[00:00:00] What does success look like for you? This was one of the fundamental questions that I encountered during my coaching training at Columbia University. It was a cornerstone of every coaching interaction, regardless of the type of coaching.
[00:00:14] At that time, my focus was primarily on business coaching. But I've taken the framework and these powerful questions and applied them and helping authors. So I want you to think about this.
[00:00:25] What does success mean for you? One insight that I learned was that the more precise you can be in articulating what success looks like for you, the clear path you're going to have forward in achieving your goals.
[00:00:42] I'm Zach Kristensen, and this is Beyond the book presented by Juxta book.
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[00:00:56] To help you here is a five-step process to help you [00:01:00] set your expectations for success.
[00:01:03] Step one. Define your success.
[00:01:06] I want you to take a moment. And sit down, relax. And reflect on what success means to you. Is it selling a certain number of books? Receiving positive feedback from readers. Or maybe it's seeing your book on a bestseller list.
[00:01:22] It could be that you just want to know that you've put in the hard work to become a published author. And many authors have the aspiration to make an impact with their book on some level.
[00:01:35] Remember there's no right or wrong answer. It's all about what makes you feel successful? As an author and how you're going to recognize that.
[00:01:44] Step two research industry standards.
[00:01:47] Look at your niche within your book. What does success typically look like for authors in your field? Look at the Amazon link rankings. Look at bestseller rankings. Knowing these industry standards [00:02:00] will provide a useful benchmark for you to set your own goals. But remember these are just guidelines, not rule set in stone. And if you want to defy the current standards. Take on that challenge. Go ahead and figure out the way to do that and defy the status quo.
[00:02:18] Step three, be realistic.
[00:02:20] Setting high expectations for yourself can be very motivating. But they should also be attainable. If your goal is to sell a million copies of your first book, that might be a bit unrealistic, at first.
[00:02:33] So instead aim for something more achievable, like selling your first hundred copies, then selling your first thousand and then taking and learning from that and increasing your goal until you, keep hitting those smaller bite size goals and you reach a bigger, larger goal.
[00:02:50] Step four embrace the journey. Success often takes time. Just like a seed needs time to sprout and grow so too does your [00:03:00] journey as an author, towards being successful? Keep being consistent, keep pushing and remember to celebrate small victories along the way.
[00:03:09] One author. I recently had a conversation with started publishing a weekly LinkedIn article beginning in 2010. He now has over a 100,000 followers on LinkedIn, Has a bestselling book. And is well on his way to publishing another great second book. The lesson here, he produced good content consistently that built his audience over time.
[00:03:34] Step five reflect and adjust. As you progress on your author journey, take time to reflect on your success. Are you meeting your expectations? If not, why? Don't be afraid to adjust your goal and expectation as you as bald as an author. Remember, success is subjective. Your sense of achievement will stand from the expectations you set for yourself.
[00:03:58] Unrealistic expectations well [00:04:00] are not inherently bad and can be a big motivator, can sometimes lead to disappointment that stifles your progress.
[00:04:06] So it's important to remember that even small impacts every day count as making progress and that scaling success might take more time than anticipated.
[00:04:18] One thing I've heard and has helped me personally immensely and all that I try and do is track daily and measure weekly. each day is going to be different, but if you can look at what you're accomplishing weekly and monthly, then you'll see that you're making progress versus judging it by one bad day.
[00:04:38] In conclusion as an author, it's crucial for you to define what success looks like for you.
[00:04:43] Your task for today is to start thinking about the following question. How will I know that I've become a successful author?
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[00:04:57] To get help on defining what [00:05:00] success looks like for you as an author
[00:05:02] Visit juxta book.com. To set up your author coaching session today.
[00:05:09] If you have any questions about a recent episode, I'd love to hear from you. Visit juxtabook.com/beyondthebook and click the appropriate button to leave your question and we will include it in our weekly Q&A episode.
[00:05:25] Your book is just one chapter in your author journey. Think beyond the book as you craft your path. Thank you for your questions and thank you for listening.
