Creating a Production Schedule

Now that The Assassin is out and I’m deep in the mud of Double Played, I’m in a weird place. Graduation is a month away today, and I’m busy interviewing for jobs and internships. Knowing that everything is changing in the next two months, I’m trying so hard to make sure that I learn how to balance blogging, my books, and whatever else life throws at me.

On the writing front, that includes a production schedule. A production schedule is simply a long term plan on my publishing. Right now, my production schedule is super sparse, just because I don’t know what to expect out of 2016.
My whole day to day routine is about to change, and that’s totally fine, I’m excited for the changes. I just don’t know how they’ll effect my writing routine.
Creating a production schedule can be as detailed or as un-detailed as you want, but the point of it is to get your goals and books on paper (or your computer?).
Full-time authors use production schedules, businesses use production schedules, and here’s why you should use one:
If you don’t take yourself seriously, you’ll never be taken seriously. If you’re serious about your writing and making it with your writing, you have to take yourself seriously.
Your production schedule should contain the basic information. If I were to break it down month-by-month, this is what I hope the next six months will look like (this could easily change).
December:
Finish draft of Double Played
Begin my own edits on Double Played
January:
Finish personal edits on Double Played
Send Double Played to editor
Begin plotting TA3

February:
Start editor’s edits on Double Played
March: 
Last go around on Double Played
Begin press for Double Played
Let me pause here and say you don’t need to add press to your production schedule, but I’m a girl with a public relations background. Involving press and media releases – that’s my nature. As long as the press is on the book, not the author.
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April:
Release Double Played
First draft of TA3
May:
Second draft of TA3
June:
personal edits on TA3
Send TA3 to editor
Begin plotting TA4.
Ideally, I would love for this schedule to hold, but it probably won’t. I do want to get Double Played and TA3 out next year, but as far as the timing on that goes, I just don’t know. I’ve mentioned it before, but come this time next month (literally a month from today), everything changes. I can plan and plan and plan until my fingers bleed, but I won’t know until I actually get there and dive in.
So, when you come to your production schedule, be realistic. Know that it may not go the way you want it to, but I promise you, having a plan will help you so much.