America’s Next Great Author: The TV Show Finalist

I’ve always wanted to be on reality TV. Any second that I’m completely alone I spend practicing my imaginary, on-screen interviews. So when I heard that there was going to be a reality TV show for writers, I knew my time had come. I can’t sing, I can’t dance, and I don’t have any cool talents besides singing with my mouth closed, but there’s one thing I can do. Write. Well, at least sort of. And that “sort of,” was good enough for me to audition.

I found out about the opportunity on TikTok, where I find most good things in my life. I had a gut feeling that this was the show for me. I quickly learned that they were only accepting pitches for YA and Adult novels. Luckily, even though I am an MG author, I did have one YA novel that I was working on and had given up on a million times. Even though this book wasn’t my favorite, it was the only one that could get me on the TV show.

I sent my first ten pages, pitch, and bio to my agent and critique partners and then sent it off to the show. About a month later I got the email that I made it as a semifinalist! So I packed my bags and head to NYC! Well, technically the show was filmed in Newark, but I flew into JFK and spent as much time as I could enjoying the city that never sleeps.

Before I left for the show, I knew there was a slim possibility that I would even get to pitch. They told us ahead of time that they were only selecting twenty people as finalists with the opportunity to pitch their book to celebrity judges. I was still SO excited for the chance to be a part of the filming and to meet other amazing writers. But of course, I WANTED to be one of those twenty selected.

We didn’t find out if we were going to be selected as one of the twenty until our name was called the moment before you go up to the mic. I think I was around number thirteen, so it was a long time for my anxiety to be at its height. When I heard my name, I couldn’t believe my ears. I’m not one to do well speaking in front of large crowds, but I had practiced my pitch so many times that I said exactly what I wanted to. The judges understand my book perfectly. The day couldn’t have gone better.

There are a lot of things I gained from this experience: New writer friends, writing and publishing insight, but most of all, I learned to believe in myself even more. People enjoy my stories and I can’t let myself beat myself up and give up on a book.

Anything is possible and the opportunities are endless. I can’t wait to see what comes next for me, but as of right now, I love being an America’s Next Great Author Finalist.