How To Write A Mission Statement

What is a mission statement?Your mission statement is an opportunity to outline who you are, what your goals are, your morals, values, ethics, culture, and what you have to offer. Imagine you're introducing yourself at a public speaking event or someone at a book fair asks about your publishing company. What are you going to tell them? How are you going to squash all the important bits into a short, snappy introduction?Why do I need a mission statement?A mission statement tells the reader who you are, what you do and why you do it. It's a fantastic way to make a first impression on your website, blog or on any printed documentation you're sending out. To write my mission statement, I used Google to search for 'how to write a mission statement' and stumbled uponthis website, which I found to be very helpful.I did not write that information so full credit for the article goes to the creator.How should I structure my mission statement?I used the below segments as inspiration to write my mission statement, then reformatted it to flow a bit better. Here's how I structured the topics:Who Am I?What do I do?Why do I do it?What do I believe in?What are the benefits to others?What problems do I solve?What do I want for the future?Below is my mission statement (seen on my 'About Me' page) with notes to break each part down for you. When you're writing your own, be honest but be professional. You need to show people who you are beneath the exterior 'writer' label. What makes you special and by following you, what will that person gain? I would prefer that you didn't just use mine (because how will you learn?), so I'm going to make it really easy for you to put something together. It took me several drafts to get it just right, so don't worry if your first attempt is a little... deflating.'Hi, I'm Rachael, a high fantasy and post-apocalyptic fiction author from West Yorkshire, UK.- A short, snappy, opening sentence to introduce myself. Who am I? What do I do? Where am I from?I'm a dreamer, a deep thinker, a bookworm and grammar nerd. I write poetry between imaginative high fantasy, post-apocalyptic and science fiction novels.- I have expanded my description a little to give a bit of personal information, but this is of course optional. When they read this introduction, what will they have in common with you? You need the reader to feel they can trust you and befriend you.I believe that through writing we face our darkest fears, explore infinite new worlds and realise our true purpose. I write to entertain and share important morals and values with the world, but above all, I write to be a significant part of something incredible.- Why do I write and what do I believe in? This was a difficult statement to make because I had to be really honest with myself and the reader. I had to sit and effectively analyse my books and who I am to figure out why I do what I do, and what the point is. It was a fun and interesting task and I feel on track to meet my writing goals because of it. I also better understand my audience.All my fantasy and post-apocalyptic books face our planet's struggles because I believe that together we can build a stronger future for the human race.- This is just something I discovered when writing the above, so I added this line as an extension.I support independent publishing so all my stories are written, edited, formatted and published by me, offering a low-cost, epic adventure and a memorable escape from reality for my readers.- What are the benefits to others? What problems do I solve? Here I tell my readers that I support indie publishers and do everything myself. This is hopefully to inspire and encourage them to give it a go too, but also to let them know I'm an ideal person to contact if they have questions in the future. By 'solving problems', I mean what do I offer them that others may not? I like to keep my prices low and I want the reader to feel they have been on an adventure when they read my books.Visit my 'Books' page for more information.- A call to action/ invite to look elsewhere on the website.Here is a brief cheat sheet/ template you can use when writing your own mission statement. All you have to do is complete the sentences:My name is (NAME) and I'm a (GENRE) writer from (COUNTRY). I believe that (BELIEF/S) because (REASON). My books are (DESC) which you can find by visiting (LINK). I support (WHAT?), because (REASON)/ so I (ACTION).And that's all you need to know.As always if you need help with the above or would like some clarification, please feel welcome to contact me.E. Rachael HardcastleYou can also download my free high fantasy novel by visitingwww.books2read.com/findingpandora.