Dear Heather…

Numbers are fine. Only some storytelling styles lend themselves to chapter titles, and agents/editors know that. Karen Cushman’s The Ballad of Lucy Whipple uses everything—chapter numbers, titles, and subtitles: “Chapter One – Summer 1849 – In which I come to California, fall down a hill, and vow to be miserable there.” If chapter titles aren’t right for your style, use numbers in the manuscript to signal the chapter breaks and then you, your editor, and your book designer will decide later on whether to use numbers or symbols (or nothing at all!) for the final bound book.

Happy writing!

The Editor