December is not a time to be working very hard (for me, anyways). My full being yearns for all things cozy, and working a lot of hours is not conducive to doing things like baking scones, doing puzzles while listening to audiobooks, making junk journals, or re-teaching myself how to crochet. So, I learned from last year and booked three weeks off, starting now! Well, starting as soon as I finish this one last email. 😇

So what I did I get up to this year? Let's get into my Editor Wrapped stats, shall we? 🤓

I worked with 12 clients: 1 publisher, 10 indie authors, and 1 lawyer (new for me this year!)
Launched Custom Story Databases, a new service, in Q4.
Fiction vs. nonfiction: Worked on 7 novels, 5 nonfiction books, 2 novellas, and 1 short story collection. Breaking down to 60% fiction, 40% nonfiction.
Services breakdown: Line/copyedited 5 novels, proofread 7 books, copyedited a 100K-word investigative report, and created custom story databases for 2 novels (both first in a series – super helpful to get details in order to help write the rest of the books).
Total words edited: Just over 1 million! 🎉
BONUS: I decided to start a waitlist for my editing services. Starting in 2026, I'll be emailing people on the waitlist with my availability, and they'll get first dibs.

Author Resource Round-Up

I'll have more in 2026, but for now here are a few cool things to check out:

Marketing without social media: The Off the Grid podcast is really something. Just the thought of being able to market as a freelancer without social media seems scary (and empowering/freeing). Check it out if you're feeling burned out on social media and algorithms. Food for thought.
Online writing tracker: Check out Pacemaker, a cool online tool to help track writing goals. I'm going to use it to help me get back into the swing of writing blog posts. Just set your goal and your desired pace (like whether you want to work steadily every day, or start small and finish strong, or have most of the effort in the middle). It's a revelation to think that writing/editing the same amount every day is not always the best approach...

What I'm Reading

My biggest reading win recently was FINALLY finishing Mistborn. It took three ebook loans because it kept getting returned before I could finish. And since it's such a popular series, I always had to wait months before it was my turn again. I know I could just buy a copy, but... that's a slippery slope my bookshelves won't abide. 😅
On the nonfiction side, I'm really enjoying Liz Moody's 100 Ways to Change Your Life. It's got quick, actionable, science-backed advice.

Now, I'm off to enjoy all the coziness this season has to offer.

Happy holidays and see you in 2026!

- Erika

👉P.S. If you want to work together in April or beyond, get on my waitlist! I'll be emailing in January for my March/April editing spots.

Erika Steeves
Fiction & Nonfiction Editor
www.erikasteeves.com