How to turn a topic of interest into a story idea that sells. To this day, the hardest part of querying for me is still the slicing and dicing required to make a generic story idea specific, interesting, and meaningful. When there’s news or a straightforward trend, the pitch all but writes itself, but what […]
The 6 Essential Traits Of Query Letters That Work
Expert advice from an award-winning freelance journalist on how to write pitches that sell. I’ve always been a big fan of watching how other people do things in order to learn. Which is why I highly recommend that if you want to understand how to write saleable pitches, read as many as you can. (Here […]
What Gets Your Queries Assigned? A Top Editor Tells All
I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with a senior editor at TIME magazine. Here’s what he told me. Early in my career, I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with a senior editor at TIME magazine. He’s written hundreds of articles and features, is profiled frequently, and has lived and reported from […]
The 9 Types Of Query Letters (And When To Use Them)
An award-winning journalist breaks down the types of query letters at a freelance writer’s disposal and when to use each to land assignments. Sometimes—and this is usually after you’ve sent out the first dozen query letters and received a couple of acceptances—you won’t need to send out pitch after pitch to solicit assignments. You’ll still […]
Why Your Story Ideas Are Key To Getting Freelance Assignments
A journalist who’s written for The New York Times and TIME on generating story ideas that will impress editors. Most freelance writers I know want ready-made assignments without having to send through any story ideas. They can’t wait to be established enough that editors find their websites and email them to offer work. And it’s […]