What Happened to 2009’s Goals?

January 4th, 2010

I am not a fan of going off-topic when blogging. I think I keep to it fairly often—book design and page layout, that is—although I don’t blog as often, in general, as I would like. But I also head off into the topic of working as a freelancer fairly regularly. And one of the things I have written about in this space is my goals for the year ahead.

It seems reasonable, then, to take a look back to the goals I set for 2009, because setting goals is only half the story. The other half, of course, is whether those goals are met. So here we go …

To stay as busy as I am currently. To surpass that, in fact, and work on a minimum of 18 paying projects this year.

I worked on 9 paying projects last year, exactly half the number I had wanted. The economy certainly influenced that, although I always wonder whether there is a new kind of client I can seek out or some new way to reach potential clients. To this point I have successfully used twice-yearly email to potential clients and one or two promotional postcards during the year.

As well, over the last two years I have worked with an increasing number of self-publishing authors. This may be the new wave, self-publishing, as it loses the stigma of being called, snidely, vanity publishing. I have even read that some established, best-selling authors are expected to veer into self-publishing to earn a greater share of the proceeds and keep greater control over the design and production of their books.

To surpass 2008’s income by 25%.

In a word: nuh-uh. In fact, not surprisingly, I was actually down. But my earnings decreased by less than 20%, which I consider a small victory, given how badly the economy did as a whole.

To blog a minimum of once weekly from this point on.

Another goal not quite met. But, as much as I want to continue to offer my readers regular and timely looks into the freelance life, I am less concerned with quantity when it comes to blogging than with having something real to say. I still hope to write here regularly, at least once a week, about book design and production, as well as freelancing.

I also started a page on Facebook for answering questions on the nuts and bolts of book design and oroduction.

To somehow make the time to put a real dent in my design-related reading list, which now numbers 7 books to read or finish reading.

This one, and then some, was accomplished. I also found myself reading about social medial, with an eye toward its place in the freelancer’s promotional arsenal. I admit, however, to finding it alarming that a lot of books are written by people about self-publishing, who’s only experience with it is their book(s) about self-publishing. Likewise, as rewarding as I find social media—both in terms of creating new opportunities to find book design projects and to share what I know about making books—I am concerned with how much of what is written concerns itself with pure marketing or, as I call it, the marketing of marketing.

To have my website/blog redesigned, and maybe coordinate my Twitter profile with them.

This was accomplished with flying colors. In this 24/7 world a web presence, I think, is more important than I would ever have thought even just a few short years ago. Between a site, email, and videoconferencing, time and distance are simply not barriers any longer to expanding one’s reach around the world.

To make an investment in some new, original fonts from smaller foundries and individual designers.

Planned purchases are most often the area that surprises disrupt. What I mean to say is that replacing both a long-defunct laptop, as well as a suddenly dead desktop machine, in the same year strains the budget. That’s the kind of unexpected to expect in any small business. Unplanned and unintended needs always crop up. When they are larger purchases and the income stream is slower than expected, however, and still you survive and thrive, the prospects for prosperity when the economic climate stabilizes or improves rise markedly. So I am happy to have gotten my “tool needs” out of the way for awhile.

Come up with 7 more goals.

Never a problem. Last year’s have not gone out of style. And so I aim to work more than ever, which is no burden since I still love making books and communicating with people about the subject. Learning more about what masters of book design have to say on the subject is just as exciting to me as it was ten or fifteen years ago, too, So as long as those interests are in place, I expect to continue to expand my book design and layout practice.

Entry Filed under: freelancing