A few days ago, I mentioned my most embarrassing author moment on my socials. I confessed that I wrote a speech in preparation for a meeting that I SO didn't need a speech for . . . And you guys demanded to hear my unnecessary speech!
Soooo here I go. Here is the story of why I thought a speech was necessary and the speech itself.
Why I thought a speech was necessary:
My most embarrassing moment as an author (so far--I'm certain there will be more) happened during my first time through submissions. When my now publisher (HarperVoyager) asked me to meet, I had no idea what to expect. So my lovely agents emailed me a prep sheet that went point-by-point of the questions to answer along with the Do's and Don'ts of meeting with a publisher. I read that prep-sheet front to back. In the first paragraph, it said to "treat this meeting like a Ted Talk". It also went on to say that the publisher will be evaluating your presenting skills, judging whether or not you could do well in interviews and on camera. This prep sheet laid out points that the publisher will want to know from the call, points like:
Who you are
What got you into writing
What inspired your book
Are you reliable
A summary of your book
What you can bring to the table
How marketable your book is
What makes your book stand out
Your sales number, socials, platforms and connections
That kind of stuff. As I'm reading, I'm sweating. I was imagining this very formal sales meeting with me on a podium hard-selling my book with a Ted Talk in hand. No joke. After the prep sheet, I was convinced this is how it would be.
So I wrote a Ted Talk.
Y'all. I sooooo didn't need a Ted Talk. Luckily, my agent met with me thirty minutes before the meeting.
When she hopped on the video call, I said "I wrote my talk."
Her eyebrows shot up. "You wrote . . . A talk?"
I said, "Yeah, can I read it to you?"
Guys. I will never forget the look on her face as I read my Ted Talk. Her expression was half proud that I read her prep sheet and half mortified that I wrote a speech and she was suddenly stuck on a Google Meet screen listening to it.
I (thankfully) did not go into my meeting with a speech--because it would have been so awkward. And I still can't talk to my agents about it without my cheeks going bright red.
What I thought would be this high-pressure sales meeting was actually the chillest, most enjoyable--and casual--meeting with my now editor.
So in honor of my anxiety-induced over-prepardness, I am sharing my speech with you all (because you all showed up in my DM's begging to see it) but also so you can laugh at my blunder with me. Keep in mind, this speech was written based on the specific questions that the prep sheet told me to be ready to answer. I also had less than 24-hours to prepare for this meeting, so this speech was quickly hashed out thing--first draft. In it, I address things like my sales numbers, book comparisons, and my explanations of why I thought now was a good time to publish my book. The speech itself (hopefully) isn't funny, but the fact that it was 1000% unnecessary was what was comical.
My Speech:
(Written from the points in the prep sheet)
WHO ARE YOU?
I could tell you where I’m from (Utah), the number of books I’ve written, (two) or the number of years I’ve been writing (6). I could tell you I’m a business marketing major, or that I long for a career in writing, but all those things could be said by thousands of people.
They are basic, surface level details, and none of those details tell you who I am. So, I want to introduce myself in a way that very few can replicate.
I want to tell you about a moment in my life that I feel defines me as both a person and as a writer.
HOW I KNEW WRITING WAS MY CALLING:
I don’t know if any of you have children or can relate to having a baby, so I’ll quickly summarize what it was like for me after having my second child.
The first six months after having my baby stripped me of all the things a person needs to be a healthy, functioning human.
My ability to sleep, shower, eat, think, or even have a moment of privacy were gone. Something I’d faced with my first child. But when it was time to have my second child, my husband’s job (that owns our home) temporarily and unexpectedly displaced us for 6 months (for renovations on the house) At the end of my second pregnancy, we had no home to stay in. So, while my husband lived in a trailer on his job site, I moved in with my in-laws more than an hour away from him.
That meant I’d also be stripped of my husband, friend, and greatest supporter when I had our second son.
It was during this time I really discovered the depth of my passion for writing.
Because while my three-year-old son would wake up twice a night, my newborn son would wake up 4-6 times a night.
I was alone during the nights, and I was alone during the days.
I could not find the time to shower or the desire to eat, but I never shirked my role as a wife or mother, and as I rocked my newborn at 1, 2, and 3 AM, I wrote.
On my phone, typing with one hand on a tiny screen.
Because writing is not just my passion, it is my lifeline during the greatest adversities and trials in my life.
I tell you this story because it shows you who I am at my core.
I am committed to the roles and promises I make, and I am committed to writing.
I do not shirk my responsibilities when things get hard, and I do not give up on the things I love.
*I’ve been told that my superpower is not my talent, but my dedication and work ethic.
