The Monthly Goalpost

Yes, there is a double meaning. Sub It Club is all about goals: setting them, reaching them and everything in between. Every month we will remind you to assess where you are with your goals and set new ones.

I’m a visual person and I find having the image of a goalpost in my mind’s eye helps me remember I have some aims. It’s so easy to get caught up in all the goings-on and let the days take us where they will until we don’t even remember what it was we set out to accomplish. The goalpost can be the holder of our objectives and keep us heading down the right side of the field. Go team!

Here are a few suggestions to help you set goals as you work toward publication.

• Write a hook for your story (click here and here for explanations of “the hook”).
• Write a catchy bio.
• Research the market: find books that compare to yours and look up the publisher. To see what else is out there, search at The Library of Congress—you can search by subject.
• Research agents or illustrator reps: see what and who they represent, read interviews they have given and figure out if they are a good fit for your work.
• Design a postcard to send to agents, art directors and editors so they can see your illustration style.

Set attainable goals. Writing a query letter, getting it critiqued, and revising it is a realistic goal. Sending out ten submissions to publishers may be feasible for others while sending out one might work better with your workload this month. Sub It Club wants you to make goals that suit you, not anyone else.

Make goals that you have control over. Sending a project to a publisher is something you have control over. Selling your work to a publisher is not. There are too many variables. So please, make your goals wisely and only send your best work out. You’ll get closer to your goalpost each month.

Sub It Club wants to know how you’re doing. But before you let us know, I want to give you a little earworm for the month of February and I want you to always, always “Sub It, Sub It Good!” Because another thing we’re all about here at the Sub It Club is subbing well—doing the revision and the research to make every submission count.

“Go forward! Move ahead!” Share your progress and your goals for February in the thread on our private facebook group page.