How to Build a Basic Business Plan

Another area writers tend to suck at is business. The problem is that the same mentality that makes a person a great writer often inhibits their ability at business: You have gotten so good at looking at things from a weird angle that you sometimes forget how to look at things more practically. In a weird way, this is not really a disadvantage when it comes to writing, especially as it allows you to quickly learn skills in order to use them in your writing as well as look at multiple perspectives at once.

In essence, you have learned how to focus by spreading your thinking out.

However, when it comes to business, this is a problem because business is all about laser-focus: You need to focus on each specific problem at a time in order too be a business success, and that can be a problem for someone who is often juggling a number of different projects at a time. This can make even looking at a business plan difficult, but it is something that you need to at least debate doing. Having such a document will not only help keep you organized, but can help you should apply for business loans and grants.

Three reasonably obvious notes:

1. You may not see value in doing this if you are just doing it for fun or if you are "just freelancer". However, you'll find you can do a lot in your hobby if you're organized, and doing even a partial business plan can help you there. As for the other, well, freelancing is a business and having a plan always helps.
2. This will be brought up later more thoroughly, but: Get an accountant and count them as part of the crew. A certified public accountant isn't just there for taxes; he's there to make sure that you are making the right choices for your business. You need him for advice on expenditures and if you should be making the purchase or not. Having a CPA on staff is going to solve a lot of problems, sometimes even before they become problems. This is NOT a math issue; a great CPA is always looking at the numbers for the best fit and having access to that perspective can only help.
3. Even if it's not your focus, take a couple of business classes while you're in college. People are always looking for good elective classes, and having at least some business education can't hurt. This doesn't mean that you should be looking t becoming a CPA; it just means that you're taking classes in running a business, marketing, and even some financial classes. Knowledge is power, after all, and knowledge that helps you understand your business can only help.

Concept

This is pretty simple: Describe your concept in a single sentence, and then a few paragraphs. Don't be an idiot here; just keep it simple, stupid. The one-sentence summary just needs to describe your comic in one sentence, no more than about twenty words; jut describe it as simply as possible. "Alien is adopted by earth couple and learns to become a here", or "Kid is caught in a chemical accident and gains the electrical powers to fight local gangs" is all you need; don't worry about genre or world-specific words and phrases at this point. You just want to get the gist of the concept across to strangers.

You can have more fun in the synopsis. While I'm suggesting three paragraphs or about 300 words total, don't game this: Only include the most relevant information. However, remember that you also need to sell the book here: Don't be afraid to include the credentials of the crew, or anything else that will help sell the book. Also, don't fill this with keywords or do this for "search engine optimization" purposes; just write the best synopsis of the book you can.

And if you're using this to set up a studio with multiple titles, use the summary to describe the goals of your company as a whole, and then the company and any planned books should get a single paragraph each; the book paragraphs should start with a one-sentence summary and then briefly describe each book and how it fits within the generally company strategy.

The bottom line is that you're basically using this section to get people excited about your business; do what it takes to do so. Don't worry about setting yourself part, unless that is explicitly what you are trying to do; that's what the next section is all about.

How You're Different

In older texts, this would be referred to as an "environmental scan"; the idea is to show that you know your industry and that you've done your research. Look at this from the perspective of an investor: This is where you get to show how you set yourself apart from your competition, and is arguably your one best chance at getting creative here: You need to show what you are doing different and have some fun with it. You need to avoid all of the usual cliches, like "we're the first to", "we do it better", or even "you need to watch us"; you need to show your approach here and how you plan to make a name for yourself in a crowded market.

Size of Operation

You also need to disclose the size of your operation. Admittedly, this is more voluntary, but it helps to justify your budget. You should at least write a paragraph about yourself, if you're the only one involved. Otherwise, you should give out the top leaders in your organization, and anyone else that is prominent; this definitely includes any of your writers and artists. The basic point here is that you need to show that you have some organization, if it's a one-person operation; if you happen to have people that you can use to impress others with, so much the better.

