Following on from this post listing loadsa stuff to help you write a book proposal, the genii at Journobiz have also recommended:
Apologies to the more experienced writers amongst you who may find this post quite basic. But somebody, somewhere is looking to get their first feature published, and this is to help them avoid ending up on the Bad Pitch Blog.
Pitching Your Ideas to a Publication
When you want to get published in a newspaper, magazine or website, you start by pitching the idea – not the finished article. A common mistake is to write an article then look for an outlet to publish it, but this is not how publications work.
The reason for this is that the commissioning editor will have their own ideas about what they want to see in the piece. They'll know how much space they have available and how many words they need you to write.
Start by reading several copies of the section you’re pitching to so you get a sense of what they cover and where there might be opportunities for you. Believe it or not, many people pitch to sections they've never read. If you want to hit a target, don't just take aim and fire - do your research first.
Think of an idea for the slot you’re targeting – something original that your specialist knowledge will make you the best person to write about. All publications have writing staff – so why would they pay you to write for them instead?
Submitting Your Pitch
Call the publication and find out the best person to send your idea to. You can gleam information like this from websites and directories, but the media has a high staff turnover so it’s essential to keep checking that you are approaching the right person.
Most editors prefer to receive pitches by email. On bigger publications, editors receive many pitches every day and some won’t even read them if they don’t recognise the writer’s name.
Write your pitch and send it. Describe the idea in a few paragraphs (around 100 words) and give some details of your professional background and experience (ie why they should ask you to write this). The idea is more important than your writing experience, but do emphasise any experience that you have.
What’s next after you’ve submitted your pitch?
Responses vary enormously. Sometimes you will hear back fairly quickly – within a day or two if it’s a daily newspaper, perhaps a few weeks if it’s a monthly magazine. If you don’t hear anything you can take it that they’re not interested or the email hasn’t been read. The editor will not have time to give you feedback if your idea is not suitable.
If you don’t hear anything, you can always follow up with a phone call or a short email. If an idea is time sensitive, some writers phone up soon after they’ve sent the pitch. They might say ‘My email’s been playing up so I’m just checking you received this’ but really this is just an excuse to get closer to the editor and start to build up a relationship.
Another follow up could be to pitch the same idea to another publication, tweaking it to make it relevant to the new recipient.
Don’t call us…
Pitches are similar to press releases in that you do need to be sending them consistently to build up a profile and eventually have one accepted. Even experienced writers say they have a hit rate of only 1 in 10 pitches getting commissioned, so don’t despair if you are pitching stuff and getting no response. Your hit rate should in theory be much higher if you target lower profile publications. But ultimately it is a numbers game, sugared with a teaspoon of luck, and persistence will lead to success.
The trouble with sending out a book proposal is that it does kind of leave you drumming your fingers for what comes next.
But at least I am now well placed to recommend How To Write a Book Proposal by Michael Larsen. JH followed its advice to the letter, and we all know what happened to him.
The Writers' and Artists' Yearbook is always worth a gander for publishing information, and I have heard good things about From Pitch to Publication and The Insider's Guide to Getting Your Book Published. Also check out White Ladder Press's site, which includes some excellent advice on preparing submissions, including a template proposal.
Now, if you will excuse me, I have more finger drumming to do.
Must confess I've been moonlighting on another blog. Check out this guide to writing an e-book on Freelance Writing Tips. And a prize to anyone who can guess which flavour of canape I'm holding in the photo.
The good thing about looking for case studies is that you'll rarely reach a dead end. Yes, sometimes it might feel like you're wading uphill through custard, but it's rare to come to a complete stop. Obviously some stories are easier to find than others, but in general there is always somewhere else to try, another number to call. Don't just give it 15 minutes' Googling then give up.
But what if you've got a particularly niche topic to research? Say you're looking for people who believe themselves to be descended from lizards, and www.lizardgrandad.com happens to be offline. What's your next step? Well, you could always think about:
When I worked on TV chat shows, finding case studies was a fairly straightforward process. An appeal would be broadcast at the end of each show. People interested in taking part would call in and leave their details. A researcher would ring back and do a quick interview, and from that we would choose interviewees to film. It's amazing how the people who think they have a great story, rarely have one, and the people who think there is nothing remarkable in their story usually turn out to have the greatest stories of all.
But if you don't have access to lists of people eagar to talk to you, where is a freelance journalist to start on their hunt for the perfect case study?
