Quarterly Review — Every 3 Months
Every quarter, conduct an honest assessment of these five factors. Do not skip a quarter — decisions made without data are emotional, not strategic.
- Sales trends and trajectory — is the line going up, flat, or down?
- Marketing effectiveness and ROI — which activities drove actual sales?
- Personal satisfaction and energy levels — is this work energising or draining you?
- Opportunity costs — what else could you accomplish with this time and money?
- Market feedback — are readers responding to your work, and how?
Annual Strategic Assessment
- Total revenue vs total investment over the full year — is this a sustainable business?
- Progress toward long-term career goals — are you closer than a year ago?
- Lessons learned and skills developed — what do you now know that you didn't?
- Platform growth and audience building — is your reach expanding?
- Next project opportunities — what should you write next and why?
Decision Criteria
- Financial Sustainability — Can you continue investing in this project without financial hardship? If the answer becomes no, adjust scope before stopping entirely.
- Emotional Sustainability — Does this work energise or drain you? Burnout produces worse decisions than stopping. A rested author is more productive than an exhausted one.
- Growth Trajectory — Are key metrics improving over time — even slowly? Slow improvement is a signal to persist. Flat or declining after sustained effort is a signal to pivot.
- Making the Decision — Set specific criteria in advance — not emotional decisions made in a bad week. Consult other authors or a mentor. Consider partial pivots (new genre, different approach) before complete stops. Stopping one project does not mean stopping writing.