Look at my cover letter. LOOK AT IT!

So remember like a year (read: a month) ago when I said I was going to submit my book to a real publisher, then you never heard anything else about it?

Yeah, that's cause I kind of dropped the ball on that one.

But ball has been picked up! I'm furiously working on my cover letter, synopsis, and, as soon as I get my edits back from my amazing editor, Bexter, I will be able to ship off the entire package to the publisher behind door #1: Tor/Forge

I've submitted to these bubbas before, way back when I was a wee ickle thing in college, which was nearly 10 YEARS AGO (*ded*). Razia as a novel has matured incredibly - as I have matured incredibly since 19-20 years old. But I actually feel really, really strongly that things are actually starting to fall into place. Namely because my cover letter just...spoke to me.

Here it is, as it stands right now:

Dear Publisher Person (I have a real header, but don't want to paste it here)

We are all living double lives – some as secret novel-writers, others as secret space-pirate bounty hunters. Dr. Lyssa Peate is the latter – by “day,” a scientist charged with discovering and selling distant planets, by “night,” a bounty hunter playing a fast-paced and deeply competitive piracy game. She would love nothing more than to leave behind the name, past, and fate of Lyssa Peate in favor of the strong and stoic Razia; unfortunately, she’s kind of having a hard time doing that right now. For all of her spunk, analytical brain, and drive to be the best, she’s still a girl. And “girls aren’t pirates.”

Double Life is the first of a five book series, a completed 78,000 word novel in the science fiction/young adult genre. Much like the Hunger Games and Divergent series, it features a strong female lead, resonating with the Sheryl Sandberg-led girls of the #banbossy generation. Like the Harry Potter series, the pirate world is complex and detailed, tied together with a Facebook-like pirate intraweb, where the latest dastardly deeds are broadcast like status updates. Razia locates her quarry by pouring over tables of financial transaction history, where hidden pirate names littered in the search results like Easter eggs. Smart readers will be able to play bounty hunter, pouring over the book to see if they can find bounties themselves. The first book of the series will be published via Smashwords (independent publisher) in June 2014.

As an author and media professional, my experience encompasses both Department of Defense strategic communications, as well as television production (including a stint at the BBC). Even before publication, I have already laid the groundwork for an effective media campaign, incorporating Facebook, Twitter, and blog posts to engage my audience. The communications strategy will shift once the book is available for publication, offering incentives for sharing content and driving traffic to the different outlets. More involved communication – including events at comic book conventions, media interviews, and even a J.K. Rowling-type engaging website where users can engage in pirate games – could be part of the strategy as more books are published.

Thank you for your consideration,

S. Usher Evans

Would you keep reading?

I also have my synopsis, but I can't post that here 'cause it has SPOOOOOILERSSSSS, obvs. 'cause it's about the whole book. I am having issues with it, because, obvs. it's a 78k word book, and it's really hard to condense that into 3-10 pages. I'm trying to figure out which small details to add, which to take out - finding, as usual, that small details early in the book have big impacts later in the story. Right now, I'm smack in the middle of about 6 pages total, but I'm just worried that it's not detailed enough, and doesn't get to the heart of the book I'm trying to sell.

Speaking of amazing people five paragraphs ago, I got my first feedback from one of my 3 editors. The following is some choice feedback from her:

"I'm enjoying myself immensely"

"It's so much FUN"

"I'm very interested in what happens next"

"I've found a few typos and one inconsistency." Whoops, I mean, my writing is totes perfect all the time no problems here. ;)

I about peed myself with joy.

If one person likes it, then others will as well. I'm not smoking crack here, which is always my #1 worry with my writing. I know I have fun, all alone in my house, reading and re-reading my work, but I never know if anyone else will share my joy.

Speaking of joy - I am making my book available for pre-order in 1 month and 1 day. Which means that I will be an official published novelist in 2 months and 1 day.

Holy shit.