Category: Publishing & Career-Building

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Ready to Publish? 4 Indications to Look For

Ready to Publish? 4 Indications to Look For

Posted on by R.M. Archer

It can be hard to tell when a book is ready to be sent out into the world–especially if you’ve never published before–but developing the skill to identify when a book is ready can be critical to the publishing process, whether you’re trying to minimize agent rejections or you’re indie publishing and have to serve as your own gatekeeper. Ultimately, one develops this skill primarily as one writes and publishes more books and comes to better understand one’s own process; there is variation between authors, and you’ll ultimately come to understand when your own books are ready simply from gaining familiarity with the process–and through trial and error. But here are a few indications to look for, as you first begin building this skill, that can help you know when your book is ready for publication.

Editing in Circles

If your edits aren’t Continue reading “Ready to Publish? 4 Indications to Look For” →

Addressing the Fear of Traditional Publishing – Guest Post by K. Orme

Addressing the Fear of Traditional Publishing – Guest Post by K. Orme

Posted on by R.M. Archer

For a while now, I’ve noticed that a lot of authors in the indie community seem to be afraid of traditional publishing for one reason or another. While I fully believe that the traditional publishing path is not for everyone (I don’t think it’s for me, as a general rule), I do believe that we should think clearly about both publishing routes and choose one because it’s truly the best fit rather than because we’re afraid of the other! Today, I have K. Orme on the blog to dispel some of the fears that tend to crop up around traditional publishing, to further the informed choice between traditional, independent, or hybrid publishing. I hope you enjoy and find her article informative!

I have spent the last seventeen years learning my writing craft and studying publishing trends, deciding which publishing method is right for which of my books. Publishing has come a long way since then. It’s come a long way since I studied publishing in college, which was a course I took for my degree. (Officially, I have a BA in History and a Minor in Creative Writing, though I have enough credits to count for a second BA in English/Creative Writing, though it is unofficial.) And that’s only my college education. This doesn’t account for the multiple classes outside of college I’ve taken hosted by conferences and online colleges leading up to this point.

Suffice it to say, I know a little about the publishing industry and have seen trends come and go, as well as pervasive fears about what publishing can look like. And here I am, your resident overthinking author, to give you a little calming moment Continue reading “Addressing the Fear of Traditional Publishing – Guest Post by K. Orme” →

What is Your Cover Saying? – 4 Keys to Quality Cover Design

What is Your Cover Saying? – 4 Keys to Quality Cover Design

Posted on by R.M. Archer

Adapted from “Clean Fantasy and Boring Cover Syndrome,” originally published Nov. 28, 2017

Since subscribing to a number of clean fantasy authors’ newsletters, I’ve come across a disappointing trend. A lot of clean fantasy books have really unimpressive covers. The same is often true of indie authors, as a whole. You know the old adage “don’t judge a book by its cover,” and that’s great in principle, but when it comes to books, readers really do judge books by their covers. As a reader myself I can attest to this. Heck, it’s why I’m writing this post.

The fact is, that’s not a bad thing. Cover art should Continue reading “What is Your Cover Saying? – 4 Keys to Quality Cover Design” →

Developing Your Own Best Marketing Practices

Developing Your Own Best Marketing Practices

Posted on by R.M. Archer

There is no single “right way” to market your books. As with most things in the writing realm, marketing differs from author to author–and sometimes even from book to book. All the same, there is a lot of advice out there claiming to be “necessary” for your marketing to succeed, and it can be hard to know which tips are actually going to be useful. It’s overwhelming sometimes!

My intention with this post is twofold: First, I want to assure you that you can market the way you want to; marketing doesn’t have to be high-pressure if you don’t want it to be, and it doesn’t have to look a certain way. Secondly, I want to help you figure out the foundations of your marketing “personality,” as it were, so that you can filter marketing advice accordingly–keeping what fits your purposes and ignoring the rest.

Ready? Let’s get into it.

This post contains affiliate links, marked with an asterisk. Purchases made through these links earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Determine Your Priorities

The first thing to know Continue reading “Developing Your Own Best Marketing Practices” →

How to Choose a Good Editor

How to Choose a Good Editor

Posted on by R.M. Archer

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” →