Are you setting ambitious author goals… or accidentally gaslighting yourself into burnout? In this episode of Pros Talking Prose, Stacey Smekofske and Troy Lambert kick off the new year with a no-BS conversation about realistic author goals, metrics that actually matter, and why chasing the wrong numbers is the fastest way to hate your writing life.

We dig into the KPIs authors should be tracking (and the ones you probably should stop obsessing over), including: Writing output that fits your real life Building readers you actually own (not borrowed from an algorithm) Understanding revenue without magical thinking Email lists, discoverability, and why social media isn’t the asset you think it is Why “write faster” is terrible advice for most authors And yes… why FUN might be the most overlooked metric of all

If you’ve ever felt behind, discouraged, or confused by conflicting publishing advice—this episode is your permission slip to stop chasing fantasy goals and start building a sustainable author business. Because your career isn’t broken. Your expectations might be.

Subscribe, hit play, and let’s reset how you measure success—before February wrecks your motivation.

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