Chasm between Author and Publishing Contract

I don’t know about you, but I feel as though there is a huge gap between unpublished author and editor of a publishing house. How about you?

It’s like there’s a giant chasm and the chasm, depending on what genre you write, is full of gnashing teeth and bodiless claws (fantasy). Or maybe it’s full of, what you first think is water, but you soon find out is a liquefied gas that can suck your skin off in seconds (science-fiction). Or maybe it’s full of the echoes of love lost and found, constantly enticing you to dive into its depths (romance).

Whatever your genre, it’s still a chasm you’ll have a hard time crossing.

But guess what?

There is a bridge.

And that editor that sits high on the publishing hill? He’s not so scary or intimidating.

He’s actually kind of cool. And he loves the bridge that connects from his publishing hill to the author.

Depending on where you go, the bridge can be a giant rope with no handles that you have to teeter-totter across (hello, pitch sessions!). It could be a rope bridge that swings at the slightest breeze, but at least you have a handle to hang on to (a connection of a connection of a connection). The bridge could very well be constructed of wood planks, laid down one at a time, experience after experience, year after year.

Or, it could be a zipline.

A fast track way to connect with a publisher.

 

Ziplining to a Publishing Contract

 

A Zipline to a Publishing Contract

We’re actually going on a zipline on our October cruise in Belize…perhaps our onboard editor with JollyFish Press will join us.

There are a lot of different ways you can make a connection, have an opportunity to showcase your work, give your logline, and pray the listening party is interested enough to take a look. Our retreats offer you seven days to make those connections, leading to a much more comfortable, knowledgeable, no-pressure pitch session on the last day of the retreat. After seven days of a retreat filled with workshops, 3-course dinners, exploring exotic islands in the Caribbean, and a literary costume party, you’re guaranteed to put a publisher-author relationship on the fast track…even if you aren’t ready to pitch.

Pitching to an Editor after a Writing Retreat

Because when you do get ready to pitch, you get to be one of only 30 authors in the world to say in your query, “We ziplined through the Belize rainforest together on the Cruising Writers Retreat! Remember me?”

Uh, duh. Of course he does. And you’ve reminded him of an amazing time, which means he’ll go into reading your query with the best attitude possible.

Us writers have to take every advantage we can, right?

Hop on the zipline with us and get the best opportunity ever to zip your way straight across the chasm and into a publishing contract.