Recording History of My Writing Business

The main purpose of creating a history of my writing business, is to keep track of what has occurred in the business. Financial institutions like to know that a business has a history and that the business didn’t just start yesterday. They want to know that the entrepreneur is actually making progress toward predetermined goals.
In addition, by keeping track of business history, in my business plan, I know where to go in my documents so that I can incorporate this information into various types of documentation in the future and simply cut and paste the information into that documentation rather than having to figure it out later or having to figure where I put the info in all of my online documents. In addition, when I periodically go through my overall business plan, it will be a simple matter to look over this history and add any new milestones that I have reached as presented in my intentions and goals section of the business plan.
Because this information might be required in different formats, I am including the history both in a time line of dates of operation as well as in narrative form.

Create a time line in excel and snipping tool with these dates (Capture Business Plan History Timeline)

Time Line of Dates of operation
Published When God Turned His Head in 2010
Published Soldiers Don’t Cry in 2012
Published Simply Vegetable Gardening in 2013
Created Initial Business Plan for Cygnet of the Ozarks Publishing in August 2015
Published A Coward’s Solace in 2015 in August 2015
Donna Brown found and becomes President of the Oregon County Writers Group in August 2015

Narrative History of Cygnet of the Ozarks Publishing
Another way that we can show our history is by documenting it in a narrative as shown below.
Cygnet of the Ozarks Publishing began when Donna Brown under the pseudonym Cygnet Brown decided to self-publish When God Turned His Head in 2010. Even though Ms. Brown published two more books during the next several years, Soldiers Don’t Cry (2012) and Simply Vegetable Gardening (2013), revenue was scarce during those first years.
In August 2015, Donna initiated a business plan and then published A Coward’s Solace. She then had When God Turned His Head edited by a third party and republished it that same month. At the end of that same month, she became President of the Oregon County Writers Group which she also founded.
Knowing where I am in my business is important, because it allows me to know where I have been so that I know if my business is heading in a direction that is congruent with my mission statement as well as my intentions and goals. More on intentions and goals in a later post.

Beyond the Business Plan

IN addition to writing this business plan, I have been working on using my business plan as I am writing it. I have been participating in several  marketing events over the past several weeks. First was an interview regarding my upcoming book launch. Next I actually had the book launch for my novel A Coward’s Solace. Next I attended two festivals. First The Solemn Ole Judge Days in Mammoth Springs, Arkansas and the next was Heritage Days in Koshkonong, Missouri the following weekend. I not only appeared on the front page of our local daily newspaper the West Plains Daily Quill, but also appeared on the social page of my hometown newspaper back in Northwestern Pennsylvania-The Corry Journal. All in all, book sales of all my books are on the rise, so these efforts have already started producing results.

Donna Brown is an ordained minister. As Author Cygnet Brown, she  has recently published her first nonfiction book: Simply Vegetable Gardening: Simple Organic Gardening Tips for the Beginning Gardener

She is also the author of historical fiction series The Locket Saga. which includes When God Turned His Head and Soldiers Don’t Cry, the Locket Saga Continues, and most recently, A Coward’s Solace, Book III of the Locket Saga.For more information about Cygnet Brown and her book, check out her website at http://www.cygnetbrow.com .