So, you've written your submit music . You've followed your heart to the finish line, you've perfected your story, you've made sure every last syllable of the lyrics scan, and you are finally ready to...

"Wait, what do I do next?!"

One of the so-called problems of being a writer is that we don't write practically. We write what our hearts want us to write, as we should, and we wind up digging ourselves into what we believe to be "non-produce-able" holes. The truth of the matter is, however, that high-quality work, regardless of the subject matter, and regardless of the "marketability" of the piece, WILL find a home. Sometimes it will take years of patience and hard work, but every piece of high-quality musical theater writing WILL find a home.

Therefore, the first thing you should do to sell your submit music , is vet your work. If you are writing alone, find a director you trust and respect, and ask them to review your songs and story and characters. Try presenting your music to an objective audience of friends and trusted peers to see what their initial reactions are to the piece. You can always tell if a song is successful by playing it in front of an objective audience. There is a clear difference in energy when you perform a song that truly captures your audience, versus a song that leaves them detached and disinterested, and writing musical theater is all about keeping your audience engaged. Another very sound guideline to follow, is to make sure that your characters' sung lyrics (and spoken words) line up with their objectives, and that each character in your musical is unique, specific, and in some way larger-than-life.

Assuming you have a high-quality musical on your hands, there are a few things you can do to help your musical find a home more quickly. The most important of these things is asking yourself, "What is my show about?" It's the same thing as starting a new business. You need to have what's called 'an elevator pitch.' Imagine you get into an elevator at a hotel in New York City, and find you are standing next to a Broadway producer. You have all the time it takes to get from the Lobby to floor 30 to greet him, tell what your show is about, and get him interested (probably about 30 seconds). What would you say? Your elevator pitch will also help you become more clear about your show's mission, and will probably result in many parts of the show itself changing! Enjoy this!

You also need to develop your online presence. Use the elevator pitch as a center-point to help guide you through the process of building a Facebook page, a website, some sort of teaser video, and demo tracks. A good teaser video will tell a story, and a good website will set up a brand for your show-- both of these need to gel with and further your 'elevator pitch'. Finally: submit, submit, submit. Figure out which theater companies and producers around the country might be interested in your work, and send them professional demos, photographs, scripts, etc.

In summary, the best way to sell your show to other people is to first sell it to yourself. Inspect your work for quality, determine what your show is about, codify your elevator pitch, and start believing in your work by getting it online. Be patient, and never give up. You'll find a home!