Young Writers Society

Previously:
1~ Don't underestimate networking
2~ Why pitch rather than self-publish?
++ General Non-Fiction Questions? Go here.



It is best that you read my article on why you should pitch, rather than self-publish, before you move on to creating a pitch. This will lay the ground work you require; for example, the things you should research and so on.

So, after reading that you will know who to send your pitch too. I mention that pitching is required in both the fields of journalism and fiction publishing. Let's tackle these one by one.

Pitching for Journalism

The focus of a journalism pitch relies heavily on target audience, whereas fiction has a heavy emphasis on content. In journalism, you're selling your idea and in doing so it has to benefit both parties - you and the publication.

The best way to open a pitch to a publisher is to begin: "Dear Editor" (assuming they are the editor), however, once you've opened up dialogue you should refer to them as what they sign off their email as. So in practice:

Dear Editor,

Pitch blah blah...

Best wishes,
[you name]

Hi [your name],

Yes, we'd love to see more of this. However, could you put this slant [details] on it?

We look forward to what you come up with!
Many thanks,
Jessica
Editor, The Paper

and you'd then reply:

Jessica,

I've amended my piece, please find the new pitch below and a penultimate draft of my submission. Any changes, let me know!

[your name]

Then you need to ensure your subject is clean. In the subject bar of your email, lay out your subject like so:

Pitch: {Name of publication}: {Area of publication (Opt)}: {Your Name}: {Title of Idea}

Ex:

Pitch: Total Film: Sci-Fi: Ben Franks: Top 100 Space Films Ever

What comes next is what you include in the content of your pitch. You need to sell three things: 1) your idea, 2) yourself, 3) your research. And here's how you do it:

Dear Editor,

{1, Show them you know about their publication, and keep it relative to your pitch. For example, if you're writing about travel, maybe you want to point out the disposable income of their readership and the volume of travel articles already published.}

{2, Introduce your idea. So, they may have lots of travel articles but do they have what you're offering? Hopefully not! So explain that your piece will introduce a new idea and engage more readers, while remaining true to the publication}

{3, What else can it offer? In another short few lines explain any other advantages your article may have.}

{4, Why you? What experience do you have? Explain very briefly - a maximum of two sentences! You're idea is more important.}

Best wishes {we do out with the sincerelys and faithfullys in the media world, we're all busy people!},
[you name]
[your contact number]
[your contact email]
[any footnotes, i.e. blog links, attachments*]

As you can see the above points cover everything: your idea, your research, and you. Some publications may ask for a sample so do double check. If so, it is best to include the writing sample either as a link or a standard word attachment, unless said to do so otherwise. Another footnote to that is keep samples short, around 500 words tops.

Your email itself should be no longer than 350 words! Unless you're submitting a very specialist piece or if the publication requires you to do so.

Sometimes, editors will ask you to include your CV or a personal statement. You can briefly refer to this in the body of your email, or attach it as standard practice and give notice you have done so in your signature* (see above in footnotes).

Entering a dialogue

Just a few additional things to remember. Having written and submitted your pitch, you will hear back from them, or you won't.

In journalism you need a very thick skin. Be ready for rejections but don't give up. A lot of the time, a solid pitch comes from practice, so just keep going!

If you're great from the off and enter into a dialogue, work with the editor to make it the best you can be - you're building a portfolio here, so never rush it. Always meet the deadlines, but never ever rush!

Finally, once you've entered a dialogue you should remember to network, as I covered in my earlier piece. So add them on LinkedIn, Twitter, FaceBook (if they've got it!) and build up your online profile!

Any questions? DO ASK!

Pitching for Fiction

If you read my previous post which discussed who you should get in contact with, you'll find that for the literary world there is no better way than to go through an agent. They will have experience you don't have.

However, it is highly competitive and blindly sending off manuscripts is a way to get yourself black-listed from any agent's contact list.

The first thing to think about when pitching fiction is it is advisable you only send off one pitch at a time; always wait for a reply. If you receive no reply in 3-4 weeks, find a contact number and phone them. You can cause some serious problems by sending off to multiple agents at once - if you fail to deliver when they say "yes" because you've picked someone else, you're only closing doors in your own face.

Next: do not send the whole manuscript.

Most agents prefer one side of A4, size 12pt. in an easy to read font. If they like your first page, they'll let you know they want to read more. Of course, this may annoy some of you, but the reality is they get hundreds of these week in, week out. You must stand out, and fast. So make sure you do those edits!

The actual process of pitching is a little less daunting. You should address them by full name, so for example:

Dear Adam Smith,

(Ensure you've researched and are sending to the right person!)

Your pitch subject should be:
Pitch: {Your Name}: {Fiction Form, i.e. novel}: {Your Working Title}

For example:
Pitch: Ben Franks: Poem: Black and White Photo

When you get to the body of your email you again, like journalism, want to keep it short. You're selling 1) your idea, 2) yourself, 3) that first page. So, it should go something like so:

Dear Adam Smith,

{1, Explain why you're contacting them in one sentence: Your portfolio of work was interesting, especially regarding my latest project... etc. - keep it relevant to your idea!}

{2, What's your story about? A very short synopsis and description of where it fits in the market should make up the body of your email.}

{3, Why is it unique from the other stuff out there? Don't be afraid to be quirky, to show your personality, you want them to think, woah, this is different!}

{4, Explain you have attached the first page of your work in manuscript and that, if they're interested in reading more, you can provide the rest instantly - this is VERY important. Never pitch to an agent for the FIRST times UNLESS you have the FULL manuscript. People who pitch "ideas in progress" already have working relationships with their agents. You need to establish this first.}

Yours faithfully,
[your name]
[your contact number]
[your email address]
[any footnotes]

As before, it is good practice to sign off with a signature with all the details they'll need should they want to contact you. Here, you may not want to attach a CV but a biography (short one!) is also a nice compliment to your sample work. So I'd recommend doing that as good practice.

I use "Yours faithfully" in this example because the world of literature is a little more old-fashioned than the media world (in the media world over half are under 30 and classed as "digital natives [brought up with the internet and tech, and so on]). It would be just as respectful to use "Best wishes,".

And there you have it! Two perfect pitches for two different industries.

Any Questions? DO ASK!

--

Ben Franks is the Editor of Pie Magazine, a globally read e-magazine. He is also a freelance journalist. As a poet, Ben has been published in three solo collections (2011, 2012, 2013).