There is a lot that goes into writing a book. Then, after you finish writing the book, there’s still a million more things to do! I hope this post will help you stay on track and take all the necessary steps to publish your book.

Congratulations on finishing a draft! Now, you know eventually you’ll need to hire an editor, but when will your book be ready for that next step? You’ll always find more things in your book to change, adjust, or fix, but how can you know when it’s time to hand it off to a professional? Here are 5 signs to help you know when you’re ready for book editing.

Action beats are a replacement for dialogue tags to show the action the character takes during or after speaking.

Point of view is the perspective from which the story is being told. Your choice of point of view can really change your story, so it’s important to make an educated decision. (This post isn’t going to go deep into all the points of view—because there are a lot—I’ll just touch on the top four most popular and most general.)

It may seem easier and cheaper to have an all-in-one editor, this way you get all the editing done in one go. Let me tell you why you shouldn’t do this.

There are a lot of things to consider when hiring an editor, so here are eight tips to help you make the right decision.