Episode 37: Again, But Better
Sneak peeks at our actual pitch documents! ✍🏼
Welcome to the Pub Dates newsletter! We’re so glad you’re here.
This newsletter is released as a companion to each podcast episode, and we use it to share the visual elements of our discussion — from mood boards to design sketches, from photos to secret giveaways just for subscribers.
In episode thirty-seven we talked all about writing sequels — how to know when you’re writing a duology, how to deal with Second Book Syndrome (and what it is) and why we love two-parters.
Flashback time
First up for this week’s newsletter, we have a throwback. Remember back in Episode 34, where we talked about copy edits and pass pages? And repeated words? Please enjoy this reel, in which Amie shows off just a few of the repeats she found when making her final pass through The Heart of the World. You’ll need to click through to watch it for the full effect. It’s worth it. Sound on! 📢
Fyrebirds pitch
Next up, we’ve got Kate’s original pitch for Fyrebirds — if you haven’t read Nightbirds then proceed with caution (and go read it!) but if you have, you’ll be fine to read this.
Is it all true? Is this the way the book turned out? You’ll have to wait until August to see…
You might remember that Kate said in the episode that she gave a Phryne Fisher kiss to one of her couples — the transformation from all business to all hotness! Do you have a guess as to which couple it’ll be?
The Heart of the World pitch
When we were recording, Amie said her pitch was 40-something words. Reveal: it’s actually a bit longer! She discovered this by… scrolling to the next page. (We never claimed to be professionals. Wait, what? We did? Oh dear.)
Here’s the full pitch — you’ll notice some big differences! Long-time listeners will remember that in the very first draft of this book, Leander had a bodyguard, Dante, and he was Selly’s love interest! He was then cut (farewell, Dante!) because (a) having a professional bodyguard there made Selly’s role in protecting Leander a lot less active and (b) Leander was just a better love interest.
You’ll also see that Jude was called Jeran, back in the day — he changed after Amie read a book with the same name in it, and wanted something without any associations! Now, it’s impossible to imagine him as anything but Jude.
As for the rest of it, is this what happens in the book, now it’s written? You’ll have to wait and see!
And that’s it for this week!
We’ll see you in May, when we have something very special planned — there’ll be FOUR episodes, one each week, as we hold a four-part readalong to celebrate the US paperback release of The Isles of the Gods. US readers, find your buy links right here.
If you have something you’re dying for us to cover, make sure you leave a comment and tell us!
See you next month!
A readalong?!! I love it! Also, hearing you guys talk about the struggle with sequels is so relatable. I have so many irons in the fire, and I've drafted I think, five books now, but none of them are direct sequels. It's like, when I try to write a sequel with a world and characters I already know, it's harder than just making something else up from scratch somehow. Not sure how that one works, but the mind was never meant to be entirely logical, I suppose.
First off, great ep! I have a feeling that the Phryne Fisher kiss is going to be between Sayer and Fen but I'd love it to be anyone else as well!