Pitch Perfect Additional Resources Suggested Reading: ● Writer’s Market 2012 edited by Robert Lee Brewer ● The Renegade Writer by Linda Formichelli and Diana Burrell ● The Renegade Writer’s Query Letters that Rock by Linda Formichelli and Diana Burrell ● Get A Freelance Life by Margit Feury Ragland ● Starting Your Career As a Freelance Writer by Moira Anderson Allen ● How to Write a Book Proposal by Michael Larson ● Writer Mama: How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids by Christina Katz ● Get Known Before the Book Deal: Use Your Personal Strength To Grow An Author Platform by Christina Katz ● You Can Write For Magazines by Greg Daugherty ● The Everything Guide to Magazine Writing by Kim Kavin ● Write the Perfect Book Proposal: 10 That Sold and Why by Jeff Herman ● Secrets of a Freelance Writer, Third Edition: How to Make $100,000 a Year or More by Robert Bly ● The Writers Guide to Queries, Pitches, and Proposals by Moira Anderson Allen ● Pen on Fire: A Busy Woman’s Guide to Igniting the Writer Within by Barbara DeMarco­ Barret ● Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott ● Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg ● On Writing by Stephen King Suggested Websites: ● mediabistro.com (yearly membership­ $55) ● ed2010.com ● freelancewritinggigs.com ● therenegadewriter.com ● queryshark.blogspot.com ● writersdigest.com (especially the Guide to Literary Agents blog) ● theadventurouswriter.com/blogwriting ● blog.nathanbransford.com ● dominiquebrowning.com (example of a well done writers website) Attachments: ● Personal Essay Markets A­E from Mediabistro.com ● How to Pitch: Real Simple from Mediabistro.com ● How to Pitch: Inc from Mediabistro.com ● American Way Query Letter ● Afar Query Letter ● Babble Query Letter and Response ● Artful Blogging Query Letter and Response ● Country Living Query Letter, Follow­up and Response ● Falls the Shadows Query Letter (letter to a literary agent) ● The Weird Sisters Query Letter (letter to a literary agent) ● Hidden Cities Query Letter (letter to a literary agent) ● Sample Freelance Contract ● Masthead for Boston Magazine 1 Personal Essay Markets A­E *copied from MediaBistro.com 1. AARP The Magazine The crucial ingredient in essays for AARP is that they must offer fresh insight into an aspect of life after 50. Style and emotional heft are also important. Length: 1,200­1,500 words Pay: $2 a word Assigning editors: Margaret Guroff or David Dudley, [email protected] Guroff's advice: "Originality is key. Certain life events, such as caring for a parent with Alzheimer's disease, inspire many more great essays than we could ever hope to publish. We're looking for the compelling reads and universal truths in unusual, extreme or common­but­little­discussed life experiences." 2. Adoptive Families ­­ "At Home" These essays are virtually always written by adoptive parents. Review submission guidelines. Length: 600 words Pay: $0­100, depending on writer skill Assigning editor: Eve Gilman, EVE at ADOPTIVEFAMILIES dot COM Gilman's advice: "We are looking for well­written essays that capture a moment related to families and adoption without being heavy handed." 3. American Baby ­­ "Sharing" American Baby covers the spectrum of pregnancy and parenting issues relating to babies up to six months. "Sharing" is the personal essay column, and the editors are currently seeking true stories pertaining to pregnant women or new moms. They are open to first­person accounts in addition to as­told­to stories. A past example is an account of a woman who live­streamed her birth on YouTube. Length: 750­1,000 words Pay: Roughly $1.50 a word Assigning editor: Mindy Walker, MINDY dot WALKER at MEREDITH dot COM Walker's advice: "We consider a wide range of parenting topics, as long as it's something our readers can relate to." 4. Anthologies Anthologies are approached one of two ways: open submissions or by invitation. Word of mouth is the best way to discover upcoming anthologies. Some publishers with ongoing series have websites with an official call for submissions (see Travelers' Tales and Chicken Soup for the Soul). Editors will occasionally announce a call for submissions on their blogs. Some anthologies will accept previously published essays. Length: Varies Pay: Usually $100­500, but can be up to $2,000 depending on the advance paid for the book One writer's advice: Lori Gottlieb, a writer with 10 anthologies to her name and author of Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough, says that editors tend to be most interested in 2 an unusual and nuanced take. "If the book is about, say, women's relationship to money, they're not going to want what readers see all the time in women's magazines ('I was afraid to ask for a raise at work,' etc.). Anthologies tend to be a space where writers can be very intimate and personal and explore the topic in all of its complexity. Really think about the topic and what you have to say that you've never expressed to anybody, or that nobody has ever talked about but you wish they had. That's the beauty of these collections, both for the contributor and the readers." 