{"id":1837,"date":"2019-04-05T17:29:54","date_gmt":"2019-04-05T17:29:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2019\/04\/05\/hitting-home-runs-with-story-pitches\/"},"modified":"2025-02-14T15:59:14","modified_gmt":"2025-02-14T15:59:14","slug":"hitting-home-runs-with-story-pitches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2019\/04\/05\/hitting-home-runs-with-story-pitches\/","title":{"rendered":"Hitting home runs with story pitches"},"content":{"rendered":"    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Pitching rises again and again as one of the main challenges facing writers who want to make the leap from idea to publication. Whether you\u2019re a reporter hustling support for an enterprise piece in your newsroom, or a freelancer trying to land a magazine assignment or book contract, a successful pitch is often what stands between you and your vision.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>So props to the six brave writers who dared public exposure at the 2019 Power of Narrative conference. Each had two minutes \u2014 and not a second more \u2014 to pitch their passion project to a panel of expert agents and editors:<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-list mb-4 list max-w-screen-full mx-auto pl-5 \">\n            \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.joytutela.com\/\">Joy Tutela<\/a>\u00a0of the David Black Literary Agency<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.beacon.org\/Assets\/ClientPages\/HeleneAtwan.aspx\">Helene Atwan<\/a>, director of Beacon Press<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/skagency.com\/agents\/stuart-krichevsky\/\">Stuart Krichevsky<\/a>, president of the Stuart Krichevsky Literary Agency<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/theundefeated.com\/contributors\/raina-kelley\/\">Raina Kelley<\/a>, managing editor of ESPN\u2019s \u201cThe Undefeated\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>The writers then fielded questions, challenges and some gentle but clear criticism. All this in front of some 30 other journalists who sat in on the workshop.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-image mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"579\" height=\"254\" src=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/BUConfLogo.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7725\" style=\"width:250px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/BUConfLogo.jpg 579w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/BUConfLogo-300x132.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 579px) 100vw, 579px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Think \u201cThe Voice,\u201d \u201cAmerica\u2019s Got Talent,\u201d \u201cSo You Think You Can Dance\u201d or any of the many television shows that put a spotlight on amateurs dreaming of making it big. Think about whether you have the grit to stand in that spotlight. But mostly, think about the book or magazine piece you long to write, and how you are going to gain support (and pay) for your project. You may know, deep in your deepest writer\u2019s soul, that your idea is special. People lean forward with fascination when you regale them with your tale. Friends have told you again and again that&nbsp;<em>you should write a book<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>And often, all that certitude and enthusiasm runs slam into the brick wall of the pitch.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">One of the most popular features on Storyboard is \u201cThe Pitch.\u201d It includes interviews with editors on what they look for in a successful pitch, and annotations of actual pitches, showing the back-and-forth between writers and editors. (To find examples on Nieman Storyboard, search under the Annotation Tuesdays! Category, which you can find in the left-hand menu. Or search under the name of contributor Katia Savchuk, who first pitched the idea of \u201cThe Pitch.\u201d) Many of the magazine editors that Savchuk has interviewed said they have pitch guidelines on their publication sites, or will send them to any serious journalist who asks.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>A variety of other journalism organizations carry tips on pitching on their sites. One of the richest resources comes from our friends at&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theopennotebook.com\/\">The Open Notebook<\/a>, a site about high-end science, environmental and health journalism. In the few short years it\u2019s been in existence, Open Notebook editors have compiled&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theopennotebook.com\/pitch-database\/\">a database of almost 200 pitches<\/a>. Even if you write about far different subjects, you can glean wisdom from that trove.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>And, of course, literary agents almost always include information online about how to query or pitch a book.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Yet the art of pitching remains something of a mystery \u2014 or at least a necessary step in story craft that befuddles many writers.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">That was no exception at the Power of Narrative pitch panel. The story pitches covered the gamut: One writer told of his Forrest Gump life, in which he had wrestled with komodo dragons, toured with a rock band, and landed in the Baseball Hall of Fame. A woman wanted to write about a former drug dealer who became an expert falconer, and now works with rescue birds to help rescue young people from the streets. A woman whose grandfather was killed in World War II traced the little-known history of the massive effort to find soldiers buried on foreign soil and bring them home.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>All captivating stories. All with challenges when it came to convincing an agent or editor of their viability. The feedback from the editors and agents offer tips for any writer who wants to sell their story. While each of the panel experts worked in a slightly different world, their advice carried common themes. We&#8217;ve captured a few of the universal highlights:<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Don\u2019t pitch a story that\u2019s trying to do too much.<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-list mb-4 list max-w-screen-full mx-auto pl-5 \">\n            \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Successful pitches, whether longform magazine pieces or books, need to narrow in on one essential thing that holds the narrative together.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What story will you follow as a central spine? Who are readers going to follow?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Consider the point of view. Whose story are you telling, and in whose voice?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Research &#8220;comparables.&#8221;<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-list mb-4 list max-w-screen-full mx-auto pl-5 \">\n            \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Find books or articles from a similar genre that have sold well. Know the market.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Zero in on a potential target audience.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Find five to 10 books from the past five to 10 years that you think your targeted audience is already reading.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Differentiate yourself.<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-list mb-4 list max-w-screen-full mx-auto pl-5 \">\n            \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>How does your story stand out?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Who else has covered a similar subject, and how? How would you do it differently?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Make your story stand out in your first pitch letter.<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-list mb-4 list max-w-screen-full mx-auto pl-5 \">\n            \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Base your story on a unique character or event, but tie it to the larger story it represents.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Seek stories we think we know but really don\u2019t.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Consider various markets or genres. Know where your story fits.<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-list mb-4 list max-w-screen-full mx-auto pl-5 \">\n            \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Publishers of young adult books are on the lookout for nonfiction. Is there a successful trade book idea that you can adapt for a YA audience? Make sure you choose a voice or point of view that speaks to that audience.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Unless you&#8217;re a known name celebrity, memoirs need to have a narrow, relatable focus. Wbat will make people want to read\u00a0<em>your<\/em>\u00a0story?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Keep your written pitch short and focused.<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-list mb-4 list max-w-screen-full mx-auto pl-5 \">\n            \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Highlight things that show what&#8217;s special or scream to get someone&#8217;s attention.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Work on your one-line elevator pitch.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do enough reporting to make your pitch specific to the agent or editor you&#8217;re pitching. Demonstrate that you know why you are pitching them. Don&#8217;t write it as a generic letter to the entire industry.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When sending an email pitch, or request to look at a pitch, pay attention to your subject line. Make a personal connection to the agent or editor (&#8220;I met you at &#8230;&#8221;) if it&#8217;s legitimate. Perhaps include your working story title or quick pitch line.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Agents and editors at the 2019 Power of Narrative conference lob feedback and advice in a live pitch session<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7729,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[407],"topics":[],"authors":[3],"issue":[],"class_list":["post-1837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-essays-on-craft","tag-the-pitch","authors-jacqui-banaszynski"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Hitting home runs with story pitches - Nieman Storyboard<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2019\/04\/05\/hitting-home-runs-with-story-pitches\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hitting home runs with story pitches - 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