Persistence is the Only Path Forward
On Novel Pitching, Audience Building, and Eternal Hope for Publication
I can never decide if saying that I’ve been writing and querying novels for fifteen years is cool or depressing. On the one hand, I want to honor the fact that I have fifteen years and eight-ish novels under my belt, which feels like an accomplishment, publication or non-publication be damned. But then I think about how long fifteen years and eight-ish novels is, and I often start to think that I must be doing something wrong, because surely I ought to have met with querying success by now?
So I land somewhere in the middle: I’m proud of the skills I’ve developed as a writer over that time, proud of (some) of the books I’ve written (the first novel someone writes is often not meant for human consumption), and proud of the fact that I haven’t given up. After all, I started querying at a time when you still had to mail papers with a self-addressed stamped envelope (how else can you receive your rejection back?). I’ve queried via mail, email, social media, and in person for a variety of projects.
But I struggle (like most writers I know) with a sense of doubt on this contemplation. My inner critic starts to whisper that the reason I haven’t gotten picked up by an agent or publisher (despite a few near misses) is that I’m not a good enough writer. Insidious and untrue, but still the script I fight in my mind.
The truth is, after this many years of attempting to get published, I’ve seen how the industry has shifted and moved. In fact, navigating querying to agents, publishers, and indie presses often feels like walking on shifting sand. Even advice you relied upon a year ago might have changed.
The most recent example for me? Twitter pitch contests.
I found Twitter to a difficult social media platform when I first encountered it in 2017ish. But then in 2022, I discovered pitch contests and that drew me into a wonderful writing community. I started posted to pitch contests and received some industry likes, which led to query opportunities. It felt fun and exciting to pitch on Twitter.
Then the platform changed (no need to rehash that here) to X in 2023, and when the algorithm and community changed, so did the pitch contests. I quickly found that they were no longer a valuable tool and that was sad. Not only did it feel like I’d lost a community, but also the chance to pitch there.
My point in bringing this up is publishing is, without question, a business enterprise, and while I think creatives wish to harbor the notion that there’s meritocracy present (write a great book and someone will publish you!), that’s less true than we all wish it were. I like to think that great writing is a baseline factor, I’ve read plenty of traditionally published books that indicate it’s not. And when you start to consider marketing and sales, the situation takes on a completely different hue.
If you’re wondering why I’m talking about this, it’s a fair question. I’ve been on a querying break since last fall, because you can only take so many rejection emails before you need a little distance. The last one arrived in my inbox on my anniversary weekend, with a note from an indie press editor that said they loved the idea, but needed stronger pitch.
Sigh.
Very soon, I’ll be headed to a writer’s conference in my state, where not only will I receive editorial feedback on the first 5k words of my novel, The Quicksilver Scandal, but I’ll also be pitching, in person, to an editor from a small Indie press.
Cue the nervous sweating.
I don’t know if traditional publishing is in my future. Lord knows, I want it to be. I’ve wanted to be a published novelist since I was a teenager, and I still want that now, many years and many novels later. The journey so far hasn’t been smooth—in fact, it’s been bumpy and uncomfortable and I’ve cried a lot of tears along the way.
That being said, persistence is the only path forward in this case. Not to sound cliche, but as Michael Jordan says, you miss all the shots you don’t take.
So I’m honing my pitch and getting ready to give it at the conference, and The Rewrite figures into that—as publishing has continued to change, more and more of the marketing for books has fallen onto the shoulders of the writer. Right, wrong, or indifferent, having a strong following on a platform like Substack can make a difference in an agent or editor’s interest in your work. Not only do you have to produce a quality novel, but you need to have skin in the game for marketing and promoting that novel as well.
So I’m asking you a favor, dear readers:
I would love if you would share The Rewrite with someone that you think might enjoy it and encourage them to subscribe. Building a subscriber base of readers is an important part of working toward my goal of becoming a published novelist someday (and remember, you can turn Substack emails off in your settings, so you only get the stuff to your inbox that you really want).
Having more eyes on this post and my pitch below will only help me prepare for the conference, and I’d love to hear what you think of The Quicksilver Scandal. Knowing that readers are interested in being able to access a copy of the novel helps in that quest as well, as it brings marketing value.
I’m not a fan of this system, because I want good books published because their good (art for art’s sake, right?), but I’m doing my best to move forward in the current system (which is ever changing!).
As always, thank you for being here at The Rewrite. I’ll never be able to fully express how much it means to me that you’re here.
Pitch for The Quicksilver Scandal
Below is the short pitch I plan to give in person to the editor at the conference who’s currently accepting work like mine. In person pitches are short and to the point, which is why this one is so brief:
The Quicksilver Scandal is a Prohibition era whodunnit set in 1927 Cheyenne, Wyoming. Complete at just under 98k words, it’s a mash-up of Kerry Greenwood’s Phryne Fisher and Craig Johnson’s Walt Longmire mystery series. It’s a standalone novel with series potential.
Librarian Essie Williams and Sheriff’s Detective Bear Gates hold opposing viewpoints on many ideas, but most of all, they disagree about Prohibition. Yet all that is pushed aside when they find themselves paired up to investigate a stolen horse and murdered cowboy.
The deeper Essie and Bear dig, the more danger they encounter, discovering corruption and secrets that lead to heartbreaking revelations and ultimately challenge their deepest convictions.
Below is the one page “sales pitch” I’ll carry into the pitch session to put on the table in front of the editor. This isn’t required, but I like the visual and tangible aspect of something in print.
You made it to the end! Thank you for reading.