My Novel Is Under Contract!

If you are a friend or family member, you already know my exciting news but I feel the need to shout it from the rooftop of my blog. I'm under contract with Soul Mate Publishing for my debut novel, THURSDAYS AT COCONUTS!!!

I couldn't be happier. I couldn't be more excited. I couldn't be more scared.

Here's how it went down. My editor, Debby Gilbert, a senior editor and founder of Soul Mate Publishing, asked for the first thee chapters of THURSDAYS AT COCONUTS during an online pitch session in April. I edited and polished the chapters, gave them an air kiss and sent them on their way.

Then I waited.

Okay, it was only a couple of months (which is very fast in the publishing world) but still. One night I came home after dining out and checked my email before going to bed. The editor said she enjoyed my first three chapters so much that she wanted to see the full manuscript. Elation. And no sleep that night but it was worth it.

I spent the month of May polishing and editing my novel (yet again) sans makeup, dirty hair, vitamin D (sunshine) and in my pj's practically the entire month hoping one of the four editors/agents who requested a partial during April would want a full. That hard-core editing paid off because I was ready to send it to Soul Mate Publishing right away when she requested the full.

A few more nail-biting weeks passed. The editor, Debby, sent an email apologizing for not getting back to me, saying it would take a couple more weeks. More sleepless nights ensued. Then, one morning I awakened to read her email saying she wanted to sign me. She wanted to represent me. She loved THURSDAYS AT COCONUTS.

Ta-da! I was thrilled. Since it's my debut novel, it was important for me to hear from a complete stranger in the publishing biz that my work was good enough to be published. Maybe it's just me but I needed that validation. I didn't want to assume that because my mom, daughter, girlfriends and a few beta readers liked my novel that it was good enough. I'm glad I took the time to go through this process.

First, I'll have an ebook (which I've never had so that's another exciting aspect) and a print book will follow several months later. I'm thrilled I'll have both types of books available. By the way, my novel is a work of women's fiction with elements of romance, humor and suspense.

Now, I've got tons of forms to fill out, formatting to do, tax prep, cover art to consider, a SMP blog to join, review sites to pour over, marketing ideas and more to work on. I also told my editor that I've started the sequel and she was happy to hear that. Uh oh. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned that. I could use a break, but of course, I won't take much of one. My novel is under contract!

My Three-Line Pitch

I told you I'd share my three-line pitch from the recent pitch opportunities via Savvy Authors. Without further ado, here it is (and it showed up as four lines on their site! However, many were three paragraphs!)

Author: Beth Carter
Title: Thursdays At Coconuts
Genre: Women's Fiction (with elements of contemporary romance, humor and suspense)
Word count: 86,000

As the go-to wedding planner, Suzy puts on a brave face with neurotic brides and a racist, pretentious mother of the bride, yet cannot find her own wedded bliss. Alex, a banker, falls for a bad-boy cop who's married and possibly stalking her, but he sure is sexy. Hope, a frumpy, self-deprecating high school counselor, enables her hippie parents and discovers a secret that almost went to the grave. These thirty-something Midwestern women meet every Thursday at Coconuts where they humorously cope with meaty issues--OCD, tragedy, homosexuality and a stroke.

Care to share yours? It's a good exercise to condense 300 pages down to a few powerful lines. Side note: I'm still waiting to hear from a couple of agents and an editor. I also pitched two picture books while I was at it. Fingers and toes crossed.

Pitching Online Vs. In Person

For the first time ever, I pitched my novel online. Why? Because I love adventure, had never done it before, and an author friend of mine recently pitched online and received a contract. So, why not give it a whirl?

Here are some things I noticed:

• It's fast (if you have a better computer than me).
• You have specific instructions (to which no one apparently pays any attention).
• You can pitch wearing jammies.
• Make-up is not necessary--nor is brushing your teeth or washing your hair.
• You get to read what other writers are pitching.
• The response time is quick--just two weeks.
• It's free.

Those are the good things about online pitching, but I still had problems. As you know, I have continual, dreadful computer issues. My upstairs "real" computer is down and my laptop froze, so I was forced to write my pitch using my tiny phone. I had already stared at it for hours and was seeing spots. So, I missed a double "a a."  Ugh. A typo in three lines? Bad. Very bad. Others did as well but still.

I tried it again on a second pitch. My laptop finally awakened and I hit "send" but nothing happened. At least I thought it didn't. So, I retried sending my info three times. Guess what? It went through. All. Three. Times. I'm sure that agent thinks I'm an idiot or was trying too hard to be noticed. Gah.

Previously, I've pitched my novel in person at a far-away (and two nearby) conferences. I paid for airfare, hotel, bought new clothes, had my hair and nails done and broke out in hives. Seriously. That being said, once I was in the room with the agent or editor, I settled down, smiled, joked, and they got to see my sparkling personality (which is lacking in an online pitch). You also get to talk for 5-10 minutes. In addition, at the conferences, you also glance at one another across the room at lunch, during presentations or while having a glass of wine when it's over. Therefore, you get to make an impression several times. For that reason, my guess is it's easier to leave a lasting impression (and a business card) when you pitch in person. However, I will pitch online again because of the reasons I listed above.

I'm just now getting back to my novel after two years of setting it aside due to our family tragedy. It's good to get back to it but I will continue to write children's picture books for the sheer joy they bring and the look on those kids' faces.

Have you pitched? Online or in person? Please do tell.