THERE'S a feature in the current edition of Writing Magazine called Pitching High. It includes advice from me on how to contact editors.
I'm republishing some more advice on just that here.
But I'd also stress you can have all the pitching gumption in the world, and get your approach to an editor as fine tuned as you like, but if you can't deliver on what you promise in your pitch, you won't be able to darken that editor's doorstep again.
So perhaps it would be a good idea to focus on learning how to best research, structure and write a feature, how to carry out interviews and how to make sure your piece doesn't leave out vital information for your target publication *before* you worry about pitching. Anything else would be pretty foolish.
Once you have learned all that -- and it can take a while -- I hope the following guidance may come in handy.
If you want to convince a magazine, newspaper or website editor they should commission a piece from you, you need to prove your idea:
- Would fit well in their publication
- Is worth writing now
- Would be best written by you
- Will be delivered well and on time
Miss out any of these elements and your pitch won't stand a chance.
Continue reading "Want to write for the nationals? How to pitch an editor" »