First of all, set up your own email group of people who won't mind you asking around for case studies - build your list as you go along, maybe including people you have interviewed before. Think about the people you know that The Tipping Point calls "connectors" - people who know a lot of other people. After all, it's not so much about who you know, but about who you know knows (if you follow me). Each person is estimated to know at least 200 people, so you don't have to have a big list to be reaching out to thousands. But as much as possible fill it with non-media people. Always look to widen your circle of connections.
Use your list sparingly - your friends are going to get mightily hacked off if the only time they hear from you is when you're after something. And make it easy for people to remove themselves from your list if they want to.
After that, try some of these avenues:
The big caveat with all of this is that if you are using predominantly online methods to find your stories, it's important that you pick up the phone and talk to your prospective interviewee as soon as possible. Often people will email a journalist on a whim, and won't have considered the reality of talking publicly about their experience and being photographed until you mention it to them. If you want case studies who will not pull out, it's important that you speak to them ASAP and ensure that they're clear about what's involved.
And above all, thank the people who help you when you're looking for case studies. It's disappointing how many journalists don't. It doesn't take much time, and it will make a difference when they choose whether or not to help you next time.
Here's the latest list of useful links for journalists. Number 3 in a series of - crikey - Scooby knows how many. (Here're numbers one and two if you missed them).
This blog lists entry level, London-based journalism jobs. There aren't a multitude of posts, but the ones that are there look good. More journalism jobs also listed here and here.
And when writing features just ain't enough any more, this post will tell you many hard facts you need to know if you want to write a book. This site will keep you fuelled as you do so.
I had heard lots of good things about Linda Jones' new book The Greatest Freelance Writing Tips in the World, but nobody told me what a handsome little feller it is. Hardback, so ideal for drumming your fingers on whilst thinking of a particularly apt metaphor, and with a blue ribbon bookmark attached so you can tie it to the Christmas Tree after you've read it.
And oh yes, the content. Pretty much everything a freelance writer would need to know is covered in its pages. Areas covered include: pitching, writing for newspapers & magazines, blogging and commercial writing. Linda gives us the benefit of her 20 year writing career with energy, enthusiasm and passion. You could open it randomly at any page and feel confident that you'd learn something to benefit your writing career.
My only criticism of this book is that it could stand being an awful lot longer. All of the tips are neccessarily short, and there were times when I could have done with fuller explanations. I guess that will have to wait. Roll on volume 2.
I have a theory about writing
**blog readers scatter at the advancing onslaught of one of Joanne's Theories About Stuff**
Oi, come back you lot, this is a good one. It goes like this:
There are 3 main phases when you do any piece of writing, and you will play a different role at each stage:
1. The Writer – when you physically write the words down on paper or computer screen. If you're having trouble expressing yourself, it’s a good idea to speak out loud what you intend to say before you write it.
2. The Editor – when you improve on the writing you’ve done in stage 1. You correct grammar or spelling mistakes, rewrite, fill in missing bits and move text around as you make your writing as hunkydory as possible.
3. The Critic – When you evaluate the finished work and see what could make it better. If necessary go back to Stage 1 or 2 when you see something that could be improved. This stage can also involve getting feedback from others.
If possible put your writing aside for 24 hours between each stage if you have the time – that way you come back to it with fresh eyes. This may not be practical if you're on deadline, but at the very least give it a cup of tea space between each stage.
What tends to paralyse people is that they often start at Stage 3 (The Critic) before they’ve even written a word and start imagining things like “What if it’s no good?” “What if people think it’s terrible?” and "Good grief I am the worst writer in existence". Of course they never think of positive criticism or even the possibility of a good review. Where's the fun in that?
If you stay a critic without being a writer then you give yourself no space to improve. Bypassing writer mode and staying in critic mode is one of the major causes of writer’s block.
If you really feel stuck and can’t think of what to write next, give your mind a rest by doing something physical: go for a walk, visit the gym, do some gardening or bake a cake. Anything to engage you physically and give your mind space to create. Set the intention that you will return to your writing with a clear sense of what needs to happen next and you’ll get it.
I think we're all agreed that Facebook is a black-hole-time-suckage-extravaganza like no other. And exactly why/how did a website make me spend actual money on an imaginary ninja fighter and some non-existent cakes? Remember that's proper cash that could've been used to buy shoes for my babies. Or even some real cakes.
So I applaud anyone who can make productive, work-like use of the site. Two thumbs up to journalist Sarah Ewing, who has started the Journo Case Study Requests group. The aim of the group is to make finding case studies (the bane of many freelancers' lives) a bit easier. Non-journalists are welcome to join so it's a good one if you run a business and are looking out for ways to raise your profile.
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