5. The Bark Dog lovers unite in this magazine that covers canine culture and publishes at least a couple of essays in each issue. Essays should convey essential truths about the human/dog relationship, ones in which the dog is the key focus rather than incidental to the story. Review submission guidelines. Length: 1,200­1,500 words Pay: Determined on an individual basis Assigning editor: Claudia Kawczynska, CLAUDIA at THEBARK dot COM Kawczynska's advice: "It's a good idea for the potential essayist to be familiar with The Bark's voice and previous content." 6. The Boston Globe Magazine ­­ "Connections" A Boston connection is not necessary, but essays for this column must offer a fresh perspective on a personal relationship, whether with a romantic partner, friend, family member or even an interesting exchange with a stranger. Past examples include an essay on the importance of saying hello, even to strangers; a volunteer's developing friendship with a young orphan in Haiti; and a conservative's decision to come out as Republican to his largely liberal friends. Length: 650 words Pay: $500 Assigning editor: Veronica Chao, VERONICA dot CHAO at GLOBE dot COM Chao's advice: "Please submit a completed draft rather than a pitch. Anonymous or pseudonymous bylines are not permitted at The Globe, nor is changing the names of people mentioned in the essay. Anyone you write about significantly in the essay must approve of your writing about him/her. We respond to an essay we want to publish within a month; we don't respond to essays we won't pursue." 7. Brain, Child: The Magazine for Thinking Mothers ­­ "Personal Essays" This literary magazine is dedicated to the meatier issues of motherhood. Between its print, blog and online forums, it publishes 20 essays a month. "We have a twice­a­year special issue devoted to parents of teens," says editor­in­chief Marcelle Soviero. In previous pieces, one mother explored her love and concern for her overweight baby; another wrote of her infertility treatments and subsequent adoption; and another talked about raising her children in Somalia. Length: 800­4,000 words Pay: $50­500 Assigning editor: Marcelle Soviero and Randi Olin, EDITORIAL at BRAINCHILDMAG dot COM 3 ("We both assign and choose essays," Soviero says.) Soviero's advice: "We present voices of women of different ages, backgrounds and circumstances in order to provide our readers with new insights and perspectives on issues that matter to mothers. We look for a strong narrative voice with vivid scenes and liberal use of dialogue. We like essays that make the readers think or want to share/discuss the piece immediately. Every editor says it, but familiarity with the magazine, and our writer's guidelines, really does help." 8. Brain World ­­ "The Last Word" Intended for the general reader, Brain World is a magazine dedicated to the human brain. It publishes one personal essay in each of its four issues per year. Length: 800­850 words Pay: Varies, and depends on the writer/topic Assigning editor: Liz Belilovskaya, BRAINWORLDMAGAZINE at GMAIL dot COM Belilovskaya's advice: "I'm seeking essays on any topic related to the brain. Past examples have included recovering from brain injury, how friends helped my mother's Alzheimer's, life with Tourette syndrome and hypnoses cures." 9. BUST BUST publishes personal essays and first­person reported articles in its feature well. A past essay was by a woman who had a jewelry phobia. Writers should query first­person pieces and keep in mind that the magazine publishes bimonthly, so it might be a while before your pitch is reviewed or accepted. Length: 2,500 words or less Pay: Generally $100­200 for features Assigning editors: Molly Simms and Emily Rems, SUBMISSIONS at GMAIL dot COM (both editors check email submissions) Simms' advice: "Please keep the tone of the magazine in mind; BUST is known for its frankness but also its humor. Finding an inventive way to approach your subject will be much appreciated." 10. The Chronicle Review ­­ "Observer" Published as part of The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Chronicle Review is a weekly magazine dedicated to arts and ideas for people in academe. Its "Observer" column runs personal essays, like the piece by a philosophy professor who, although skeptical of virtual classrooms, decided to teach an online course and was surprised to discover how well it worked. Length: 1,200 words Pay: Varies Assigning editor: Denise Magner, DENISE dot MAGNER at CHRONICLE dot COM Magner's advice: None, other than the submission guidelines. 11.Coastal Living ­­ "Coastal View" 4 This back­page essay is all about life on the water.