22 Pitch Calls from Paying Publications
Where to Pitch This Week (11.15.24) | Editor requests from The Guardian, Scary Mommy, The Walrus, Reuters, and The Globe and Mail
Hello!
It’s Friday and if you’re in America, Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away. I’m only telling you because I keep forgetting and I’m bound to be lost in a haze of stress cleaning and scouring through Whole Foods for gluten-free stuffing mix if I don’t get my crap together.
Don’t be like me!
Though the holidays are getting closer, editors are still working. Don’t be shy—keep pitching!
Life’s a Pitch!
Life’s A Pitch! A column where I take reader stories and help form them into sellable story ideas.
I’d love to get more ideas! If you have a nonfiction idea that you’d like to see in newspapers or magazines, send it in. Ideally, these would become 1000–1500 word essays, op-eds, or lightly reported stories, so keep that in mind when sharing. To submit your idea for a future edition, click here and fill out the form.
Lina’s Story:
Lina sent in this idea for a pitch:
How grief is like a toddler tantrum, with real life analogies and examples from a struggling widow. It would be told through the analogies and humor in the comparisons.
Lina, this sounds like a very fun way to look at grief… which isn’t a sentence I usually write. But I love the use of humor to get at this painfully relatable subject.
To pitch this, give us a glimpse of the specifics. You could put us with you when you’re experiencing a moment of grief and how it makes you think of your toddler screaming because you gave them a peeled banana (when they wanted a banana they could peel themselves!).
Or maybe you’re in the middle of dealing with a temper tantrum and that segues right into those wild reactions to grief.
However you choose to do it, let us as readers really feel the emotions and the ridiculousness. The essay could have multiple examples. Or maybe you focus on one main anecdote and tamper comparison. Either way, don’t shy away from the feelings. The more we experience the wild swings with you, the more funny and relatable it’ll be.
Pitch Pet Peeve Moment: Lina, you didn’t do this, but I’m using your story as an an example. When you pitch an article or essay, try not to say “It’ll be told with humor” or “In this funny, touching essay.” Make the pitch funny or touching. I know you can’t bust into a full Richard Pryor routine in a pitch, but give us some of that funny flavor. The editor won’t be worried if it’s not gut-busting, but they might not believe in your comedic prowess if there’s no humor in the email.
Also from Amber: Write Your Pitch in 30 Minutes - Free Workshop. Find out what editors want in a pitch, avoid common writer mistakes, and flesh out an idea in less time than an episode of The Penguin. Former students sold pitches to Huffington Post, Insider, and The Guardian after watching this workshop. Watch it now - for free!
22 Pitch Calls from Paying Publications
Below, we’ve got editor requests from The Guardian, Scary Mommy, the Walrus, Reuters, The Globe and Mail, and a chance to write about laptop futures. Plus paid opportunities in culture, food, news, entertainment, opinion, personal essay, demanding Boomers, and more.