Goals and Objectives in Authoring an eBook

goals begin behaviour, consequences maintain behaviour!

Introduction

It is ESSENTIAL to set goals, objectives, targets, expected outcomes? throughout the ebook authoring process. The positive consequences of completing tasks that accomplish the goals you have set is the motivation to keep moving forward.For ease of communication the term 'goals' shall be used to represent all of the synonyms associated with the word.

Big Picture goals

You must have a general overall goal which is to write and publish your own eBook. This is the BIG PICTURE goal. You need to see yourself weeks or months from now as a published author collecting "passive income" for your efforts. Passive income is income generated forever after you have completed the initial ebook writing.

Updates are recommended but not essential. If you choose to provide your eBook for free you will still receive passive results through your ongoing contribution to someone's successful use of your work. Better still, you could see yourself writing another ebook.

The big picture goals include some visualizations, some dream fulfillments, some major accomplishment you have always wanted to pursue, some lasting contribution to a body of knowledge.

Working goals

Besides the big picture goals, you must establish goals for each of the steps in the ebook authoring process. These 'working' goals are your nitty-gritty, hard working daily motivators.

Without the big picture goal you won't get started and without the working goals you won't keep going.

"You dream won't come true, it won't happen to you - unless you have goals to motivate you to begin and continue."

We all understand the importance of goals but we're not as good at establish appropriate goals, deciding how to reach them or taking the time to write them down. Even after goals are written, the most important step is often left out - HOW you are going to reach them!

Let's look at a couple of examples.

Big Picture goals

February 11, 2002

My goal is to write an ebook titled, Classroom Visits by School Administrators, for use by teachers and administrators in schools where teacher evaluations require classroom visits as part of the supervision and evaluation process. I shall complete the book by March 31, 2002 and be published by the end of May, 2002.

What does this big picture goal have going for it?

It has purpose. It talks about the reason for writing and the target audience.

It is specific. It includes a p