Thursday, August 20, 2009

The pitch session

I thought it would be fun to document my road to publication. This will be a long post while I catch up. It started in San Francisco at the RWA conference in July 2008. I has a pitch appointment with an NY editor. I pitch a completed manuscript and she was sort of lukewarm on the concept. Since we had extra time, I pitched a new book that was 6 pages long. She was very excited about that one, and requested partials of both. When I got home I whipped up a full partial with synopsis of the second book and sent both off. Since the editor was with a house that has a huge historical market niche, I never expected anything to come from it.

Fast forward, to March of 2009. Out of the blue, I get an e-mail from the editor passing on the first book and requesting a full of the second. Yikes! I'd only written about 125 pages of the book, since I'd never expected she actually request it. I'd been working on other projects. Bad!

I sent her off a thank you and told her I'd send it ASAP. Then proceeded to panic. How in the heck was I to get another 275 pages finished in a timely manner?

8 comments:

  1. Okay, that's like my worst nightmare. And since I know there is a HEA at the end of this story, I can't wait to see how it all turns around!

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  2. I think I'll have fun with it! I plan to post for revision letters, galleys, those kind of things. My insider view. Thanks Jennifer!

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  3. What a great publishing story! I'll be interested to hear the rest.

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  4. Hi Cheryl,great post, especially for those who don't know the end result as we do (Tee Hee). Can't wait for the rest. Though how you turned out that many pages ASAP has me baffled also.

    Carol Jo

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  5. Thanks Carol Jo! I'll post the rest today or tomorrow!

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  6. Thanks for posting your journey. I am soo interested in how you got to this point. I look forward to reading about your revision letters, your galley's - everything. THANKS.

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  7. How, indeed. LOL! Can't wait to see what you did. :-)

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  8. I kind of went in at a odd angle. No query letter. It was the couple line pitch I added to the body of the e-mail that interested my agent and made her want to read the chapters right away. A good hook does work!

    I know almost nothing about revison letters and galleys outside general info. I can't wait to see them!

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