From September 22-28, we’re posting mini-interviews with some of our 2021 Pitch Wars mentors. We thought it would be fun to have them answer one question. A question that would give you an idea of their personalities. And possibly spotlight a mentor you may have missed on your exhaustive search through the blog hop for the perfect four mentors to submit to when the Pitch Wars 2021 submission window opens. Don’t know what Pitch Wars is START HERE.
Giveaway!
We’re also giving away 2021 mentors’ and committee members’ books! Go to the bottom of this post for details on how to enter for a chance to win.
Need to connect to the community?
Join the Pitch Wars forum to have discussions with some of our mentors and other writers or get your work critiqued by your peers (and sometimes mentors) or search for critique partners. It’s our gift to you for being so awesome, and we hope you find this space useful. To join the forum go here: http://pitchwars.proboards.com/
Mark your calendars!
Join us for our official #PitchWars #askmentor chats on Twitter and our live mentor video chats happening on Sarah Nicolas’ Youtube channel. Go to this blog post for dates and follow @PitchWars on Twitter for all the details.
This is the question we asked our mentors to answer:
If you could tell your younger self anything about writing or the publishing world you’ve learned or didn’t expect when starting out, what would it be?
And here are their answers …
J. A. Crawford
“Keep writing and level up your craft. There’s a lot to learn, and it takes time, but you’ll get there. Almond M&M’s are not brain food, pal. Quit eating them by the pound.”
Wishlist Link | Mentor Page | Book Link
Mary Keliikoa
“I’d tell my younger self the same thing I tell myself even now – it’s all going to work out and remember this is a marathon, not a sprint. Take a breath, have fun, keep writing, keep connecting with the writing community, and make new writing friends! And whatever you do, don’t compare. So much of publishing is something we have zero control over. But the creating and connecting is all ours. So enjoy the process and keep telling your stories.”
Wishlist Link | Mentor Page | Book Link
Amanda Elliot
“The most important attributes for a career in publishing? Patience and persistence.”
Wishlist Link | Mentor Page | Book Link
Denise Williams & Charish Reid
Denise: “First, comparison is the thief of joy. Writing and publishing are pursuits where wins are very visible, losses are often kept private, and where there will always be someone doing it bigger. A friend gets an agent first, a bigger deal, more press, higher sales, film rights optioned, etc. We all notice those thing, but dwelling on them can rob so much joy from your own wins. Second, it’s usually not your turn. It’s easy to feel forgotten or unimportant when your book is a ways off from publication. So, enjoy the ride while you wait for it to be your book in the spotlight—that time will come!”
Wishlist Link | Mentor Page | Book Link
Charish: “‘Celebrate Yourself!’ Once the ball gets rolling, milestones are going to pile up, one right after the other. Take time out to enjoy everything single triumph. On the other hand, publishing can be a mighty slow process with cool random moments that punctuate the silence. Whenever those moments happen, congratulate yourself. Don’t always move quickly to get started on the next task. If you finished a first draft, give yourself a pat on the back, and take a breather, because writing is not easy. If you get cover designs from your publisher, bask in it for a while. Revisions turned in? Throw yourself an impromptu dance party! Whether the victories are small or large, celebrate your work and celebrate yourself.”
Wishlist Link | Mentor Page | Book Link
Mary Ann Marlowe
“Make as many writer friends as you can and keep making them. Join writing groups. Hop on hashtags. Be brave, and ask people to swap chapters. You can really never have too many people in your support network, and as you progress in your career, these will be the people who you’ll go to for advise, for reads, for cheerleading, and celebrating.”
Wishlist Link | Mentor Page | Book Link
Enter for a chance to win one of our mentors’ or committee members’ books. We’ll choose ten winners to receive one book each. You ARE NOT limited to the mentors featured in our spotlight posts. You can choose any 2021 mentor or committee member’s book. All you have to do is search our mentors’ and committee members’ books, pick one you’d like to receive should you win, and enter it in the rafflcopter at the bottom of this post. The book must be one from our 2021 mentors or committee members.
You can find our mentor pages here: https://pitchwars.org/mentor-status/active/ And you can find our committee members here: https://pitchwars.org/about/meet-the-pitch-wars-committee/
It’s open internationally, but only for books available on the Book Depository. Make sure to go to their site and verify the book is listed for sale there before choosing your book in the Rafflecopter. Please note: The book you choose might not be immediately available due to supply chain challenges impacting the entire publishing industry.