How to Choose a Good Editor

How to Choose a Good Editor

If you’re an indie author, in particular, you likely know that a professional editor is part of the investment. But it can be hard to know which editor to choose. How do you know who is going to be a high-quality editor, and how do you know they’ll be the right fit for your book? This post will address both the traits of a good editor, as well as how to assess whether or not an editor has these qualities and whether or not s/he is a good fit for you specifically.

Traits of a good editor

Timeliness

Especially if you’re working with a particular schedule for a given project–whether you’ve announced a release date, plan to submit a project somewhere by a certain date, etc.–it is important to have an editor who can and will get your project scheduled and edited in a timely manner. Many editors will have an average turnaround time posted Continue reading “How to Choose a Good Editor”

Top Reads of 2024

Top Reads of 2024

This list does not include rereads such as the last two books of the Wingfeather Saga (having started rereading the series in 2023) or the Truth series by Dawn Cook, which were also highlights among last year’s reading–or Structuring Your Novel by K.M. Weiland, which I reread when outlining Thunder early this year.

Asterisked links are BookShop affiliate links. This means that if you buy through these links I make a commission at no extra cost to you. And the cool thing about BookShop is that it supports local small bookstores in the US!

The Story Raider and The Story Hunter by Lindsay A. Franklin

I read The Story Peddler all the way back in 2022, but unfortunately didn’t get around to finishing the series until early this year. Fortunately, that didn’t impede my enjoyment any! It was pretty easy for me to get re-situated in the story, and the strengths I had noted in the first book–namely, the way that the two Continue reading “Top Reads of 2024”

2024 Wrap-Up & Goals for 2025

2024 Wrap-Up & Goals for 2025

Happy New Year (just a little early, for those of us in the U.S.)! As 2024 comes to a close and we embark on 2025, the time has come for my annual post of reflection and new goals. Not interested in looking back with me? Jump to the section of 2025 goals for an idea of what to expect from Scribes & Archers in the coming year.

2024: An Overview

2024 has been a year of the unexpected–and, in some ways, a year of Continue reading “2024 Wrap-Up & Goals for 2025”

2024 Know the Novel: Part 3 – Words Written

2024 Know the Novel: Part 3 – Words Written

Welcome to the final installment of the Know the Novel link-up, hosted by Christine Smith! This installment usually goes up in December, but I’ll be taking a hiatus through the month of December (and Thunder is already finished) so I’m getting an early start on Part 3.

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1. How did writing this novel go all around?

The first half was difficult; I dove right in after finishing Lightning and burned out not too far into Thunder, then kept trying to push on anyway until Sarah Grimm talked sense into me at Realm Makers and gave me permission to shift gears for a while. Once I did that–setting Thunder aside to work toward finishing my worldbuilding book instead–I was able to Continue reading “2024 Know the Novel: Part 3 – Words Written”

Goal-Setting for Authors

Goal-Setting for Authors

As we near the end of the year, many of us are already turning our attention toward goals for next year. (If you’re like me, you started thinking ahead all the way back in September or October!) Whether you have what feels like an overwhelming list of goals, or just a few big goals that you’re trying to prioritize well, this post is all about how to set the right kind of goals as an author–and how to ensure that those goals serve the purpose you need them to serve.

The Purpose of Goals

First, it’s important to define what your purpose is for setting goals. If you’re someone who needs to complete every task on the list, then you want to be very clear on what you can or can’t achieve in a given time-frame so that you’re not causing yourself undue frustration. If you set goals so that you have something to push toward but you don’t Continue reading “Goal-Setting for Authors”