- The Ideas Factory
- Posts
- What editors really wish you'd do before pitching... plus a sourdough library
What editors really wish you'd do before pitching... plus a sourdough library
Helen Thomson
September 17, 2024
In partnership with
Hello!
This week I’ve been writing a Christmas feature for New Scientist’s bumper holiday issue, which is always great fun, and I’m trying to sort logistics for a feature for the Observer, which involves travelling to the middle of nowhere.
I’ve also been asking my favourite editors what they wish freelance writers would do more often before pitching to them. Their answers are very enlightening! Check them out below.
As always there’s some ideas to pitch, my favourite call-out of the week and a few events to put in your diary.
Thanks to everyone who clicks on our sponsor’s ad below. It’s a great way of sending me a $ at no cost to you, and help keeps this machine running.
Happy pitching everyone! x
Receive Honest News Today
Join over 4 million Americans who start their day with 1440 – your daily digest for unbiased, fact-centric news. From politics to sports, we cover it all by analyzing over 100 sources. Our concise, 5-minute read lands in your inbox each morning at no cost. Experience news without the noise; let 1440 help you make up your own mind. Sign up now and invite your friends and family to be part of the informed.
WHAT EDITORS WANT
“Make me excited and desperate to publish your story within the first two lines. If I have to work hard to decide if it’s a story or not, it probably isn’t. Even better, pitch a scoop. You know something that no one else knows! And a bonus one: If this is your first pitch to me, you’ll need to prove that you can do this. What have you written that’s similar? Have you tackled reporting tasks of this type before? Do you know enough background on the area to be confident in the story?”
“Search our archive, and the internet, to see if we have done it before or if it has been widely covered. Also, don’t pitch a topic or a question - and show some examples of the kinds of new insights and discoveries you’ll be covering in the story (for a feature). The editor needs to see there is a critical mass of new stuff that’s going to make a fresh story.”
“Don't leave questions hanging. Many pitches hinge around a central query or mystery, but, even if you don't yet have a full conclusion, I at least need to know the direction of travel. This might mean making a few enquiries before you're ready to send the pitch.”
Gif by snl on Giphy
“One piece of advice I give to students, especially if they are approaching an editor cold: pitch something that you are the best person to deliver, through access, through experience, through originality, through your own strengths. Editors often have access to staffers and experienced freelance writers they know, so if you pitch something that these safe pairs of hands could also deliver, your pitch is less likely to stand out. They won’t steal your idea of course (that’s very rare) but even if it’s a decent idea, if you’re not the best person for the job, they may turn it down regardless and move on to the next one because there are lots of ideas. So play to your strengths; do whatever you can to persuade the editor not just on the quality of the idea, but also that you are the best placed to deliver it.
For example, I received a pitch recently from a writer I didn’t know so well that was very succinct: she said something to the effect of ‘there are lava tube caves beneath Auckland and scientists are exploring/mapping them and they’re weird, they’ve agreed to take me down there next week.’ I didn’t end up editing that one myself, a colleague did, but it was an easy yes from both of us.
“I’d like to see people believe in their pitches more. Obviously there are some important elements that often get missed that I could list, like the why now, the pay off, etc. But what I so often find is that pitches are a single thought that writers have had and they want to test if I’m interested. What I actually want is to hear what you are really intrigued by and think is a great story. Increasingly, I feel writers need a shift from a tentative attitude of ‘are you interested’ to more ‘here’s a great story I am planning to writer, let’s explore if it can work for you’.”
PITCH THIS:
Find your sourdough library. In 2018, Anne Ewbank stumbled across the world’s only sourdough library and sold a fab story about it to AtlasObscura. It reminded me of a story New Scientist did last Christmas about the world’s largest collection of animal milk. It made me think there must be some other weird and wonderful libraries out there where you can do your own show and tell. Go find them!
No more phones. Parents in the UK are lobbying the government to bring in bans on children’s phone use. They’re rallying people to sign a “Parent Pact” in which you promise to not give your kid a phone until they’re 15. It’s an interesting idea that is trying to attract the government’s attention. How many people have signed up, is it a realistic ambition, and is there anyone out there who has already resisted giving their kids phones who can offer some comment?
AI wrote this. I came across a job ad the other day asking for an AI-assisted reporter. It’s pretty crap that we’ve come to this. I think AI can be brilliant in certain contexts, but I’m just not sure how it is going to help a person be a better reporter. I’d be interested in reading something on this topic. I’ve also noticed an increasing number of people in various writing groups saying they feel like AI is taking over their jobs and they’re no longer willing/able to be a journalist in this climate. I’d read something along the lines of “I’m a best-selling writer and AI put me out of work”.
CALL OUT OF THE WEEK:
This is less of a specific call out and more of a ‘follow’. Maybelle Morgan at the i paper tweets many times a week looking for specific ideas. The newspaper pays a pretty dismal 25p a word, but the ideas she’s looking for always seem fun, and probably don’t take too long to write.
looking to commission a writer to try out a diet that supposedly helps with anxiety/stress - email me at [email protected] with relevant first person clippings/published writing #journorequest
— Maybelle Morgan (@maybelle_morgan)
9:09 AM • Sep 5, 2024
GO TO:
This may be too far for many readers to travel to, but look through the programme for ideas. There’s talks on disease X and preparing for the next pandemic, the future of AI in health and the current thinking on psychedelics in psychiatry.
30 Oct-1 Nov, Melbourne, Australia
This is one of those conferences that you just want to be at to soak up the vibes and eavesdrop on the conversations that are happening. No doubt you’ll get a peak inside the world of the super-rich and the super-luxurious holidays they will be going on in 2025. There’s gotta be a story here for someone!
2-5 December, Cannes, France
Giphy
That’s all from me this week. I can’t believe we’re almost halfway through the series! In the next instalment, I’ll be showing you how to make a friend of your future and listing some useful resources that will help you place your stories.
Happy pitching everyone x
Who is Helen Thomson?
I don’t like to blow my own trumpet but I’m an award-winning journalist with almost 20 years experience. I started my career in entertainment reporting, despite having a BSc in Neuroscience and an MSc in Science Communication. I soon became one of the family at New Scientist magazine, working on the news desk as a reporter and editor before stepping into the freelance world to write my first book. “Unthinkable: An Extraordinary Journey Through The World’s Strangest Brains” was a Times Book Of The Year in 2018, and an Amazon Best Seller.
My favourite endorsement was from Ed Yong, who said “in beautiful prose, she seamlessly dances between conversations with nine extraordinary people and beautiful explanations of how the brain works… remarkable.” Thanks Ed!
While I was freelancing I also wrote for many organisations, including the BBC, The Guardian, The Observer, The New York Times, The Daily Mail, Forbes, Nature, Psychologies and more.
After seven years freelancing I returned to New Scientist as Head of Features, commissioning long-form writing, and now I’m once again back in the freelance world.You can find out more about me here or if you’re feeling generous buy one of my books here.
Outside of work I live in South East London with my two wonderful kids and husband, and will always say yes to a. wine, b. wild swimming and c. a Bonjovi concert.
