Welcome
Welcome to today’s class. We’re going to be working on our pitches, and learning to think like editors!
Thinking Like an Editor
Pair up with another writer. Read through their proposal. Then go to the publication that they are pitching to, and read through the submissions guidelines yourself, and read some of the material they publish?
Now ask yourself the following questions.
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Do you know what the story is in this pitch?
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Do you know where the story is happening, and who it is happening to?
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Do you think this is a story that people want or need to hear? If so, why? If not, why not?
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Do you think that the pitch is a suitable pitch for this publication? If so, why? If not, why not?
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What questions do you have after reading this? What do you want to know that you don’t yet know?
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Is there anything that is unclear about the pitch?
Now write an editorial report to the author. This can be in the form of an email. In the email, tell the author the following:
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Whether you are accepting the pitch for publication or not
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If you are not, give some feedback about the reasons for this.
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If you are, give some feedback giving the reasons for rejecting the pitch, and offering some encouragement.
We’ll look at some of these editorial reports in the class.
Homework
For homework, you need to finish your pitch!