I’ve been feeling really under the weather lately, so there may not be a fiction story tomorrow.  If that’s the case, then this will be the last post of 2011.  (If you go into Soap Boxer withdrawal over the weekend, you can also delve into the archives.  Plenty to read there.)

We’re on the cusp on a new year.  Honestly, I’m not much of a New Year’s fan, as I see it as a pretty arbitrary start point for the new year – why not start it on the vernal equinox?  In any case, I have some goals for the year ahead.

Turn a profit.  Hyrax Publications (the parent organization for The Soap Boxers) has been somewhat unprofitable in 2009 and 2010.  With increasing traffic and new ventures such as SPARKS by Kosmo, I think 2011 will be a profitable year.  By 2012, I expect to see millions of dollars in revenue each year.  (Huh?  What do you mean by “rose colored glasses”?)

Double the traffic.  This sounds like an aggressive goal, but the number of page views in December 2010 is more than four times the traffic we saw in December 2009, and we’ve seen very strong growth the past few months.

See SPARKS ignite.  SPARKS by Kosmo booked a small bit of revenue in 2010, but there is plenty of room for growth.  We’ll be unveiling new pricing plans and features in January.

Continue to give back.  I received – and continue to receive – a lot of assistance from my good friend Lazy Man.  In an effort to pay it forward, I’ve helped other people get started with their own blogs, and will continue this is 2011.  If you have ever wondered if you should start your own blog, the answer is “yes”.

More articles from guest writers.  We’ve had a variety of guest articles in the past, on topics like a day in the life of an air traffic controller, the in-person experience of the 2010 Olympics, and a muslim’s view of Islam.  I’ll continue to seek out people who have interesting tales to tell.

Finish the new eBook.  Next week, I’ll announce a new project that will involved 100 authors.  I have already lined up quite a few writers, but need a lot more to turn the idea into reality.  I expect to spending much time searching for these writers in the first few months of the year, and hope to have the book ready for production by late spring or early summer.

Get traction on my novel.  I’ve had a lot of irons in the fire in 2010, and my novel ended up on the back burner.  I really want to set aside some time in 2011 to make strong progress on the novel.  I doubt I’ll be able to finish in 2011, but I’d like to have most of the heavy lifting done before year end.

What are your goals or resolutions for 2011?

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