Melodie Edwards: On the Art of a Solid Elevator Pitch
Author Melodie Edwards discusses what she’s learned about publishing with her debut novel, Jane & Edward.
Melodie Edwards has a BA from the University of Toronto, a master’s degree from McMaster University and Syracuse University (2023), studied comedy writing at the Second City Training Centre, and works in communications. Jane & Edward is her first novel. Find her on Twitter and Instagram.
In this post, Melodie discusses what she’s learned about publishing with her debut novel, Jane & Edward, her hope for readers, and more!
Name: Melodie Edwards
Literary agent: Melissa Edwards, Stonesong
Book title: Jane & Edward: A Modern Reimagining of Jane Eyre
Publisher: Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Random House
Release date: March 21, 2023
Genre/category: Women’s Fiction/ Romance
Elevator pitch for the book: This powerful reimagining of Jane Eyre, set in a modern-day law firm in Toronto, is full of romance and hope as it follows the echoing heartbeats of the classic story.
What prompted you to write this book?
I’ve been reading and re-reading Jane Eyre for years, forever and always watching Jane navigate life at Thornfield Hall. But when I went to work in the tall towers of Toronto’s financial district as a communications professional, and passed through several different law firms, Jane became unglued from her gothic setting in my mind. I started to see a modern Jane sitting in empty cubicles I passed, or nipping into the elevators, going higher and higher as if it was the battlements of Thornfield she liked to climb.
The idea lived in my head for years, and so finally I sat down to write it.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
While the book itself wrote quickly, and stayed pretty close to the original idea, I’m a debut author, so finding an agent, signing with her, selling to a publisher, and getting all that infrastructure set up took time (even though I know I really lucked out in finding an amazing agent and then the book was picked up by a fabulous editor). Then the publishing process itself—edits, copy edits, production edits, discussions about the title—takes much longer than I realized!
So, the complete timeline stretched about two and a half years. I wrote the book in the summer of 2020, and now it’s out in the Spring of 2023.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
Learning how to pitch a novel was a big learning curve. Back in 2017 I won the Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition for a play I had written, and as a result of that, I got to attend the Writer’s Digest Conference Pitch Slam session. It was an amazing session, almost like speed dating between a potential author and literary agents, with just a few minutes talking to each of the agents attending.
Although I didn’t have a book written back then, practicing pitching my idea for a book taught me so much about how to align it with genres, create a hook, use a comparable, and more, all in a condensed elevator speech. That helped shape the way I thought about my novel, once I actually sat down to write it a few years later.
Understanding the business side of publishing is as much of a factor in getting your book on its journey, as the writing itself.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
That popular writing phrase “kill your darlings” comes to mind. Once I got into the editing process, I was shocked how sections I once deemed critical were getting tossed in the garbage. Once you have the plot from start to finish, it becomes easier to see where your narrative goes wandering.
I was also writing about Toronto and real places, in the early days of the pandemic, so unfortunately many locations were changing or going out of business as I wrote. In some cases what was meant to be a celebration of Toronto haunts, became a sad remembrance.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I hope readers enjoy my book, no matter that the inspiration is nearly 200 years old. Jane Eyre has always been one of my favorite heroines. She’s self-aware, free-thinking, competent, fiery, and calm by turns, and a stronger character than any of those who wittingly or unwittingly trample on her in the book. I hope readers who know Jane feel I’ve honored her character in Jane & Edward, and I hope readers who don’t know Jane become interested in getting to know her.
There are many fantastic modern adaptations of the classics, because I think classic characters never really stay put—they find their way into present-day, over and over again, evolving with modern day values. I like to think all writers are part of a collective effort to help them along, finding new scenes and new forms for them to inhabit. That was my goal in writing Jane & Edward.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Read widely, write plenty.
Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
