How to get a Blackbelt in Writing - Part 12 - Thinking Strategically.

As a writer these days, everywhere you look it's all about 'brand' and 'publishing strategies'. It can be overwhelming, disheartening, and feel like it's all to complex to get your head around.
    If you ever get a chance, read The Art of War, by Sun Tzu. It's a book on ancient warfare strategies, but has been read and interpreted over and over by various other industries because a lot of the concepts cross over.
    Thinking strategically applies to any situation, and to any career. It just involves the ability to look ahead and play out the possibilities in your head. Then deciding on the path that will take you to the goal you want.
   In martial arts, you need to think ahead to avoid going places that will end up in unnecessary violence. (A lot of martial arts is about being strategic enough to NOT get into fights in the first place.) To think ahead when you enter a room or a situation. To assess the room, other people, look for exits, weapons, potential threats. To plan for how get out with the minimum of fuss. To protect yourself and others in the event you can't get out safely.   
    If you're in an altercation, you need to think quickly and strategically about how to use the space, deal with multiple attackers, avoid being trapped, use tools and obstacles to your advantage.
    Aikido advises you to keep moving, keep changing, keep adapting. Because if you stay still, you'll get overrun and clobbered.
    Writing is not dissimilar. Especially these days when things change so fast. While authors have always participated in building their own image and brand, today it's more vital than ever that they do it strategically. It's not enough to just send a manuscript in to an agent or publisher and let them deal with all the rest of the 'stuff'. Traditionally-published authors need to do a lot of their own marketing, manage their own branding, even sometimes run their own blog tours and pay for marketing.
    And don't even get me started on how much an indie author has to do.
   All of it with an eye toward what the market is looking for. Many authors start off in one genre, only to later find a niche in a different one entirely and have to rebrand themselves to suit. Indie authors have an advantage in that they can move fast, catch the latest trends and ride them, keep up with the latest software and platforms. Adapt quickly.
    An author needs to think ahead. Decide what they want their future to look like, then plan accordingly. Do you write to earn buckets of money and recognition? Then be prepared to be VERY strategic about branding, marketing, and multiple streams of income. 
    Are you just writing for the fun of it? Then you'll still need to master a few basic strategies to reach even a small audience of loyal readers. 
    Whatever you decide, prepare to change your strategy fairly soon. The readers, the platforms, the markets - they all move on and you need to move as well.

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