Hey friends, old and new, thanks for being here!
Nov 24: Today, I’m crafting pitches for a speed-dating type event with magazine editors. I’m not a magazine writer, but as I learned in Pandemic University, editors are always looking for good stories and we can apply journalistic skills to find freelance opportunities for ourselves.
This is a ton of work, especially because I don’t have the foundation of journalism school, which means I’m slow and plodding as I figure out the steps.
I did AMPA Pitchfest last year and got zero stories assigned. BUT, I met five editors and pitched two stories to each of them. That means I had ten pitches under my belt before I started pitching my book to agents. Experience matters. Getting over my own nervousness continues to be a big part of this process.
To be clear, I was earnest in the attempt to bring each editor stories they could use, (and a couple made it partway up the chain.) But my metric of success was not getting my articles published, it was learning to pitch so I could get my book published. This event was instrumental to my journey. I’m grateful to the organizers and if you’re curious, I’d recommend trying it, or finding something similar in your local area and giving it a whirl. I believe in you!
@Rey, sorry the captions didn't work this time. I'll get there!