#pitchMAS – How I got likes!

So there’s this book pitch contest called #PitchMAS. Maybe some of you have heard of it?

IT’S HUGE!

PitchMAS is  run by Jessa Russo  and Tamara Mataya around Christmas once a year. It’s free. It’s a good opportunity. I finished my novel The Mercy Killers recently, so I figured I’d give it a shot.  I e-mailed my submission.  Here it is, and it wasn’t great.

 A young vagabond girl trades freedom for protection from a disease-ravaged world, but not without sacrifice. When the plague’s cruel ending threatens her sanctuary, only one man can help. Problem? He was the sacrifice.

I didn’t make the top 50.

I wasn’t surprised. I’m not great at pitching, so I figured I wouldn’t make it. Pitching an entire novel in such a restricted format is not an easy feat. I read the winning pitches and I was impressed! I could see how they used each word to their advantage. I learned from it and decided I would try again during the #PitchMAS party!

On Friday morning I woke up and posted the first two pitches that came to me on my twitter feed, sporting #pitchMAS and my genre hashtag.

There are worse things than dying from the Plague. You could survive it and be forced to become a Mercy Killer #YA #NA

The Governor’s son has a new GF. She looks sweet, but she isn’t. She’s a mind reading blade-wielding vagabond with a dark past #YA #NA

I walked away for a few hours, refusing to obsessively refresh twitter all day. I’m not an amazing pitch doctor and I know it. Why stress?

I was talking on the phone with a close friend when I decided it was time to check my feed. I had a few notifications, but I didn’t get excited. It could be anything.

I received 4 likes.

For those of you who don’t know what that means, 4 agents/ editors “liked” my pitch enough to request my query.

I lost my mind!

I wondered if I was seeing things. Was I reading the twitter feed right? Was I on the right page? DID THEY DO IT ON PURPOSE!?!?!?! My friend who was still on the phone thought something was wrong.

“What is it Jessica? Are you okay? IS THERE BLOOD!?!?!?!”

No blood. Just confused joy.

You see, I just finished my novel. I entered into a few contests,  signed up for a query class which starts in January,  and started on the novel’s sequel. I created a rough query letter a week prior to try my hand at the process, but I hadn’t done anything with it. I wasn’t expecting anything. #PitchMAS  is a big contest,  many authors participate, and I am very unseasoned.

I wanted to make sure it wasn’t a fluke, so I threw up another #pitchMAS tweet-

Greylin is a Socialite, promised to Attica’s next ruler. She hides telepathic abilities and skills with weapons.Why? #NA #YA #R

I received three more likes, two by editors.

Okay! This was really happening!

Overall, I received 6 partial manuscript requests. I spent the next 24-48 hours getting my submissions ready. I was so grateful I already possessed a basic synopsis and query letter! I strongly encourage putting together something as soon as you complete and edit your novel, just in case!  I tried to craft each submission to the Agent/ Editor requesting, and made sure to follow the submission guidelines the best I could. I am not a practiced query writer, but I gave it my all.

About a week went by, way to soon to hear anything.  An average turn around response for a partial is 30-60 days. So when I woke up with two full manuscript requests from two separate publishing companies, I made sure to read both e-mails twice so I could be 100% positive I was reading them correctly.

Did they mean to send this to me? Were they serious? DID THEY DO THIS ON PURPOSE!?!?

Are you noticing a trend?

So…I sent my manuscript in!

I won’t lie, my manuscript wasn’t perfect. The story is finished (except for a few tiny tweaks I keep obsessing over, but that’s normal, right?) and edited to the best of my ability, but there are bound to be mistakes in a 100k word manuscript. I was nervous, but I hit send.

I understood it takes a while to hear back from publishing houses. I wasn’t expecting anything.

I swear, not expecting anything works!!!!!!

I received my first “we are interested in publishing your book” e-mail a few days later. I am currently staring at a contract with my name and my novel’s title printed at the top.

I don’t know if I will sign it (although I am very strongly considering it), my lawyer is looking over it (I don’t have an agent! I just wrote some tweets!) and I want to talk to my hubby bubby about it face to face, but the publishing contract exists! This is amazing to me!!!!!

GUYS!!!! I WROTE A BOOK AND PEOPLE DON’T HATE IT!!!!!!!

I won’t be making any rash decisions about my novel this week.  I asked the publisher for a certain amount of time to consider everything and get my ducks in a row, and they kindly obliged. The firm is new and fairly small right now, but I believe in small beginnings.  After all, I’m just an Accountant/house wife who got bored while her husband was deployed, couldn’t find a book that hit the spot, so I wrote one!

Everyone starts somewhere.

My book started at 2am on a sleepless night when one of the characters insisted on being put down on paper. My writing journey was wonderful and came naturally. I wasn’t sure how my journey to publishing would start.

It looks like it started with #PitchMAS and a little fantasy!!