I’D LIKE TO TELL YOU ABOUT VESSELLESS AND HOW IT CAME TO BE
· VESSELLES is an adult fantasy romance with two twists on “ a bonded magic system,” one twist being that the magic comes from spirits instead of a popular source such as dragons, and the second twist being that the FMC’s bonded spirit is not only her enemy but also her love interest.
· Vesselless was written via countless 4am writing sessions while my nights were dedicated to obtaining my marketing degree. Both of which, I felt were crucial to my career as an author. I pursued a marketing degree to learn how to position, market, and sell my future books. Vesselless was inspired by Serpent & Dove, ACOTAR, FW, Way of Kings, SATWON, and Eragon. But was also inspired by my own past traumas revolving around a broken family, neglect, and abandonment.
HOW DOES VESSELLESS CONNECT WITH READERS?
· I’m lucky enough to have seen the reception of my book before physical publication—something that is quite unique and extremely advantageous about my position. Readers are connecting with the complexity of the FMC, Nizzara, and how “different” and “fresh” the book feels.
· Many readers have expressed their love for Nizzara because she is both hard AND soft at the same time. They connect with her feelings of being alone but also her big heart, and endless grit. A common response I’ve seen in multiple reviews is: “Finally, an FMC who is not whiny, oblivious, or wishy-washy.”
· The readers who especially love my book (My audience) are the readers who read ALOT, the readers who have seen thousands of plots and especially plots in the fantasy and romance genres. Those readers have described my book as a “breath of fresh air” in the romantasy space because it is so different from other books they’ve read, something new in a saturated market. Vesselless is a remedy for the readers who feel like “every romantasy is the same story with different characters.” Which, is a complaint I’ve seen often in many bookish communities and groups, as I am a lurker in many.
WHY IS IT THE RIGHT TIME FOR VESSELLESS?
· While building my online presence, I’ve also been social listening to consumers and paying attention to the romantasy environment. There are a few reasons that make now the right time to publish Vesselless:
· With the publication of FW, romantasy has seen a surge of new readers, meaning those who exclusively read other genres (like contemporary romance) have dipped their toes into fantasy. These readers are new to fantasy, and I’ve read multiple posts from readers asking for “easy to understand fantasy books for beginners” because they loved FW so much.
· While on the flip side, those who’ve read exclusively fantasy romance are becoming burned out by the repetition they are seeing in the current market.
· My book satisfies both of these sides as it is an “easy to digest fantasy” for beginners as well as being something “new and fresh” to seasoned fantasy romance readers.
MY TALKING POINTS (SELLING POINTS)
· I imagine one of the biggest purposes of these meetings is to answer the question: Will this book sell? I’m excited to answer that question with evidence (not speculation) that it will. As a debut author without a pre-existing platform to launch to, I’ve been extremely fortunate on Kindle Unlimited, hitting over 1m page reads each month since July, and I’m on track to have my highest month this month. Upon scheduling a “free” day for Vesselless (That I did not announce or promote), I received nearly 1900 downloads of Vesselless on that day.
· In my time online (post-launch), I’ve focused on building relationships with book influencers as well as readers. With the circle of influencers (who have already read, loved, and promoted vesselless, before meeting me) I have a reach of nearly 400k readers in the romantasy genre. Some of the notable influencers in my corner are:
(redacted)
WHERE DOES VESSELLESS FIT IN THE MARKETPLACE?
· Many readers have compared it to One Dark Window for its unique magic system and Serpent and the Wings of Night for its darker tone and themes.
AM I OPEN TO EDITORIAL FEEDBACK:
· Yes! My goal is to enter the marketplace with the strongest possible version of this book. I am extremely open to any editorial feedback big or small as I am not afraid of any amount of work.
· I am humbled to be sitting in front of the second largest publisher in the world that has over 200 years of experience in the publishing industry. I would wholeheartedly trust any advice from you as an editor.
What my meeting actually was like:
Instead of meeting a long table full of stern-faced business people, I met my smiling editor in his office. The meeting was conversational and super friendly. I'm pretty sure I made a really lame joke about hobbit meals. . . . and I'm pretty sure my agents dutifully laughed at it. The only things I mentioned from this speech was that I am a mom who has only attempted to write one other book, and I wrote parts of Vesselless on my phone. To my editor, if you're reading this, I hope you're getting a good chuckle, and I am very relieved you are not a stern-faced business person.
Thank you guys for supporting me, laughing with me, and making this journey so much brighter. As promised, I like to share my journey with you, and I hope this post helps you on your own author journey (PSA: You don't need to write out a speech when you meet your editor!) For more tips, stories, and laughs, follow me on Instagram or subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of this page!
Thank you to this amazing community for all your support!
XOXO,
Cort
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