On the Publishing Long Game, Staying the Course & Pitch Wars with Carly Heath

Episode 96: On the Publishing Long Game, Staying the Course & Pitch Wars with Carly Heath (Equestrian Author Spotlight Podcast)

1/12/2022

Episode 96: Welcome to the Equestrian Author Spotlight podcast! In each episode, you’ll hear inspirational stories from horse book authors, including writing advice and marketing tips to help you write your own horse book. If you are an author, aspire to be an author, or simply love horse books, then you are in the right place!

In this week's episode, you'll meet Carly Heath. You'll learn ...

About what led Carly to write her debut YA novel, The Reckless Kind, which BuzzFeed named as one of 16 LGBTQIA and Young Adult novels to devour.
Why she thinks diversity and representation are so important in historical fiction, and how she researched for this book.
How she found the courage to stay the course with the long traditional publishing process, including her work with agents, editors, and designers.
What it is like to be a Pitch Wars YA mentor. Carly talks to us about this program and the work she does with them.
And MUCH more!

Watch Carly Heath's Interview on YouTube!

Or listen to the audio version.

About Carly Heath

Carly Heath (she/they) earned her BA from San Francisco State University and her MFA from Chapman University. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Carly teaches design, art, theater, and writing for various colleges and universities. She spends all her time and most of her money tending to a menagerie of rescued farm animals.

Carly Heath Interview Excerpt

Carly: Tell us about your debut YA novel,

Carly: The Reckless Kind is my first novel. It's set in 1904, on an island just west of Norway, the novel follows a trio of queer teens—two boys and their best friend, Asta—who decide to defy the expectations of their rural Scandinavian village by leaving their families, living on their own, and challenging the town's patriarch in the region's annual winter horse race.

,Carly: BuzzFeed named The Reckless Kind one of 16 LGBTQIA and Young Adult novels to devour this fall. How did that make you feel when when you
were named on that list?

Carly: That was great! I really hope that it leads to people finding the book because there are so many books out there. Also, it's so hard to get readers attention because there's all sorts of media. Being on a BuzzFeed list is huge and you can hopefully have people find you really easily, so that was thrilling, really exciting.

Check out the BuzzFeed list here:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/dahliaadler/lgbt-lgbtq-books-books-freelance-freelance-books-bfdc-books

Carly: Is there a message or theme that you really hope readers will grasp when they finish that last page?

Carly: I think the most important thing is compassion. I would say that's the main theme — compassion for yourself, compassion for your friends. There's so many difficulties that are faced along the way, and what gets this
group through it is their love and support unconditionally of each other.

There's also the importance of following your heart. There's so many pressures that are put on people, especially teens from parents, from society. Staying true to yourself and living authentically is a really important message I hope teens will get from it.

Carly: You went through a long process getting this book traditionally published. What would you say to yourself during times of doubt?

Carly: What's been really helpful is being in a community of writers and having writer friends. I saw so many people around me in the writing community going through the similar rejections. I would see my friends get the rejections, then ultimately sign with the agent and get published. I think seeing other people experience the same sort of difficulties that I did just showed me that it happens to everyone. Rejection is part of it.

Carly: You are a Pitch Wars mentor. Talk to us about this program and the work you are doing with them.

Carly: Pitch Wars is a mentoring program where publishing industry professionals choose one writer each to spend three months revising their manuscript. It ends in February with an Agent Showcase, where agents can read a pitch and first page and can request to read more. As a mentor, I help the author perfect the book according to THEIR VISION. I’ll make in-line notes on the document, write an edit letter, and we brainstorm over Zoom!

Connect with Carly Heath

Website: https://www.carlyheathauthor.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/the-reckless-kind
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/carlyheath
Twitter: https://twitter.com/carlylheath
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlylynheath/
TikToK: https://www.tiktok.com/@carlylheath

Books Mentioned in the Interview

Carly Heath Talks About The Emotion Thesaurus

Listen to More Author Interviews

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About Your Host and Author Carly Kade

Photo: Shelley Paulson Photography

Carly Kade is an award-winning author, horse owner, creativity coach, and the host of the Equestrian Author Spotlight Podcast. She helps fellow writers start, grow, and expand their author careers. Creative writing makes her spurs jingle!

Carly's In the Reins equestrian romance book series was written with horse lovers in mind, no matter which discipline they ride. The horses are as vital to moving the story forward as the human characters are.

These books are perfect for poolside reading, taking to the beach, or settling down with after a day of horseback riding.