Tag: Editing

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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” →

Revisiting My (Self-)Editing Process

Revisiting My (Self-)Editing Process

Posted on by R.M. Archer

Way back in 2018, I wrote a post sharing the editing process I intended to use for the novel I was revising at the time (which was shelved shortly afterward and has yet to see the light of day). That was the last project I made editing notes on in print (at least for an early draft), so I revisited that post when I decided to work on Lightning in print. Since it’s been so long, I’ve grown so much, and I’ve seen that original process not work, I ended up making some significant changes from that process to this one.

Now that I’m further through the process and can say what actually worked and what didn’t (vs. the 2018 post which I wrote at the beginning of the process, before it was really tested), here are some of my observations from how this modified editing process worked for Lightning.

A Quick Recap

If you want to see an in-depth look at how I planned to edit The Heart of the Baenor (that unpublished 2018 novel), jumping back to that original post is your best bet. But here’s a quick overview, for those who don’t care to see the full failed version and just want an idea of how this new process compares.

In 2018, I had a color-coded system for editing notes. It was largely focused on Continue reading “Revisiting My (Self-)Editing Process” →

How to Stick with a Project (Past the First Draft)

How to Stick with a Project (Past the First Draft)

Posted on by R.M. Archer

While I’ve previously written on the topic of sticking with a project–and the principles from that post do apply beyond the first draft into revisions, edits, etc.–it was recently brought to my attention that I don’t have a post addressing some of the obstacles that can arise specifically after the first draft is complete, so that is what I will be discussing today!

Obstacle #1: Feeling Inadequate

As you shift from the writing process into the process of identifying problems and rewriting to remedy those problems, it’s easy to feel unequal to the task at first–especially if this is your first time stepping into the rewriting stage. It can be daunting. I get it!

It’s important to remember that even Continue reading “How to Stick with a Project (Past the First Draft)” →

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” →

How I Became an Editor (and What I’ve Learned)

How I Became an Editor (and What I’ve Learned)

Posted on by R.M. Archer

As I open my freelance editing services for the year, I wanted to talk a bit about how that branch of my business got started, some of the things I’ve learned along the way, and my values as an editor.

Over the years, I’ve had people ask me about how I got started because they’re interested in starting freelance editing businesses of their own, so I thought it would be helpful to put all of that information together in one place and touch on some details I haven’t always brought up in those discussions.

I’ve also talked to authors who don’t have much experience in finding editors who are a good fit for their work (and I’ve been that author, myself), and I hope that this post gives insight into what to look for (and what to avoid).

So without further ado, let’s get into it.

Reading with an Editor’s Eye

I’ve been asked whether Continue reading “How I Became an Editor (and What I’ve Learned)” →