Today would have been my nana’s (nah-nah) 92nd birthday. My middle name after is her first – and I carry it and all her sass and fierceness with me every single day.
It is also the day that I submitted for #RevPit. #RevPit, I have learned, is a Twitter Pitch Fest lead by editors. “It supports authors by offering editing-focused chats and mini-events throughout the year as well as an annual contest wherein querying authors can win feedback and edits on their full manuscripts from professional editors, ensuring their works are polished and ready for agent inboxes.”
Earlier in the month, I had spent some time scouring the #RevPit editor’s bios to see who just might be a good fit. We are to pick our top two editors and one alternate to submit to. I came up with my list, and then I spent some time checking out their Twitter feeds to see whose personalities I might get on with best. This helped to solidify my list/order.
This morning, I got up early, before the window to submit had opened. (Once your first choice’s inbox hits 100 requests, your submission goes to your second choice. If they also already have 100, then it goes on to the alternate.) I had my answers to the required questions all typed and ready to copy/paste. I was ready. And I submitted. My first choice editor still had available slots by the time I hit submit.
The editors have a month to review all submissions (query letter, first ten pages). If something catches their attention, they will email and ask for the full manuscript. It sounds like most of them request up to ten manuscripts – so an email is not a guarantee that they’re picking you.
For the writer, me, that means a month of obsessively checking my email and watching my Twitter feed for “teasers” posted by my chosen editor. Winners are announced at the end of the month. What do they win? An edit of their full manuscript.
So. Here we go. I wait.
I’ll be honest that I’m going into this assuming I won’t be picked. I’m sure that won’t mean it won’t sting a little if I’m not. But if anything, I now have a draft of a query letter and a synopsis ready to go. That alone was a pretty big feat.
[UPDATE: I did not get picked. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ]
Ami Maxine 