On Submission: Now We Wait
Thoughts on pitching a book about L.A. to publishers while…you know.
This morning, I hit a major milestone in the traditional publishing journey: my agent let me know that he started pitching my book to acquiring editors at publishing houses, officially putting me on submission. Based on everything my published writer friends have told me, being “on sub” is a weird, exciting state of limbo that can last anywhere from a week to a year or more. I’ll probably be waiting for a while to hear back and find out who is interested in buying my book.
Preparing a submission package with my agent (who is amazing) has been a fascinating process. We went through two rounds of revisions on the manuscript, which was final as of mid-December. Then, when I got back from a rather wonderful and delightfully exhausting trip to Japan, we worked together on a seven-page author bio/platforms/marketing plan document with expanded comps (comparative titles) and target audiences, along with a “vibes deck” about the book itself. Making the vibes deck was actually a lot of fun. Here’s the first slide, to give you an idea of what it looks like.
Thank you, Canva Pro. I owe you my firstborn.
For more context, so that image will actually make sense, here’s the blurb my agent sent to editors about the book, which is also included in the pitch materials.
BE WELL follows debt-burdened recent college grad Ann Ward as she takes increasingly desperate measures to avoid moving back to her Recession-ravaged hometown in 2009–and immerses herself in a maybe-cult along the way. A read for every Millennial and Gen Z American who will never be able to afford to buy a house like their parents did, BE WELL features the wellness and self-improvement culture satire of Self Care by Leigh Stein and The Glow by Jessie Gaynor, with a dash of “L.A. student loan noir” a’la the 2022 film Emily the Criminal and a large helping of the 2024 HBO docuseries Breath of Fire.
Trust me, the crystal on the cover slide makes sense once you read the book.
In the meantime, my job is to keep talking about writing, keep teasing the book on social media, figure out my next book, and generally carry on with my life as if nothing is happening.
Yeah, I laughed when I wrote that last sentence, probably just like you did when you read it. It’s almost impossible for anyone to do that right now, whether you’re worried about publishers wanting to buy your book, concerned about the future of our country after January 20, or you’re anywhere near Los Angeles.
On that note, because my book is based in L.A., I need to say something. I was born and raised outside of L.A., lived in L.A. during college, and have spent a large percentage of my life driving there to see friends, see shows, and do work. The city will always have a piece of my heart and my blood pressure.
And L.A. needs us right now.
I grew up with the specter of wildfires and packed multiple evacuation “go bags” as a kid. Over the past week, a lot of my friends and their families have been impacted, had to evacuate, or lost something to the Palisades and Eaton fires. The real images, not the AI slop circulating out there, are every southern Californian’s worst nightmare. Real people, not just celebrities, are losing everything. The lack of compassion in some corners of the Internet for “those people in L.A.” pisses me off mightily, because a lot of people I love are “those people.”
But thankfully, it’s been pretty easy to channel my inner Mr. Rogers and look for the helpers, because there are so many stepping up right now. People are opening their doors, restaurants are providing free food for first responders and evacuees, and so many organizations are stepping up and helping out (more on that below). And obviously, the firefighters, including the ones flying in from Canada and Mexico, and those who are incarcerated, are goddamn heroes.
Another thing: that quote about climate change making the rounds online, often superimposed over an apocalyptic image from L.A. (“you will experience climate change as an escalating series of videos until you are the one recording it happening to you”) is incredibly real. But I also want to paraphrase another quote I saw, which I can’t currently find because I was an idiot and forgot to save it, and it’s now lost forever to the Meta algorithms. It basically said this: “This is your semi-regular reminder that we are never beyond hope with climate change. Every single thing you do to cut carbon emissions counts toward preventing more climate disasters.”
The point is, don’t look at L.A. and think, “yeah, we’re doomed, no point in doing anything to mitigate climate change.” Likewise, don’t be tempted to think, “oh we’re allowed to have hope, that means I don’t have to do anything.” Everything you can do and encourage your elected officials to do counts, even if it feels insignificant.
Speaking of things you can do, here are some places you can donate to that are on the ground helping the people and animals in L.A. impacted by the fires.
Additionally, two of my college classmates lost their home in the Eaton fire, and there’s a GoFundMe set up to help them rebuild. Unfortunately, this probably won’t be the first one of these I have to share, so more will follow in the comments below this post online.
Anyway, hang in there, L.A. I love you, and I’m here for you, whatever happens from here.
Rooting for you, Sarah!!