PitchWars: How To Succeed After You’re In
The good news that I was selected for Pitchwars came on the same day my husband left for an intense 2-week trip up into the Pamir Mountains in Central Asia. I was alone at home (in China) with two toddlers, and then my daughter and I ended up vomiting for 3 days. Cool celebration, huh? All the while, I tried to be on social media to celebrate (with fellow PW mentees) and email my mentor!
How did I survive such a rough start, you ask?
The preparation and the sanity to survive any new challenge comes before you start. The habits and choices we as writers put in place now determine how we will thrive later.
Before I share 5 tips on how to prepare, let me start with the real success in PitchWars & my experience.
The biggest take-away (for me) from PitchWars was learning from a mentor, receiving a trustworthy critique, working together, improving your manuscript, honing your craft, gaining understanding of the industry through their experiences, and taking a leap into the professional community. Even if you get zero requests, this is a huge WIN!
*Things to remember: These authors are volunteers. They are excited to help you. They genuinely want you to succeed.
As for my experience, PitchWars gave me tools to face this publishing industry. Even more importantly, I gained community and strength and inspiration from knowing so many authors who did not give up!
As for agent requests in my 2016 gang, some got zero. Some got 30 (like Tomi Adeyemi!) I got 6 requests and none of my requests panned out. Everyone liked the concept, even my writing, they just didn’t ultimately feel like it was right for them. So my next take-away was my path was going to look different and that I was to gather what I learned and move forward. I was thankful because PitchWars built me up to face the next phase.
Phase 2: I took the good advice I got and moved forward. While I kept querying, I wrote book 2, and later when it was finished, I queried that manuscript. This second book got a few agents offers, and I signed with an agent BUT behind the scenes something unexpected happened– My book got into the hands of film producers who wanted something just like my book. I was excited, even though it seemed like a long shot. After I signed with Amy Jameson, my agent, we got a call from the producers. It felt unreal to say… “Um, the producers of Goonies & Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (& more!) are interested in optioning my book…” And as backwards as it seems, I optioned the film rights of my book before selling the rights to a publisher. Who could have guessed?
Trust your book. Work hard. Give it all you got. Trust your instincts. Move forward.
Now for my five tips (that kept me healthy and sane):
Healthy Writing Habits. Make a Plan. For those of you who already have healthy (writing life) habits in place, great job! Now help others who don’t or could use more support! You don’t want to get picked and then burn out on editing or freak out because you can’t find the time. Right now, make a plan. Do you have set writing times? Keep them. Plans on how and when to rest? During PitchWars will you cut out that extra Netflix time for another editing session? Make a plan that suits your rhythm of life. For me, I made a plan with my husband who agreed to take over playtime & homeschool activities to give me oodles of time to edit my MS during the Pitch Wars revision phase (which was shorter then). Then I set aside time (each morning/evening) to map out which sections I’d tackle in my next writing session.
Don’t sacrifice family, sleep, or health. Keeping priorities in order always helps us succeed in the end. I have 3 little kids, which equates to loud, long, needy days where diapers need to be changed, naps are taken, snacks are eaten, books are read, attention is needed, and time outside is a must. When would I edit? Would I get the work done? Don’t lose sleep. I’m an early riser (part of the 5am club) but I am not a late night worker. I would stick to normal as much as I could. Because of health and kids, I need to be present for much more than my book. Healthy habits actually help produce more! *this is kind of a bonus of tip one, lol.
Community. Don’t go at this alone. PitchWars is about community and finding partners who can not only critique but encourage. Find a group of people that you can confide in and who could speak truth, encourage, and keep you accountable to your priorities and writing life. THIS IS THE GEM of PITCHWARS! Get your writing community to speak Truth. This is an important one, especially for writers who often love and then hate our book in the same writing session! In all the ups and downs, editing and rejections, we need reminders of truth, we must believe in ourselves and what we feel we have been called to do. We got to continue pursuing improvement and excellence, while remaining confident in who we are. This business is mostly about the ones that stay in the game. We do that by remembering who we are.
Be teachable (humble), ready and willing to learn. What if you don’t like the mentor’s changes/ideas for revision? How would you go about solving that? What can you learn from their perspective? When my edit letter came from Pintip Dunn, my mentor and author of many brilliant books, I determined to read through with her eyes. Not mine. I let her be my mentor—not a critique partner. Because I signed up to have a mentor, which meant, I was determined to learn from her. It wasn’t as if I agreed with every little thing in her long edit letter. But I focused and listened as to why she was saying the things she did. As expected, Pintip was amazing, we discussed all of her (and my) ideas. And Guys. I learned invaluable writing craft secrets from her. I have since employed said techniques and have truly gained them as tools. With a mentor, I viewed craft in a new way, and reaped the benefits of working side by side with her as an editor & mentor & writing professional & someone who believed in my work. She truly prepped me to become an author in this crazy publishing world. Since being in PW, I give critiques because I WANT other authors to succeed. I WANT their work to be good, so I give the best critique I can. If it doesn’t resonate with it, that is ok. If you are open, something will come of it. Talk with you mentor, and be open. If you do, I guarantee that their ideas will spark new ones if you are open to seeing your work in a new way!
Do your best, believe in yourself, and be thankful for this opportunity! Edit and revise. Have Cps read it. Talk about your book. Doodle, brainstorm, storyboard. Stay in communication with your mentor. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Don’t miss this chance to really dive into tightening up this book and its pitch.
Alright PW peeps, there is so much more I want to say, but if you have questions, please ask in the comments or DM me. I am always happy to help when I can!
Signing off, Nova