Tips for getting an editor/curator/programmer’s attention

Thank you for your interest in writing for/working with _____ publication/organization! We’re delighted you want to contribute. But before moving ahead, here are five things we’d like you to keep in mind:

1.) _____ publication/organization has a sensibility and a point of view. Do you know what they are? Do you know how your proposed contribution might fit into ____ publication/organization’s vision? If not, please think about that before getting in touch.

2.) When reaching out to _____ publication/organization, unless you have a specific question — such as “what is your summer theme?” “when are you planning to put out a call for ideas?”— please include a pitch. A pitch is a story idea that is 1–2 paragraphs long, includes specifics about how you will structure and argue your story (or proposal), and possibly the names of the characters/artists it will focus on. Please check beforehand to see if we’ve recently run/exhibited something similar to your piece.

3.) In your pitch to _____ publication/organization, do you provide a sense of who you are, why you are qualified to write/work on the subject you’ve suggested, and why you think the story is important? If not, please think about that. Also, if you haven’t worked with us before, did you send along clips of previously published/showcased work?

4.) Is your pitch written in grammatically correct English?

5.) Working on _____ is what we do for a living, and we’re proud of it. Because of that, we’re selective about who we invite to write/illustrate/copyedit/show. Your interest alone doesn’t guarantee a commission, and getting mad at us for not thinking so won’t get you anywhere.

With that in mind, please send us your pitches!