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I will never forgot this evening’s Seltzertopia pitch (which I mentioned yesterday). It was WILD. There are going to be many pitches ahead for me – at the New York Book Expo, to the press, and more – but I have a feeling tonight was super special and will earn a place in my memory (and heart) all it’s own. And for so many reasons!

@Seltzertopia @JewishBook pic.twitter.com/NpyYWRXoWV

— (((Michael Miller))) (@MishMill) May 23, 2018

Where to begin? As I wrote yesterday, the JBC Network describes itself as a “platform targeting representatives from over 120 Jewish book programs across the United States and Canada and Jewish Book Council’s larger readership, reaching 15,000 subscribers and over half a million online readers.” And today I was one of 45 people (a subset of ~250 spread over three days!) who each had two minutes – not a second more – to present to (I think it was) 110 author schedulers at JCCs, temples, and other Jewish venues.

Part of what was so special for me is that the origin of Seltzertopia arose FROM the JBC itself. I detail in all in the introduction to my book. In short, in December 2004, I wrote an article for the Forward on seltzer and it was read by Carolyn Starman Hessel, founder of the JBC Network (formed just five years earlier). At the time I had heard of neither Carolyn or the JBC Network – that’s just not my world – but when we met for lunch and she encouraged me to turn my tiny Sodastream product review into a full-fledged book, I would never have guessed that 14 years later I would be pitching that book back to the JBC Network.

So today it was very moving to have it all come full circle.

But none of that was necessary to make today insanely awesome. First, my group of authors, 45 new authors like me mixed with luminaries like Dr. Ruth Westheimer, entered the sanctuary at Hebrew Union College. There were six rows, facing each other, where we were to find our seats. Outside, 110 reps were waiting to come in, to review us all, using a book produced for the event, with one page for each author. So I looked for my seat, arranged alphabetical, with a copy of the book turned to my page. I took my seat, understanding we’d be presenting in alphabetical order. 

After reviewing the rules, we had a half hour to chill and get ready. Dr. Ruth came in – that was it’s own story – and to make it short (pun intended) I spent 5-10 minutes holding her hand! At 4′ 7″ neither the podium nor microphone could reach, so her solution was to ask me (why me? who knows) to get her a chair and agree to hold her hand while she presented standing in it. She did not have to ask me twice. Unfortunately, cooler minds prevailed and she was asked to present NEXT to the podium (I felt cheated). (Btw, she turns ninety in a few weeks).

Dr. Ruth went first (“I’m the shortest so I go first…”) and then, every two minutes, a new author presented, on a wide array of topics. Food books. History books. Memoirs. Novels. It was inspiring. I could hardly believe I was part of this community.

Then I was called to be on deck. I opened the Voice Memo on my phone and hit the record button, placing it under my seat. As a result, a few words of warning. There’s some noise in the beginning as the author before me took his seat (I hadn’t thought of that), a wonderful moment where an author around me chimes in with “me!” mid-way in agreement with my pitch and, my favorite moment, the raucous applause filled with stunned laughter that met my conclusion. (Btw, I HATED stepping all over their laughter, not able to pause and let the moments breathe, but the clock was ticking and I wanted to fit it all in)

I felt great! And the best part was I could now pay full attention to the next hour of amazing authors.

Afterwards, we were ushered downstairs for a reception, with finger food, wine, and soda (and no seltzer? what the what?). I had been told not to ask anyone to invite me to come speak.  And that no one would tell me if they were going to invite me, then and there. But that AFTERWARDS they would report to the JBC who they wanted, and when. Then I would respond with a YES, NO, or MABYBE. And THEN JBC would do some voodoo or something, and THEN I’d get a list of who would be having me, when and where, over the next 18 months.

For the next hour or so, I met people from all over the country (Canada, where were you?). I learned what it’s like from their perspective. Can you imagine getting your annual JBC package each year, with hundreds of the latest Jewish books. How exciting.

In any case, I left excited about all the people I got to meet and exploring how they could picture Seltzertopia as a part of their world.