The Top 10 LiveHacked.com Goals for 2013

Okay, this is it — the “resolution” post. I figured there’s no better way to end the Top 10 Top 10 series than with one that ties in perfectly with the new year.

So that’s what this post will be: the “New Years’ Resolution” list for LiveHacked.com. We’re moving onto new servers, building new income streams, and even rolling out a few products and services, and I’ve tried to include them on this list. Also note that the goal is for all of 2013, so we have until December 31, 2013 to “win.”

#10. The Fiction Writer’s Guide to Writing Fiction – 5,000 Subscribers

The Fiction Writer’s Guide to Writing Fiction is a free, 20-part email course I created to explain the process I came across when I started writing my very first novel. It’s a unique course in that I’m no “pro” writer — it’s from the perspective of a fledging “newbie,” and it goes through the steps I took and books I read to get me from concept to “The End.”

The course has been pretty well received so far, with almost 1,000 subscribers. That’s not good enough for me, though — I want 5,000 at least by year’s end.

#9. LiveHacked.com – Full-Time Income

This is a big one for me. I started LiveHacked.com in April, and quit my full-time job shortly thereafter to focus on freelancing/contracting, writing, and working part-time for my church.

Since all of those things can be maintained in addition to a full-time job, I’m focusing intently on getting LiveHacked.com to “full-time” status in 2013. I’m shooting for ~$3,000/month in income, which will be a combination of passive (affiliate sales, book sales, etc.) and active (consulting/coaching, new books, etc.) income.

#8. Turtleshell Press – Launch!

I’m probably most excited about this one — Turtleshell Press is a huge side project I’ve been working on this year. The goal is to provide self-published authors with the services and products they need to see their book succeed.

We won’t take any royalties, sign any term-based contracts, or any of that “traditional” publishing company crap — it’s just a place to find a great cover design, get some editing done, and other necessary services.

#7. Udemy Course – Launch!

Another cool project I’m working on that I’ve kept under wraps is a complete, self-directed course through Udemy.com on fiction writing. There’s nothing out there like it that I’ve found, and I’ve had a blast recording video content, creating homework assignments, and getting everything designed for it.

It’ll be a paid course, but since there’s probably going to be somewhere around 4+ hours of just video content (not to mention written documents, audio, presentations, and other resources), I think it’s well worth the investment.

#6. LiveHacked.com – 10,000 Subscribers

This is another huge goal for me — it’s one of those goals that I’m not even sure is possible to achieve, but hey — anything’s possible, right?

#5. Books – $600/Month Sales

I’d love to see my books selling well. 2012 was a good year, but there’s always room for improvement. For me, I’d consider $600/month in residual sales income to be, well, outstanding.

Since I’ve got 6 up for sale on Amazon, the strategy here will be to offer numerous promos each 90-day (3-month) period, using Amazon’s KDP Select promotional tool, and I’ll probably end up offering them for sale through Smashwords as well, just for kicks (I’m a huge fan of the 85%+-of-the-market Amazon behemoth, but there are, of course, other stores I’m not tapping into currently).

#4. Books – 3 New Releases

2012 was a whirlwind of writing — from editing and (almost) finishing my first novel to releasing a full-length nonfiction book and 4 others. I’d love to continue that trend, although I will be dedicating a lot of time to guest posting, finishing the course (#7), and generally taking the business to the next level.

Two ideas I have in mind so far: Bookstrapping: Launching A Book from Nothing and The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Self-Publishing. 

#3. Freelancing

I’m hoping to be able to take on a few new freelancing clients this year — graphic design, web development/design, copywriting, etc. — or anything in-between.

Freelancing is something I’ve done since I launched a music publishing company in college, and I love being able to work with people from so many different business sectors. If you’re interested in getting a quote for anything, just hit me up here!

#2. Finishing Projects

Since I launched LiveHacked.com in early 2012, I’ve been pretty good at finishing the long-term and mid-term projects I start. As they say, though, there’s always room for improvement. In 2013, I hope to really knock these projects out of the park, starting with everything else on this list.

#1. More Fiction

I started this self-publishing journey back when I finished the first draft of my first novel, The Golden Crystal. It’s been over a year since then, and I can’t believe how far the blog has come! For 2013, my focus will be on not only continuing what LiveHacked.com has provided, but also in continuing to write fiction.

There are sometimes weeks that I don’t write any fiction — with a blog, two part-time gigs (at least!), and numerous side projects, it’s next to impossible to keep up a 2,500-word-per-day writing schedule for just fiction.

I’m hoping I can change that this year, though.

What about you? 

As every other post in this series ended, so I’m ending this one: what “resolutions” are you going to be making for 2013, if any?

Do you have specific goals for your business, life, or writing career that you’d share with us? Leave a comment below!