but it’s more of a byproduct rather than a goal. The smaller achievements along the way are what will get me there.

I started making considerable progress last year when I switched to smaller goal setting. Here are just a few examples from last year:

• Finish writing and revising my book (better if broken into smaller increments). Check.

• Find an editor. Check.

• Research publishing services like KDP and IngramSpark. Check.

• Establish a working relationship with a cover artist (Instagram is great for this). Check.

• Figure out how ISBNs work and where to buy them. Check.

• Establish a completion date (otherwise another 12 months will go by, trust me). Check.

• Download a book formatting software. Check.

Of course, this is just the beginning. Now that I have a foundation, I can build up from here and make 2023 the year I finally publish a book. There are so many steps on this journey, but the best part is that we’re not alone.

Do you know where you’re going this year? How will you get there? Are you going the indie or traditional route? If you’re published, any tips for new writers seeking to indie publish? What pitfalls are you going to avoid next time?

This is a broad topic. All comments are welcome. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts! ~ WM