This has been a strange journey, and this new path almost wasn’t taken. But….
I got into Pitch Wars 2017!
The really fantastic Hayley Stone chose KINGDOM out of her many wonderful submissions. I had a pretty good idea I was in the running as Hayley had been emailing me with questions in the weeks leading up to the announcements.
For those who don’t know, Pitch Wars works by matching an agented and an often published author (and in my case with Hayley, an accomplished editor, as well) with an un-agented author (me).
Now that I’ve been chosen, Hayley has sent me a detailed edit letter which covers extensive developmental edits and content edits. Once we work through those, we’ll work on line edits. Then we’ll do some query and pitch work. Hayley has also suggested we change the name of the book, which I agree with. I haven’t come up with anything yet but am bouncing some ideas around.
At the end of this process, Pitch Wars has an agent round where I can pitch the book to agents. This is an amazing opportunity and a continuation of a crazy journey for this book. I was ready to trunk the damn thing a little over a month ago, frustrated after I had boxed myself in with some plot and character choices I simply wouldn’t give up. Hayley read the book, saw through those hurdles, and loved it anyway.
Now I have to put in some hard work, in a little over two months, to meet Hayley’s vision for refinement. I am in complete agreement with her changes, it’s just a matter of doing the writing.
I am thankful to her for seeing the same vision for the book I do and for being able to see through the flaws.
To those who each year think about Pitch Wars, but talk themselves out of it or say, “My book isn’t ready or good enough or I’m not ready as a writer”–trust me, I was right there too. I had started writing a new book! But all it takes is one mentor to feel it in their gut for you and your book to get in. So, though I am one of the more cynical people around and don’t typically buy into the “You can’t win if you don’t just try to get in” shenanigans, it’s really true.
Buck up and try. I did some spruce up edits the days leading up to submissions, especially on my query and synopsis (which Hayley asked for). I researched the mentors I wanted (which in my case was somewhat easier than other mentees, because the Adult Science Fiction/Fantasy mentor list is much shorter than, say, the Young Adult lists). I set aside my doubts and told myself I had written a good book.
Will everyone who has written a good book get in? No. But, it only takes one mentor to find that spark, for whatever the reason, and kindle your hopes. It happened to me.
