Writers
A shared board for an author and their editor
Updated · by the Simpleban team
In short
The question that runs an author–editor relationship is “who has chapter seven?”. Simpleban is a free shared kanban board for exactly two people where each chapter is a card — Drafting · With editor · Revising · Final — and handing it over moves it to the other person's board as “waiting on you”. The delivery date sits at the top as a countdown, notes on each card hold the editorial letter, and the Sunday summary email shows both of you what moved this week.
The board for a book
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Outline | Chapters planned, not drafted |
| Drafting | Author has it |
| With editor | Handed over — waiting on the editor |
| Revising | Back with the author, notes in the card |
| Final | Both agree it's done |
How it works
- Every card has an owner: you, the editor, or either of you — so “who is on this?” is answered before anyone asks.
- Hand a card to the editor and it moves to the top of their board under “waiting on you”. If they're not on the app, Simpleban emails them a few minutes later, and the next morning's 8am email mentions it once if it's still waiting — never every day. You never press a “remind” button.
- When the editor is done, they hand it back and it reappears at the top of the author's board.
- Repeating cards come back on their own schedule — daily, weekly, chosen weekdays, every N days, monthly — and can alternate between the two of you.
- Due dates with a calm Today / This week filter, a private calendar feed for Google, Apple or Outlook, and a countdown on the board for the date that matters.
- Notes, checklists and comments live inside each card, so the context travels with the task.
- Checklists inside the card for the standard pass: continuity, names, timeline, the thing the editor always catches.
- The editor joins from your invite link with a name and an email — no password, nothing to pay. Both of you have the full app on your own phone; it installs like an app and works offline for reading.
Also works for
A ghostwriter and a client, a PhD student and a supervisor, a screenwriter and a producer, a newsletter writer and an editor — any pair where the work is drafts going back and forth.
Templates to start from
Questions, answered
- Does it store the manuscript?
- No. The card holds the status, notes and comments; the document stays in Word, Scrivener or Google Docs with a link in the card.
- Can my agent see progress?
- A read-only share link shows the board without notes or comments.
- Does the editor pay?
- Simpleban is free forever for two: you and the one person you invite get every feature, unlimited boards and cards, no trial and no credit card. The promise is written into the Terms: nothing that is free today will ever move behind a paywall, and your +1 never pays. If you need more people or want to share boards beyond your +1, we'll soon introduce subscription tiers — a flat rate, never per seat.
- Does the other person need to pay or install anything?
- No. They open your invite link, type a name and an email, and they're on the board. Installing it as an app on their phone is optional. Simpleban is free forever for two: you and the one person you invite get every feature, unlimited boards and cards, no trial and no credit card. The promise is written into the Terms: nothing that is free today will ever move behind a paywall, and your +1 never pays. If you need more people or want to share boards beyond your +1, we'll soon introduce subscription tiers — a flat rate, never per seat.
Who has chapter seven?
Start a board with a card per chapter and invite your editor.
Your board starts as “Essay writing” — columns and example cards you can change or delete.
Try the live demo board first