New Beginnings!

I am really excited for this new year. 2013 has been a hard year for a lot of folks and I’m ready to grab hold of 2014 and make it amazing.

So what does 2014 mean for the blog? We are doing a complete overhaul!

• Design: As you’ve probably noticed I switched from my original black theme to the current look. I have also removed some pages and added a few more (which will hopefully make things less confusing).
• Content: After some thought I have decided that I want to make the effort to share content that people want to read. In my experience, that tends not to be: book reviews, event recaps, promotional posts. So in 2014 expect to see less of those type of posts. Instead, on the blog, I will be posting #k8chat event reminders, tips, how-tos, author features (fun ones I promise!), and the occasional life post.
• Schedule: My goal for 2014 is to post every Monday and Thursday.
• Mission Statement: The new mission statement is “Connecting Authors and Readers”. I plan on continuing to host great Twitter chats that bridge the gap between authors and readers along with focusing more of my blog content in a way that serves the mission.
• Kate Tilton’s Book Bloggers: In late 2013 I launched Kate Tilton’s Book Bloggers. We have grown to 79 members so far. In 2014, I will continue to offer bloggers great content for their sites and build relationships with all the bloggers involved. If you are a book blogger and want to join us I’d love to have you.
• New email: After having loads of trouble with Yahoo I have changed the blog email over to gmail. Please use [email protected] to contact me about anything blog or #k8chat related!
• New emailing list: I have created an email list for those who are interested in updates about Kate Tilton’s Author Services along with other tips, facts, and interesting news. This list will focus more on the business side of publishing instead of the RSS email subscription I’ve been (and will continue to be) offering. If you are interested in signing up I’d love to have you: http://eepurl.com/bBo-yb

What does this new year mean for me?

• Weight: I’m going to get my weight back under control. My goal is to be 150 by the end of the year, 160ish by my birthday, and to focus on losing 5 pounds each month.
• Fitness: I just purchased a fit desk pedal bike. I have no desire to become super fit or anything but my goal for at least January is to spend one hour each day on the bike while working or watching TV. Hopefully, I can increase this time as 2014 continues on. I am also hoping to make a habit of joining my mom for Zumba on Mondays (but really, it’s rather cold outside now, isn’t it 😉 ).
• School: My goal is to have my associate’s degree completed before the end of 2014. At this time, I have no other formal educational goals but hopefully, in 2015, I can take classes outside of college for things that matter to me and my business.
• Business: I plan on continuing to serve my clients to the best of my ability and to build lasting relationships with every person I work with. This year will be all about setting up the details of my business as it grows, you can expect to see more updates to my current Author Services page to reflect these changes.

What does 2014 mean for you? Have you set goals for the new year?