Drumroll, please...
I've kept my eyes on my inbox obsessively; posted about AMM obsessively; hovered on Twitter; and waited with bated breath since submissions to Author Mentor Match closed on January 15. They announced the results, AND...
I didn't get in.
There were over 1500 submissions to Author Mentor Match in a two-day window. 44% of the YA submissions were fantasy, my genre (source). You could only submit to four mentors.
The odds of getting picked were pretty freaking small. I thought I had a good chance, but...it wasn't meant to be. This is the second event I entered my work in, and I was rejected again. Ouch!
I sought a mentor from AMM in order to get eyes on my most latest revision, to see if the work was publishable, and to address some of the harsher criticisms my beta reader gave me about my themes of intimacy and consent.
Since this didn't work out, I thought about it long and hard and have decided to work with two more beta readers on what should be the final draft of Son of the Siren (unless a major issue is discovered). I decided to seek out beta reading services from Kit 'N Kabookle and Haunted Unicorn Publishing. Having already used Independent Book Review, I wanted to shake things up and get different eyes on the manuscript. I really, really hope substantial revision is no longer needed for the book, but we'll see. No matter what, I want to get it in the absolute best shape it can possibly be in order to submit to agents.
Please wish me luck, and thank you for reading!
Oooh! I have an update! One of my mentors of choice actually emailed me back with commentary! She wrote that she "loved my voice," was "in awe," and that "you've done an absolutely stunning job with this story." In terms of recommendations, she advised me that "Son of the Siren" may be harder to market given its darker themes and that I should consider aging up the characters to make it adult fiction. It's definitely something I'm going to ask my beta readers when they come back to me with their reports. I have a lot to think about!