Part 8 of the Indie Author Business Plan: The Executive Summary
Part 8 is the final installment of our Indie Author Business Plan series! In this segment, we will explore what it means to create an executive summary and how important it is when trying to legitimize your brand and business.
All of the preparation, research, and hard work you’ve invested in an effort to establish yourself as a successful independent author is condensed and translated into a summary that clearly explains your business plan in a way that is easily digestible. Read on to discover some of the most important keys to drafting a high-quality executive summary!
The Executive Summary
The executive summary is one of the most vital pieces of your business plan, as it makes clear your current status, your goals, and why your business model will ultimately be a success.
You probably chose to become an indie author because you wanted to be in business for yourself. Although you may not be tracking down investors in the same way that many startups do, there are still plenty of individuals, funds, groups, banks, etc. you may need to share your business plan with, and the majority of them will probably opt to start with, and often finish with, your executive summary. In that sense, it’s the most important chapter we’ve covered yet!
Key Points to Include
Creating a strong executive summary will require looking back and taking an in-depth look at your history and strategies that you have been building upon from the beginning of this business endeavor. Get ready to really analyze your work and pull key attributes from it to include in your executive summary, beginning with your mission statement.
In the case of the independent author, it is wise to speak about your history as it relates to your business goals, and highlight that you are doing this independently, so people reading the summary get a clear picture of you as an entrepreneur.
If you have had any sales, click-through rates, conversions, views, or any other metrics that indicate growth of your brand, this should be the main highlight to include following your mission statement and general information. You can get creative here. Say you have yet to sell a single ebook, but have managed to develop a following on a certain social media channel, such as YouTube, and have generated a high amount of views on videos posted to your channel. This is something that should be included as views on YouTube are a huge awareness indicator. Awareness leads to engagement, engagement leads to conversion, and conversion leads to sales. This is a form of value for your company that may be enticing those who read your summary.
You will also want to lay out a plan for what you hope to achieve. Include how you will achieve these goals and include key performance indicators that you have set for yourself so people know that you have thoroughly analyzed and organized your goals. Keep in mind, you’ll want your executive summary to be no longer than one page, so make sure to keep each section as concise as possible.
In Conclusion
There is no clear-cut way to achieve success as an indie author, but establishing yourself as a legitimate business and brand by referring to the various installments of this 8-part series is a great way to stay on the right path. We hope you continue to use and build upon the strategies we’ve outlined for you throughout this series. Even more so, we hope you’ll receive the return you deserve for the work you have dedicated so much time and energy into!
Happy Writing,
Marquina
Last, but not least! – Part 8 of the 8 Step #Author #Business Plan: The #Executive Summary – https://t.co/I746DLLE5G
— Marquina (@Marquina) September 29, 2016
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