Rebecca Faith Editorial

If you’re reading this, it’s because you’ve been participating in Pitch to Publication 2016. I hope our interactions on Twitter have been as meaningful to you as they have been to me; our little corner of the Internet is solidifying a reputation for generosity, camaraderie, good humor and great writing advice. I’m so, so proud of all of us.

An enormous amount of work goes into hosting a contest like this. I had the great good fortune to work closely with Samantha Fountain this year, organizing and preparing all the details that made this round of P2P so great. A conservative estimate of the time I devoted to this event clocks in around 250 hours, which is why you will kindly NOT ask me for a discount on services if you want to work with me after the contest. My participation in this event is a discount you all share. I’m focused on you, on this community, for the duration of the contest; whatever slice of that you get has a monetary value, even if you don’t realize it.

Still, I wanted to offer something to this community as a “thank you,” because it truly is my privilege to participate. My challenge here was to devise an offering that would honor your work AND mine. I think I’ve found the perfect thing.

In my regular business practices, I don’t offer partial critiques. They’re not always useful, and I prefer diving deep into a full manuscript. But for P2P16 participants, I’m making an exception. Whether you subbed to me or not, I am opening a 50pg + query critique option for a very limited time. Here are the terms and conditions:

• Critique includes close reading of 50 manuscript pages (1” margins, double spaced, Times New Roman 12pt font or similar—approximately 12,500 words), plus query letter. Author will receive a minimum of 3 pages of feedback, detailing observations about style, story elements (plot, characterization, setting, tone, voice, etc.), and query’s overall effectiveness. The critique package also includes a 30-minute Skype or phone call with me to discuss the feedback & answer your questions.
• Critique package must be purchased no later than April 15, 2016, and redeemed no later than December 31, 2016. This is a non-refundable purchase.
• Within a week of purchase, you will receive a formal Editing Agreement via email. Your signature on this document will acknowledge the terms outlined here, and guarantee the start date of your choice. Critiques will be completed within two weeks of agreed-upon start date.
• Critique package is only available to writers who submitted to #p2p16. Yes, I will check the submissions list. Yes, you can purchase the critique if you did not sub to me for the contest.
  

So that’s it! If you’re interested in purchasing this critique, act before the end of Pitch to Publication. The option to purchase this package will END when the contest ends. Questions? Head on over to Twitter – I’ll respond fastest there.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for being with us for P2P16. In a mad, mad world, your writer madness is a beautiful, precious thing.

EDIT 4/16/16: This package is no longer available.

reedsyhq:

Today, our lovely editor and Reedsy advisor Rebecca Heyman shares her thoughts on writing memoirs. In this lively and informative post, Becca offers some brilliant no-nonsense insights on the competitiveness of the memoir genre and why fiction might be a safer bet.

Memoir is everywhere. The genre is pervasive, clogging slush piles and hard drives and bookshelves. Part of its ubiquity might have something to do with the pop-psych notion fed to so many Millenials for so long, that we are all special and unique, our perspectives and experience critical. Another contributing factor is a literal interpretation of the author’s adage, “Write what you know,” which is in fact a call to use your experience as a launching point for story, not a script.

To be clear: I am not addressing those writers producing memoir to establish a family legacy. In this article, I’m talking specifically to those authors who plan to query agents or indie-publish—in short, those who intend their work for public consumption.

Okay, now that we’ve got that squared away, allow me to tell you why a vast majority of memoirists would be better off committing their creative energy to a novel or, if you must, a short story collection.

Keep reading