 Budget/Materials

This is where it starts to get technical. If you happen to have an idea how much you are spending on the business, this is the spot for it; this should also include any assets owned by the business in general terms if applicable. Note that this includes utilities, internet bills, website costs, and savings alloted for the business, as well as any important or impressive pieces of machinery. You should also include how much money you are ACTUALLY making from the business. For a single proprietor, this can get sort of weird as you can list how much you make, but this step is sort of optional for you. For anyone actually doing business, however, this step is mandatory; it helps to set goals later on as well as a put a finger on your business.

Distribution Plan

This is pretty simple: How do you plan to distribute your books? Is it going to be a webcomic, digital imprint, or a physical book? Which sites do you plan to use, and will there be some sort of schedule involved? The basic idea here is that you need to show how you plan to get your book(s) to your readers; don't be afraid to use multiple streams in the distribution of your books. For example: A webcomic may be put out every Monday and Thursday, published as an electronic version to Comixology, and then put together as a floppy every two months and a perfect-bound book every six months, with both versions having an electronic version.

Have fun, but don't get too crazy, and try to stick to the established schedule. You need to get your readers into the habit of expecting your books on some sort of schedule; doing so not only establishes that you can be depended on but also gets them into the habit of reading your material as well as allowing them to plan for your book. All of this helps your sales, so establish a schedule and stick to it.

 Marketing Plan

This is where things start to get fun. First, you need to create marketing materials for your book(s) nd figure out a way to get them out to the press and/or influencers. You also need to set up interviews with podcasters and other broadcasters. That you should also set up a website and some sort of mailing list should be obvious. This also includes all sorts of contests and giveaways. You need to get the word out about your book(s), and you should have that method written down so you can follow up on it for all your other books.

Social Media Plan

This needs to be looked at differently than the rest of your marketing plan. Your normal marketing plan will be both static and put into motion whenever you have something to market; this needs to be done on a constant basis. That is, you need to have some sort of presence on the social media sites and that presence needs to be maintained even when you don't have something to market. That presence needs to be ongoing and be somewhat more intimate than your other marketing; you need to show some sort of personality. Remember that and your social marketing campaign should do okay.

Expansion Plans

Obviously, you need to have an idea of where you are planning to go later on down the road. You're going to want to put out other books, possibly deal with merchandise, and figuring out other ways of making money from your books. Heck, you may even want to increase your staff and office space. This is where you start. These are where you plan to take your business and how you want to expand it. This is not only good for possible investors to see that the business has legs, but also to help you keep organized.

Fundraising

You want to make money from your book in ways that don't involve the book itself; this is where you explore those other options. Forget about merchandise for a few moments; this all about crowdfunding, subscription models, and even investing. In essence, you want to explore other ways of making money from your writing, and this is where you look at those options and how they will contribute to your business. Figure out what works for you and go for it!

Merchandise

This is where things can get a little weird and repetitive. The repetitive part is that you will tend to use the same designs for a range of products. The weird, however, is that you can take stuff from your books and put some of that in real life, such as buttons or caps that appear in the book. You can also use slogans, characters, and even spaceships from the books. You're going to have three models to juggle: Some items will be commissioned, some will be parked on a print-on-demand site, and others will be ordered as needed. Again: Figure out what works and go for it! But also hve some fun with it and see what you can pull off.

 Conventions

You're going to want to debate conventions. They are great for PR and marketing as well as give you the opportunity to make lots of money; that makes them great for everything you're trying to accomplish. They can also represent a logistical nightmare as you need to get a lot of material to same location at one time. However, as noted, they can help your book sell while putting a face to the book, and that is usually a great thing. So going to a couple of conventions should be at least debated.

Alliances

You should also be debating working with others in the industry to develop situations where both sides gain something in terms of numbers. This can be collusions, collaborations, or just agreeing to help each other out. This is something that you should always be looking for; people are stronger as a team, and that applies to groups as much as it does individuals: Working together gives you access to a wider variety of skills and resources, and that is usually a good thing. Any existing alliances should be listed.

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Overall, a business plan is a great way to get organized, and that applies to an individual as well as a group. This allows you to see what you have and gives you an idea of where you are going. This also helps kill a lot of doubt: By looking at your business, you can answer a lot of questions, and the more questions you answer ahead of time the more confidence you will have in what you are doing. Take time to make the plans and that plan will help make the business succeed.