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BOULDER — Lazy pitch letters flood editors’ boxes every week. The most common mistake: writers not studying the magazine they’re pitching.
About 120 people attended the first — and annual — magazine writing conference in Boulder, spearheaded by Michelle Theall, founder and publisher of Women’s Adventure Magazine. Speakers included Gail Fisher, senior editor for National Geographic’s photography department, Adam B. Vary, staff writer at Entertainment Weekly, Sam Moulton, senior editor of Outside Magazine, Janet Lee, deputy editor for Shape Magazine and other noteworthy editors.
Teasing apart a magazine takes some inside knowledge, which speakers were happy to share with the audience Saturday and Sunday. Numerous editors stressed that the way to break into a magazine is to take it slow and easy — with short stories that lie in the beginning of the magazine, referred to as the “front of the book.”
No query, or pitch, should be longer than one page, and each one should hook the editor, just as writers aim to hook the reader, from the beginning.
Lee laid it out for participants Saturday. She said the first paragraph of the pitch should be the lead, or beginning, of the story. The second should tell the editor (which, by the time you pitch you know the name of) why the story is relevant and how it will benefit the reader. For example, is it cutting-edge research or a new product? The third paragraph should talk about packaging the story and experts that will fill out the story. End with a short bio about where you’ve written and why you’re the most qualified, and viola, you have a pitch.
Moulton also gave a basic formula for writing stories for Outside Magazine. First, they must be action-packed, with a vivid lead. Each must have a backstory, research and complication that comes to a head. The end scene should wrap up loose ends, framing the story in a broader context, and leaving the reader with lasting images.
Of course, all magazines have lead times that range from three months to a year, so stories need to fit in with such a time frame. Pitching a particular section, or page, will get writers further than simply making a stab at writing a feature when they’re unknown. And, as Fisher pointed out, persistence goes a long way. As she said, if the front door is locked, go to the back door, and if that’s locked, check the windows.
About 120 people attended the first — and annual — magazine writing conference in Boulder, spearheaded by Michelle Theall, founder and publisher of Women’s Adventure Magazine. Speakers included Gail Fisher, senior editor for National Geographic’s photography department, Adam B. Vary, staff writer at Entertainment Weekly, Sam Moulton, senior editor of Outside Magazine, Janet Lee, deputy editor for Shape Magazine and other noteworthy editors.
Teasing apart a magazine takes some inside knowledge, which speakers were happy to share with the audience Saturday and Sunday. Numerous editors stressed that the way to break into a magazine is to take it slow and easy — with short stories that lie in the beginning of the magazine, referred to as the “front of the book.”
No query, or pitch, should be longer than one page, and each one should hook the editor, just as writers aim to hook the reader, from the beginning.
Lee laid it out for participants Saturday. She said the first paragraph of the pitch should be the lead, or beginning, of the story. The second should tell the editor (which, by the time you pitch you know the name of) why the story is relevant and how it will benefit the reader. For example, is it cutting-edge research or a new product? The third paragraph should talk about packaging the story and experts that will fill out the story. End with a short bio about where you’ve written and why you’re the most qualified, and viola, you have a pitch.
Moulton also gave a basic formula for writing stories for Outside Magazine. First, they must be action-packed, with a vivid lead. Each must have a backstory, research and complication that comes to a head. The end scene should wrap up loose ends, framing the story in a broader context, and leaving the reader with lasting images.
Of course, all magazines have lead times that range from three months to a year, so stories need to fit in with such a time frame. Pitching a particular section, or page, will get writers further than simply making a stab at writing a feature when they’re unknown. And, as Fisher pointed out, persistence goes a long way. As she said, if the front door is locked, go to the back door, and if that’s locked, check the windows.
